Volunteer to assist GARA
Marketing & communication
Administration
Financial management
Stakeholder management & relationship building
Safety & security
Conservancy
Property for sale / to rent in Glen Austin
Building & development
Cellular phone masts
Businesses in Glen Austin
Schools & educational institutions
Signage & advertising in Glen Austin
Service delivery
Infrastructure
- Posting on social media - sharing of information and upcoming events as and when relevant (1 to 2 posts a week)
- Posting on WhatsApp / Telegram / Signal groups - sharing of information and upcoming events as and when relevant (2 to 3 posts a week)
- Compiling content, creating & sending GARAnews newsletter (every second week)
- Writing of newsletter content about environmental & conservancy issues, safety & security, CoJ matters, etc. after consulting with relevant subject matter expert(s) (short content pieces of 100 - 200 words every second week)
- Developing a new website for GARA
- Making changes to GARA website and keeping it up to date (once a month)
- Organising community events such as educational talks, community socials, food parcels, street cleaning, etc (4 to 6 times a year)
- Public relations officer to assist GARA with any official communication with various stakeholders (sporadic)
Administration
- Managing and keeping database of members up to date (sporadic and adhoc; and probably more of a focus in the first 2 months of every year)
- Manning the GARA telephone (accepting and / or making 3 - 5 calls and messages per week)
- Manning the GARA email inbox (reading, replying and or forwarding 3 - 5 emails per day)
- Manning the GARA email inbox (reading, replying and or forwarding 3 - 5 emails per day)
- Keeping track of Gauteng Provincial Gazette Notices that pertain to Glen Austin and notifying residents (once a week on a Friday if any)
- Creation of forms for new members, event RSVP’s, development comments & objections; registering as affected parties; consent of use etc (1 - 2 per month)
- Taking minutes, distributing for review and approval and distributing to relevant parties (1 - 2 times per month, but usually only once)
Financial management
- Creating & emailing GARA membership invoices (predominantly January to March every year & then 1 or 2 per month for the remainder of the year)
- Following up and reminding residents who signed up as members but have not paid annual membership fees (predominantly January to March every year & then once a month for the remainder of the year)
- Emailing receipts for GARA membership payments received and verified on bank statements (predominantly January to March every year & then once a month for the remainder of the year)
- Sponsor goods and / or services to GARA to use for fundraising purposes (once a year)
- Reporting to GARA committee on monthly income, expenses and bank balance (once a month) & preparing financial statements for the year (once a year)
- Preparing annual GARA budget for the year ahead to be presented to community (once a year)
Stakeholder management & relationship building
- Meet with Glen Austin residents to discuss problems (2 - 3 times per month) & sometimes assisting and facilitating difficult conversations between neighbours (once a month)
- Communicate via email and phone (and sometimes meet) with officials from the City of Johannesburg and its subsidiaries and sister companies to discuss issues experienced in Glen Austin (4 - 6 times a month)
Safety & security
- Encouraging all residents to sign up to the local security radio network (ongoing)
- Doing radio check to make sure your radio works (once a week on a Sunday evening at 19:30)
- Sign up as a patroller and help patrolling our streets during the day and night to reduce crime (as and when possible to patrol)
- Volunteering to be a street captain of a street security WhatsApp group
Conservancy
- Liaising with relevant authorities on environmental risks and issues such as illegal tire depots, landfills, illegal dumping, proposed new roads that will threaten the species of wildlife that naturally occur in Glen Austin (2 - 4 times a month)
- Help clear alien and invasive plants in our area safely and sustainably - either physically or by supporting existing initiatives through sponsorship (ongoing)
- Help clear litter in the area - either physically or by supporting existing initiatives through sponsorship (ongoing)
Property for sale / to rent in Glen Austin
- Keeping an eye on properties for sale or for rent and checking that the information in the listing complies with what is and is not allowed on Agricultural properties as outlined by CoJ bylaws (weekly)
- Answering any questions potential buyers / tenants have about the area (sporadic)
Building & development
- Directing residents to the correct CoJ bylaw and land use information to guide them in their building and development projects (ongoing)
- Assisting residents who have reported suspected illegal building and development activities in Glen Austin to follow up with CoJ (ongoing)
- Keeping track of applications that were Gazetted and their progress (ongoing)
Cellular phone masts
- Mapping of legal and illegal cell phone masts in Glen Austin as well as keeping track of any proposed mast applications (ongoing)
- Reporting any masts that are erected illegally to the authorities (adhoc)
Businesses in Glen Austin
- Assisting residents who have reported any suspected illegal businesses in Glen Austin as well as keeping track of and following up with CoJ (ongoing)
Schools & educational institutions
- Keeping track of all the schools and educational institutions in Glen Austin and ensuring that the properties are zoned correctly, are operating legally and have the necessary infrastructure in place to treat the grey and black water of the facility (ongoing)
Signage & advertising in Glen Austin
- Keeping an eye on illegal signage and removing it (ongoing)
- Helping residents to report any illegal signage which cannot be removed (adhoc)
Service delivery
- Assisting residents who have reported municipal services issues to CoJ and Eskom to resolve it in the event that it doesn't get resolved (ongoing)
- Informing the community of any service delivery disruptions (1 - 4 times per month)
Infrastructure
- Liaising the authorities and service providers of our infrastructure, such as roads and water supply, to improve and maintain what we have in Glen Austin (ongoing)
- Submitting the infrastructure wants and needs of Glen Austin on behalf of its residents (ongoing)