Volunteering heart of the community

Volunteering is about people: people doing things for others, for their community, and for the planet.

These words from the National Strategy for Volunteering 2023-33 (NSV) ‑ the first in more than a decade ‑ reflect the aspirational 2033 vision for volunteering. But why do we need volunteering to be at the heart of Australian communities?

Data from the NSV showed 83 per cent of Australian organisations need between one and 20 volunteers immediately to deliver services to the community. Alarmingly, 11 per cent of organisations reported they needed more than 101 volunteers.

In Western Australia, the rate of formal volunteering within an organisation has dropped 22 per cent over the past six years, consistent with national trends and even before the arrival of COVID.

Decreased participation in formal volunteering creates significant challenges for organisations that use volunteers and for the general population, with many critical services such as emergency management, 24-hour helplines, and food security programs being heavily dependent on formal volunteer involvement.

The NSV may seem elusive, but the strategy provides the country with three focus areas and eleven strategic objectives, which detail the work required to get volunteer numbers up. As the peak body for volunteering in WA, we are committed to its full implementation.

Five key themes emerged from the extensive NSV consultations around the country: everyone who wants to, should be able to volunteer on their own terms; volunteers should be valued, celebrated and underpinned by strong leadership and resourcing; there are countless expressions of volunteering due to age, place, culture and other factors; and finally, volunteering is seen as the single most impactful way to realise individual and collective potential to create and sustain thriving communities.

The NSV highlights the importance of creating volunteering opportunities that focus on the volunteer experience, ensuring that the diversity and impact of volunteering are articulated and celebrated, and creating the right conditions for volunteering to thrive.

In Western Australia, we see real commitment and enthusiasm from over 770 organisations we support every day. They are dedicated to providing the best possible experience to their volunteers, who will then help address the challenges we face as a community. They work with us to celebrate, train and value their volunteers. They understand also that volunteering can help curb loneliness and community breakdown. It plays a huge role in place-making, community connection and active citizenship.

As a community, WA needs to embrace both the spirit of the NSV and the specific actions that will take us into the next decade to address the challenges we face. There is no time to wait until the next strategy to roll up our sleeves and contribute time and energy to causes that make a difference and add value to our society.

The publication of the National Strategy for Volunteering is the first step towards a community with volunteering at its heart. Volunteering WA invites you to be part of the next phase where we can work together bring the strategy to life.

• Tina Williams is the chief executive of Volunteering WA