Volunteering in Victoria

Volunteers in Victoria are doing great things and work across a wide range of sectors.

In 2002, the value of volunteering in Victoria was estimated to be around $10 billion.

Some of the sectors in which volunteers play a central role include:

• Fire fighting, lifesaving, and emergency response
• Health, welfare and care services, and associated support systems
• Pre-school and school education, adult education and lifelong learning
• Arts, heritage and tourism
• Community justice, corrections and juvenile justice, courts and tribunals
• Sport and recreation
• Conservation and environment
• Community governance and local government

The changing face of volunteering

The overall rate of volunteering in Victoria remains high and similar to national levels but there are some changes causing major challenges for volunteer-based organisations. To meet such challenges, organisations need to adapt to a changing volunteering environment.

Some of these challenges are:

• We are time poor and can't volunteer in the same way as previous generations
• We want to volunteer and make a difference, but don't know how best to go about it
• We’re an ageing population who increasingly needs the services that volunteer-based organisations provide
• Many volunteer-based organisations are still adapting to the changing environment

Challenges facing volunteers

Volunteering in Victoria is going pretty well and is similar to other states and territories. But although the rates of volunteering are good, there is evidence that we are doing things differently. The way people want to give their time is changing – although the percentage of adults volunteering in Victoria is increasing, the average number of hours volunteered per person in Victoria is declining.

Demographic shifts are affecting volunteering

The population is ageing which means the group that has been providing the bulk of volunteering activity (35-54 years) will decrease substantially in years to come.

Changes in volunteer expectations

While many people want to volunteer, they have different expectations of the volunteering experience compared with earlier generations such as:

• Increasing preference, particularly amongst young people, for occasional volunteering opportunities rather than ongoing commitments
• People are looking to use their skills for community benefit, sometimes supported and encouraged through their place of work
• People expect higher levels of management and support systems to be available to volunteers.

Managing volunteer-based organisations is becoming increasingly complex

Organisations must achieve community outcomes and provide opportunities for participation, whilst adapting to the changing volunteer environment. This means that managing volunteer-based organisations is becoming more challenging than it has ever been.