Australian Government Support For Volunteers

Ralph Waldo Emerson said “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

The Office for the Not for Profit sector advises the value of volunteering in the Not-for-Profit sector is “estimated at $14.6 billion in unpaid work to our economy,” and with many community, government and not for profit organisations relying on the 713 million hours of unpaid work each year undertaken by volunteers to operate.

Australian census data also tells us that since 1995 the adult population who reported to have 'volunteered' in the previous 12 months increased from 24% to 35% in 2006. This is exceptional news for people and communities across the country, who are connected and empowered by volunteering, and add to a sense of community, identity and personal confidence.

It is therefore in the best interests of the Australian Government to support and encourage volunteering in the community, and they do so in a variety of ways.

A great starting point is Volunteering Australia, a one stop shop regardless of what side of the volunteering fence you are on. This site lists all relevant state, territory and local volunteer organisations, as well as free resources, news, events, policy information and training resources.

Current information on Volunteer Grants is available as well as programs to encourage International Volunteer programs, with ‘Voluntourism’ becoming more and more popular for Australians of all ages.

Corporate volunteering is of particular benefit to the Not for Profit sector and creates new opportunities for organisations to access volunteers with professional expertise that they might otherwise be unable to access due to financial and recruitment constraints. Click here to learn more about the benefits of corporate volunteering to not-for-profits organisations.

Without volunteers, meals would not be cooked and delivered to the elderly and infirm, storm and natural disaster recovery would be near impossible, community and sporting events would be without first aid services and children in classrooms all over the country would have less literacy, numeracy and general education support.