2013. "The State of Volunteering in the ACT Report". Produced for Volunteering ACT, Canberra.

THE STATE OF VOLUNTEERINGIN THE ACT 2013

Selfless service:

VOLUNTEERING

A CAPITAL

www.volunteeringact.org.au

Volunteering ACT is Canberra’s volunteer resource centre and the peak body for volunteering

in the ACT, with a membership base of over 200 not for profit organisations.

Volunteering ACT operates as an ‘active link’ between people seeking opportunities to

volunteer and our membership base, which offers a wide range of positions suitable to

volunteer service.

Volunteering reaches across the entire range of economic activity in the not for profit sector

including sports, the arts, tourism, education and health, emergency services, national

institutions and community welfare.

Volunteering ACT represents and supports volunteering and through research seeks to

gain a contemporary and thorough understanding of the ACT voluntary sector in order to

maximise our efforts into the future.

Principal Researcher: Tess Altman

Research Assistant: Carol Harris

December 2013

A snapshot of

VOLUNTEERING IN THE ACT from the perspective of volunteer-involving organisations and volunteers themselves.

The State of Volunteering in the ACT 2013 is the first report

of its kind for the ACT. We have timed its preparation to

coincide with the Centenary of Canberra to maximise

the visibility of volunteering and to acknowledge

the contribution of volunteer service to Canberra’s

development as a city and to its current wellbeing.

Our aim is to provide a snapshot of volunteering in

the ACT from the perspective of volunteer‑involving

organisations and volunteers themselves.

This report maps the status, trends, characteristics,

challenges and opportunities for volunteering in

the ACT. The findings present an opportunity for

engagement across the voluntary sector using

local evidence as a basis for designing future

policy and action.

Volunteering ACT thanks the organisations and

volunteers who participated in our surveys for

their contributions to this research. Through your

participation you have helped define the characteristics,

trends, challenges and opportunities of the ACT

voluntary sector.

FOREWORD

We express particular thanks to Tess Altman,

principal researcher for this project, who turned an idea

into a reality. We also thank research assistant, Carol

Harris, and Volunteering ACT managers and staff for their

advice and generous contributions towards this report.

This research confirms that volunteering delivers a

clear and substantial social return on investment. Its

evident economic value is matched by its social and

cultural value — to organisations and individuals alike.

Based on giving, volunteering encourages purposeful

generosity and positive connection, which is why we

thought it fitting to employ a quote from a volunteer

as the title for this first report, Selfless Service.

Maureen Cane

Chief Executive Officer Volunteering ACT

CONTENTS

BACKGROUND TO THE REPORT 4

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5

DEFINITION OF VOLUNTEERING 7

VOLUNTEERING IN THE LITERATURE 8

METHODOLOGY 10

WHAT OUR VOLUNTEERS AND ORGANISATIONS LOOK LIKE IN THE ACT 11

Volunteers 12

Volunteer Organisations 17

WHY VOLUNTEERS VOLUNTEER 22What Volunteering Means to the Volunteer 22

What Volunteers Like About Volunteering 24

Main Reasons for Volunteering 25

THE BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING 26Benefits to Volunteers 26

Benefits to Organisations 26

Engaging Youth in Volunteering 28

THE CHALLENGES OF VOLUNTEERING 30Challenges for Volunteers 30

Challenges for Organisations 32

HOW WE MIGHT WANT OUR VOLUNTEERING FUTURE TO LOOK 35

THE ROLE OF VOLUNTEERING ACT 37Non‑Current Volunteers 38

Non‑Volunteers 38

RESPONSES FROM OUTSIDE THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR 38

BIBLIOGRAPHY 39

3Selfless Service: THE STATE OF VOLUNTEERING IN THE ACT 2013

Australia has a culture of giving and a high rate of volunteering with some 6.4 million, or around 38% of the population engaged in the activity. More women than men volunteer and the most common age group for volunteers is 45–54years.1

Volunteers are estimated to contribute over $100 billion to the Australian economy in time and 8% of gross domestic product (GDP).2

With respect to the ACT, over 37% of the population aged 18 and over engages in voluntary work.3

In recent years Volunteering Australia and State and Territory peak volunteering bodies have undertaken research projects to contribute to our understanding of volunteering issues at both a national and local level.

For example, Volunteering Australia’s State of Volunteering in Australia 2012 report on national trends highlighted that:

• Australian rates of volunteering are growing

• most volunteers are satisfied with their volunteer experiences

• more volunteers are needed, as well as more flexible approaches to volunteering

• volunteering is becoming more acknowledged

• there is a need for more consistency in data collection on volunteer participation

• volunteering infrastructure requires funding support,

including for training and reimbursement of volunteers

for out‑of‑pocket expenses.

Key findings by Volunteering Australia related to the urgent need to engage young people in volunteering,

both to replenish the volunteer workforce and to counter youth disengagement, social isolation and disadvantage through active community connection.

This and other research on volunteering has been examined in a literature review for this ACT study and is referenced in the bibliography.

As a contribution to this body of knowledge, this State of Volunteering in the ACT 2013 report has utilised surveys of organisations and volunteers to capture specific ACT information related to:

• what our volunteers and volunteer involving organisations look like

• why people volunteer

• the benefits of volunteering

• the challenges of volunteering

• how we might want our volunteering future to look like

• the current role and potential of Volunteering ACT.

Our aim has been to gather baseline data to provide evidence to inform future policy and action for organisations associated with volunteering, including for Volunteering ACT as Canberra’s volunteer resource centre and the peak body for volunteering in the ACT.

During this study a significant amount of information was collected from surveyed participants, most of which is included in this report. Some information has been, and will be, reported in appropriate local and national forums

and in Volunteering ACT’s future publications.

BACKGROUND TO THE REPORT

1 ABS General Social Survey 2010.2 O’Dwyer 2013.3 ABS General Social Survey 2010. The Census records significantly lower levels of volunteering Australia wide and in the states and territories; however Volunteering

ACT was advised by the Australian Bureau of Statistics that the General Social Survey is a more representative snapshot of volunteering.

Ninety seven per cent of organisations say they are

satisfied or very satisfied with the work their volunteers

contribute. Of those volunteers surveyed, 94.5% say

that they feel valued by the organisations to which

they provide their time and effort.

Organisations say that volunteers benefit the ACT

community by providing enriched and extended services

that would not otherwise be available without their

support, and provide great benefit to the community

through their activities.

Organisations were asked to identify what they viewed

as the unique characteristics of the ACT voluntary sector.

By far the most common response from organisations

was that the Canberra volunteer community is highly

educated, with 79% holding a tertiary qualification

and 37% having qualifications above Bachelor level.

However, ACT volunteers are also often noted as time

poor and highly mobile, two factors that could affect

their ability to volunteer consistently.

This study surveyed not for profit organisations that

are members of Volunteering ACT and their associated

volunteers. Ninety three organisations and 384

individuals participated in two different surveys and data

was also used from the National Volunteering database.

Our aim was to collect baseline data about volunteering

in the ACT so that future policy and action in the

volunteering sector is informed by sound evidence.

The average number of hours volunteered per survey

participant each week is 6.5. The latest volunteering

figures proposed by O’Dwyer (2013) based on the ABS

average weekly earnings put the value of volunteering

at $32.69 per hour. Taking the above mentioned

factors into account, it can be said that ACT volunteers

contribute over $1.5 billion (37% of the population

donating 6.5 hours per week at $32.69 per hour)

to the ACT economy annually.

The age group with both the highest rate of volunteering

and the highest rate of retention is 65–74 year olds.

Consistent with data from the National Volunteering

Database, the age groups most underrepresented

in terms of both volunteer rates and retention rates

are those at the extreme ends of the age spectrum:

under 24s and over 85s.

Through the survey distributed to volunteers as part

of this study around 2% of respondents identified as

Indigenous, 8% identified as having a disability, and

11% said they were from a culturally or linguistically

diverse background. These figures identify a need

for organisations to consider how they might more

specifically identify volunteering opportunities to

encourage the expansion of participation in volunteering

across the community, thus utilising the range of skills

and experiences potentially available.

ACT volunteers

CONTRIBUTE over

$1.5 billion to

the ACT economy

annually.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


Organisations say that while great benefits are derived

from engaging young people, barriers to their inclusion

are their other commitments, lack of experience and

their lack of reliability in committing to a long term

volunteering role. These barriers suggest that engaging

youth may require targeted methods by organisations

and the volunteer community to change youth attitudes

to volunteering, catering to their other commitments

and their need for short term or flexible roles.

Looking to the future of volunteering, volunteers say

they mainly want opportunities that match their skills

and interests and more information about how to

become a volunteer.

Volunteering ACT is seen as offering an essential service

to not for profit organisations through referral of

volunteers and provision of training, as well as acting

as an advocate and supporter of the sector. Advice

about what the peak body should consider for the

future includes:

• providing more training and support

• fostering and maintaining connections in the

volunteering community

• assisting with recruiting and retaining volunteers

• making volunteering more visible across

the community

• assisting with the engagement of more

youth volunteers.

Volunteers find out about volunteering roles from a

wide variety of sources citing the Internet, family and

friends and the media as valuable starting points.

Their responses suggest that it is important for

organisations to market on a wide front if they

aim to reach the full cohort of people who are

willing to volunteer.

Forty five per cent of not for profit organisations that

participated in the survey identified as belonging to

the health and welfare sector. There is an opportunity

for Volunteering ACT to seek referrals and engagement

with a more diverse range of organisations so that more

opportunities are available for potential volunteers.

The prime reasons given for volunteering are to

give back to the community, to help others and to

make a difference, with 95% of respondents saying

that volunteering is related to feelings of wellbeing.

These responses provide an insight for organisations

about how they might market their volunteering

opportunities in the public domain.

For volunteers, by far the most significant barrier

identified to engagement are time pressures arising from

work, family or study commitments. While organisations

say they prefer long term commitment, many volunteers

are looking for shorter‑term opportunities and more

flexible arrangements to accommodate other demands

on their time. A key consideration for organisations is to

explore how they can be more flexible and creative in

their volunteering arrangements.

Volunteers cite transportation and parking as the

main structural barrier to volunteering, however, the

second most common response when asked about the

challenges or barriers to volunteering is that there are

no barriers.

The high education level and time constraints of

Canberra’s volunteers offer a unique opportunity

for organisations to identify non‑traditional forms

of volunteering that are project driven and/or short

term and that are matched to the high level skills and

capabilities of the ACT volunteering population.

Recruiting volunteers, providing them with appropriate

training and support, and the utilisation of resources

for these purposes are the most common concerns of

organisations, with 90% of organisations saying that

they need more volunteers.

…the most significant barrier identified to

engagement are

TIME PRESSURES

arising from work,

family or study

commitments.

Volunteer literature indicates that there are various definitions and understandings of volunteering across the world.

The United Nations used a comprehensive definition for the 2001 International Year of Volunteers. This definition said:

There are three key defining characteristics of volunteering:

• first the activity should not be undertaken primarily for financial reward, although the reimbursement of expenses and some token payment may be allowed

• second, the activity should be undertaken voluntarily, according to an individual’s own free will, although there are grey areas here too, such as school community service schemes which encourage, and sometimes require, students to get involved in voluntary work and Food for Work programmes, where there is an explicit exchange between community involvement and food assistance

• third, the activity should be of benefit to someone other than the volunteer, or to society at large, although it is recognised that volunteering brings significant benefit to the volunteer as well.

Within this broad conceptual framework it is possible to identify at least four different types of volunteer activity: mutual aid or self-help; philanthropy, service to others; participation or civic engagement; and advocacy or campaigning. Each of these types occurs in all parts of the world.4

DEFINITION OF VOLUNTEERING

Volunteering Australia uses the following definition:5

Formal volunteering is an activity which takes place through not-for-profit organisations or projects and is undertaken:

• to be of benefit to the community and the volunteer

• of the volunteer’s own free will and without coercion

• for no financial payment

• in designated volunteer positions only.

The ABS 2010 General Social Survey defines a volunteer as:

Someone who, in the previous 12 months, willingly gave unpaid help in the form of time, service or skills, through an organisation or group.

There is general agreement that the definition of volunteering in Australia needs to be broadened. A more inclusive definition is suggested in the State of Volunteering in Tasmania 2012 report:6

Volunteering is an activity that can occur in any setting and has the following characteristics:

• it has a direct benefit to the community and the volunteer (whether the benefit is tangible or intangible)

• it is undertaken by choice

• it is unpaid, however, the volunteer may receive reasonable or appropriate reimbursement for expenses incurred that are associated with their role.

For the purposes of this study the Volunteering Australia definition of formal volunteering has been used.

To get a more accurate picture of the full range of volunteer and service activities undertaken by the ACT population, further research into informal volunteering could be pursued in the future.

4 United Nations 2001.5 Volunteering Australia 2012, p27.6 Volunteering Tasmania 2012.


A literature review was undertaken in the early stages of

the research for this report in order to identify broader

themes related to volunteering. The literature review

helped to inform the research design and to pinpoint

issues that may be relevant to volunteering in the ACT.

Two groups of literature were reviewed: literature

coming out of the voluntary sector written by

practitioners and policy makers; and academic

literature coming from disciplines such as education,

psychology, sociology, human geography, economics

and anthropology.

Literature coming from the voluntary sector is useful

for identifying general characteristics, demographics,

opportunities and challenges in volunteering.7

Specific areas of research include:

• recent trends in volunteering such as the rise of

ad hoc and spontaneous forms of volunteering,

volunteer tourism, corporate volunteering and

virtual volunteering

• improving volunteering by making volunteering

more inclusive, promoting diversity, engaging

young people and the ageing population

• taking more innovative approaches to volunteering

by introducing more flexible forms such as

micro‑volunteering, diaspora volunteerism,

home‑based volunteering, skills‑based

volunteering and episodic volunteering.

Academic literature points out the benefits and the

risks involved with volunteering.

VOLUNTEERING IN THE LITERATURE

Many studies have found that volunteering activity is linked to increased civic participation and the building of social capital.8 Service learning in school curriculums and the importance of civic participation for student wellbeing is included in this category. Recent studies in Australia9 have found evidence that a ‘curriculum of giving’ could contribute to the wellbeing and engagement of young Australians through positive psychology.

Research linking youth wellbeing to volunteering is supported by literature drawing a positive correlation between volunteering and mental health.10 This literature focuses on volunteering as a means to improve the mental health of the elderly and aged by engaging

them in society.

7 See M&P Henderson and Associates 2012.8 Examples include Putnam 2000; Leigh 2000; Fahey 2003; Diamond 2006; Leong 2008. 9 Nielsen 2011.10 Thoits and Hewitt 2001.11 Examples include Wolch 1990; Rose 1996; Hyatt 2001; Eliasoph 2011.

Academic literature

points out the

benefits and the

risks involved with

VOLUNTEERING.

Risks of Volunteering: Exploitation

Other studies take a more critical stance on volunteering.11 These studies point out the potential of the voluntary sector to be co‑opted by government and market agendas. Volunteering and active citizenship policies are viewed as a form of neo‑liberal governance designed to force citizens into taking responsibility for their own wellbeing and for the functioning of society. A particular area of concern is that volunteers may be used as an inexpensive means to fill the gaps in state

welfare provision.

Lessons from the Literature

For the ACT voluntary sector this research teaches us that we can play a key role in fostering community‑building, social inclusion, wellbeing and engagement. Yet we must maintain an awareness of the different power relations, issues, rights and responsibilities involved in volunteering, and the need for regulation and support in the sector. Continued research into how these processes and practices work is important to build our evidence base to continually improve, evaluate and inform the

development of the volunteering sector.

For the ACT voluntary

sector this research teaches us that

we can play a key role in fostering

community‑building,

SOCIAL INCLUSION,

wellbeing and

engagement.


The State of Volunteering in the ACT report’s findings have

been informed by two surveys. In 2013 Volunteering ACT

designed and conducted a survey of individuals in the

ACT and a survey of volunteer‑involving organisations in

the ACT. Data from the National Volunteering Database

has also been used.

Survey Design

Two online surveys were designed: one for individuals

(volunteers, non‑current volunteers and non‑volunteers),

and one for volunteer‑involving organisations. To design

the survey questions we drew on our own knowledge, as

well as examples from other publications in the sector.

The survey design was influenced by the National Survey of

Volunteering Issues 2011, the State of Volunteering in Tasmania

Reports 2010 and 2012, the State of Volunteering in Western

Australia 2012 Report, the Australian Bureau of Statistics

2011 Census and the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006

and 2010 General Social Surveys.

The survey was designed with both quantitative and

qualitative components.

For questions that asked respondents to pick options in

terms of a category (such as age range, income bracket, type

of organisation, sectors and services), pre‑existing categories

from the National Volunteering Database, ABS surveys and

previous publications in the sector were used to ensure

consistency and comparison with previous data collected.

For questions that asked respondents to answer in their own

words, responses were themed and coded using a ‘grounded

theory approach’—allowing themes and categories to

emerge out of the data. This approach means that new

themes and categories are created based on the data

collected. These new themes and categories also appear

in the findings throughout the report.

Survey Respondents

Ninety three organisations and 384 individuals responded to

the surveys. This represented nearly 20% of volunteers who

METHODOLOGY

had used Volunteering ACT’s services and nearly 50% of

member organisations.

Of the 384 volunteers who responded to the survey,

90% currently volunteered, 5% had volunteered in the

past and 4% had never volunteered.

The 200 organisations that are members of Volunteering

ACT were principally invited to participate in the survey

and their volunteers were invited to participate in the

volunteer survey. This constituted a snowball sample.

The survey was also made available to the broader

volunteering community through the following channels:

• Community Development Network (CDnet)

—community mailing list

• Home and Community Care (HACC) Network

—community mailing list

• ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) newsletter

• the Sport and Recreation Services (Economic

Development Directorate) mailing list

• ACT Community Services Directorate mailing lists

• Volunteering ACT’s website, social media (including

Twitter and Facebook) and mailing lists.

National Volunteering Database

The State of Volunteering in the ACT 2013 report also draws

on data from the National Volunteering Database that

is used by all the State and Territory peak volunteering

bodies, specifically the ACT data.

Since August 2011, Volunteering ACT has used this

database to collect and monitor the data of people assisted

towards volunteering. The data presents a useful snapshot

of demographics, interests and preferences of potential

volunteers. The data does not represent actual volunteer

placements in organisations as referrals are dealt with

directly by individual volunteer‑involving organisations.

Of those volunteers surveyed, 94.5% say that they feel

valued by the organisations to which they provide their

time and effort.

Organisations were asked to identify what they viewed

as the unique characteristics of the ACT voluntary sector.

By far the most common response from organisations was

that the Canberra volunteer community is highly educated.

In addition they cited:

• a real desire and drive to get involved

• the variety and opportunity available when it came

to volunteering events and activities

• that Canberra is a small, close‑knit place which makes

it easy to get around and fosters a strong sense of

pride, belonging and community

• a significant retiree population amongst volunteers.

The high education level combined with the time

constraints of Canberra’s volunteers offers a unique

opportunity for organisations to identify non‑traditional

forms of volunteering that are project driven and/or short

term and that are matched to the high level skills and

capabilities of the ACT’s volunteering population.

What Organisations Said are the Characteristics of ACT Volunteers

Highly educated but time poor.

Canberra residents have a high level of commitment to

the community.

From many and varied cultures, our volunteers provide an

amazing mix of experience and talent.

I’m not sure if this is unique but generosity is certainly evident,

as is compassion and a genuine desire to assist. I would also

say that our voluntary sector is highly educated and skilled

—again, I’m not sure if this is unique.

High participation rate of Canberrans in volunteering;

many volunteers are active in several different

volunteering activities.

WHAT OUR VOLUNTEERS AND ORGANISATIONS LOOK LIKE IN THE ACT

a real desire

and drive to get

INVOLVED


VOLUNTEERS

A range of demographic information was collected

from online surveys and using the National

Volunteering Database.

Age, Gender and Identified CohortsThe age range of volunteers is detailed below.

Age RangePercentage of Respondents

Under 15 0.5%

15–18 2%

19–24 7%

25–34 12%

35–44 12%

45–54 12%

55–64 26%

65–74 25%

75–84 4%

• 51% of respondents fell into the age group 55–74

with the smallest cohorts being under 18 and

over 74 years.

• 71% of respondents were female, 29% were male.

An analysis of Volunteering ACT’s internal database

showed that between August 2011 and February 2013

a total of 2,567 people were assisted to volunteer. Of this

total, 71% were female and 29% were male, the same

proportions as responded to the online survey.

Through the survey less than 2% of respondents

identified as Indigenous, 8% said they had a disability

and 11% said they were from a culturally or linguistically

diverse background.

Nineteen per cent of respondents identified that

they spoke a language other than English. In total,

17 languages were mentioned in this response with (in

order) French, Spanish, German and Chinese being the

most frequently spoken.

These figures identify a need for organisations to consider

how they might more specifically identify volunteering

opportunities to encourage the expansion of participation

in volunteering across the community, thus utilising the

range of skills and experiences potentially available.

Residence of VolunteersRespondents came from all regions of the ACT with 3%

living outside the ACT.

Residential Location Percentage

Belconnen 26%

Woden/Weston 21%

Tuggeranong 20%

Inner Northern Suburbs 14%

Gungahlin 9%

Inner Southern Suburbs 8%

Other 2%

Occupation of VolunteersForty five per cent of volunteers said they were retired and

25% were in full time employment.

Four per cent of respondents indicated other occupations

than those provided. The most common of these indicated

that the person received a disability or aged pension.

Education Status of VolunteersACT volunteers are highly educated.

Of survey respondents:

• 7% had attained a minimum of a Year 10 certificate

• 12% held a minimum of a Year 12 certificate

• 78.6% said they held a tertiary qualification with

37% having qualifications above Bachelor level.

The remaining 3% of respondents were still at school or

had not completed high school.

NINETEEN PER CENT

of respondents

identified that they

spoke a language

other than English.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Workplace training

Stay-at-home parent

Adult education

Working parent

Self-employed

Unemployed

Other

Part time education

Casual employment

Full time education

Part time employment

Full time employment

Retired

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

<17 18–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 >65

Pe

rce

nta

ge

Age range

Males Females

Figure 1: Age Range of People Assisted into Volunteering

Figure 2: Occupation of Volunteers


Income of VolunteersThe median range of weekly income in this study was

$1000–$2000. The majority of volunteers fell into this

range, with the next most frequent group being those

in receipt of pensions, superannuation benefits or

study grants.

Frequency and Value of VolunteeringFifty three per cent of volunteers indicated they had

volunteered for more than three years. The next most

common responses, in order, indicated that:

• 22.5% came to volunteering in the last 12 months

• 16.5% had volunteered for more than 12 months

• 8% had volunteered for more than two years.

Fifty per cent of volunteers volunteer for more than one

organisation and 68% of volunteers do this at a frequency

of one or more times per week.

The average number of hours volunteered per survey

participant each week was 6.5. The latest volunteering

figures proposed by O’Dwyer (2013) based on the

ABS average weekly earnings value volunteering at

$32.69 per hour. This equates to approximately $81,594

worth of volunteer work done by volunteers who

participated in the Volunteering ACT survey weekly,

or $4,242,900 annually.

If we extrapolate based on the fact that 37% of the ACT

population volunteers and we use the average hours

per week volunteered found in our survey (6.5) then

volunteers in the ACT contribute over $1 billion to the

ACT economy annually.

Where Volunteers are ActiveThe 2010 General Social Survey results noted the following

key areas in which ACT volunteers were engaged:

Sport and Recreation 37%

Education and Training 24%

Community Services 20.9%

Through the Volunteering ACT survey, the main

organisations people said they volunteer in were those

related to community and welfare (37%). The most

frequent responses are identified in Figure 4 (using

categories from the National Volunteering Database).

There is a significant under‑representation of volunteers

who said they volunteered in the sport and recreation

areas compared to those identified in the General Social

Survey figures above. As the Volunteering ACT survey was

primarily aimed at volunteers in organisations that were

members, it could be that volunteer‑involving sporting

and recreational organisations did not access the survey.

In the future sporting and recreational organisations may

need to be specifically surveyed to identify volunteer

participation rates in these sectors.

Fifty three per cent

of volunteers indicated

they had volunteered for more than THREE YEARS.

Figure 4: Where Volunteers Are Active

Figure 3: Weekly Income of Volunteers

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

$100–200

$200–400

$400–600

$600–1000

$1000–2000

$2000–3000

Over $3000

No income

Government assisted

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Animal welfare

Sport/physical recreation

Government

Aged

Parenting/children

Youth

Religious

Disability

Emergency services

Arts/Heritage

Law/Justice

Education/training

Environment

Other

Health

Community/welfare


Nature of Volunteering RolesThe roles that volunteers fulfilled in organisations were

extensive. The survey identified a long list from which to

choose, taken from the National Volunteering Database,

however, 25% of participants chose to describe their role

in their own words rather than from the list provided.

This suggests that volunteers see the voluntary sector as

diverse and broad.

The most common roles identified in the 25% ‘Other’

category related to environmental and botanical activities

including tree planting, weeding and plant propagation

and management.

Other roles included:

• Childcare

• Library services

• IT and web development

• Garden maintenance

• Second language

• Art/craft and photography

• Writing and editing

• Working with animals

• Sport and recreation

• Advocacy

• Consultancy and liaison

• Health support

• Reclaiming and recycling food

• Trades and maintenance

• Provision of first aid

• Accounting/finance

• Disability support

• Driving and transportation

• Marketing, media and communications

• Governance, board and committee

• Aged care

• Food Preparation and service

• Tutoring and mentoring

• Tour guidance and advice

Figure 5: Nature of Volunteering Roles

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Retail & Sales

Information, Tour Guides & Heritage

Fundraising & Events

Education & Training

Administration & Office Management

Companionship &Social Support

Safety & Emergency Services

Counseling & Help Line

Other

Finding a Volunteer RoleVolunteers find out about volunteering roles from a variety

of sources. Despite the options given in the survey the

most common response volunteers selected was ‘Other.’

Further analysis revealed that these sources were primarily

the Internet, followed by:

• direct marketing by particular organisations

• religious institutions

• prior knowledge of an organisation

• individually initiated research and activity

• service clubs

• notice boards

• experience as receivers of services from

particular organisations.

Twenty five per cent of volunteers noted that their

family and friends are the source of information about

volunteering opportunities, followed by Volunteering

ACT’s referral service (including the website and face

to face interviews), the newspaper or the media, and

SEEK Volunteer.

These responses suggest that it is important for

organisations to market on a wide front if they aim to reach

the full cohort of people who are willing to volunteer.

VOLUNTEER ORGANISATIONS

General DataNinety seven per cent of the 93 organisations surveyed said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the work their volunteers contribute.

Ninety per cent said they needed more volunteers.

Organisations collectively placed 14,021 volunteers, with the majority hosting between 10 and 100 volunteers.

The largest number of volunteers in a single organisation was 700 volunteers, with the next largest cohorts being 500, 450 and 400 volunteers respectively. A further 11 organisations hosted between 100 and 300 volunteers each (13% of all volunteers in the group). This means that 28% of volunteers are attached to 16% of the organisations.

Seven organisations (8%) had fewer than 10 volunteers currently working for them.

Eighty three per cent of organisations said they were incorporated or non incorporated non‑profit entities or charities. Australian or State Government agencies that host volunteers accounted for 9% of respondents.

Organisations said that 82% of their volunteers were female. In relation to identified cohorts:

• 86% said they had volunteers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

• 68% said they had volunteers with a disability

• 22% of organisations said they had volunteers from an Indigenous background.

Organisations counted a total of 19,797 volunteer hours each month (equivalent to $647,164) contributed by volunteers. On average volunteers contributed to each organisation:

• 95.75 hours per week (equivalent to $3,130)

• 353.52 hours per month (equivalent to $11,556)

• 6447.35 hours per year (equivalent to $210,763).12

Twenty five per cent

of volunteers noted

that their FAMILY AND FRIENDS are the

source of information

about volunteering

opportunities,

followed by

Volunteering ACT’s referral service…


12 There may be some discrepancies between the average worth of hours cited by volunteers and organisations as each were asked to give approximations of the hourly input of their volunteers/volunteering, and perceptions of each group may be different.

Where Volunteering Organisations are BasedOrganisations are based and provide services across a

range of locations in the ACT. Figures below show the

percentage of organisations in each locale.

Organisation Location Percentage

Woden/Weston 25%

Inner Northern Suburbs 22%

Across the city 15%

Belconnen 10%

Other 8%

City Centre area 7%

Inner Southern Suburbs 6%

Tuggeranong 6%

Gungahlin 1%

Volunteers also reside in a variety of locales across

the ACT, with the highest percentages in Belconnen

and Tuggeranong.

Volunteers surveyed cited a main structural barrier

to volunteering as transportation and parking issues.

Examining where organisations are based in comparison

with where volunteers live could highlight some of the

potential areas where this issue is greatest. Areas in which

there are a high concentration of volunteer‑involving

organisations but a low concentration of volunteers

residing (such as across the city) or a low concentration

of organisations and high concentration of volunteers

residing (such as Belconnen and Tuggeranong) could

imply greater travel distances for volunteers and

potential structural barriers. See Figure 6.

Nature of OrganisationsOrganisations were asked to describe their sector.

The majority of responses (45%) were in the health

and welfare sector.

The full range of sectors chosen by organisations is at

Figure 7.

Figure 7: How Organisations Described Their Sector

Figure 6: Where Organisations are Located Compared to Where Volunteers Live

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Volunteer residence Organisation locale

Woden/Westo

n

Inner North

Across

the city

Belconnen

Tuggeranong

City Centre

Area

Inner South

Gungahlin

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Sport/physical recreation

Tourism

Law/Justice

Arts/Heritage

Emergency services

Governance

Government

Youth

Parenting/children

Education/training

Aged

Disability

Environment

Health

Community/welfare


The most common sources identified in the ‘Other’

category were:

• word of mouth

• web‑based activity.

The full list of recruiting avenues identified additional to

the list provided is shown in Figure 9.

Ease of Recruiting VolunteersOrganisations were also asked to rank the ease with

which they are able to recruit volunteers.

• 42% of organisations said recruitment of volunteers

was easy or mostly easy.

• 32% of volunteers said that volunteer recruitment was

difficult or mostly difficult.

• 26% were neutral.

Ninety per cent said they needed more volunteers.

The reasons given for needing more volunteers were to

do with economic, organisational and societal needs,

and helping with advocacy.13

Volunteer Rates and RetentionOrganisations provided information related to the rates

and retention of their volunteers by age ranges.

The age range with both the highest rate of volunteering

and the highest rate of retention was 65–74 year olds.

Consistent with earlier data from the National

Volunteering Database, the age ranges most

under‑represented in terms of both volunteer rates

and retention rates were those at both ends of the age

spectrum, under 24s and over 85s. There was a close

correlation between the rates of volunteering and rates

of retention (see Figure 9).

How Volunteers were RecruitedOrganisations were asked to identify how they

recruited volunteers.

Four response options were provided, and organisations

were able to select more than one response. In total

149 responses were recorded.

CategoryPercentage of

Total Responses

Direct referrals from Volunteering ACT 26%

Online through SEEK Volunteer or Go Volunteer

17%

Private advertising campaigns 17%

Other 40%

Organisations

identified that they

recruited TWENTY SIX PER CENT of their

volunteers through

direct referrals from

Volunteering ACT.

13 Only 17 organisations answered this question.

Figure 9: Additional Ways Organisations Recruit Volunteers

Figure 8: Volunteer Rates and Retention Rates

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

University of the Third Age

Other community organisations

Mailing lists

Churches

Referrals from others

Local media

Through university activity

Internal advertising

Self referrals

Promotional events and signs

Personal approaches

From within membership

Web based activity

Word of mouth

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

15–18 19–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65–74 75–84 85+

Perc

enta

ge

Age range

Rate Retention


The Bigger Picture

Twenty per cent of volunteers identified volunteering as part of the ‘bigger picture.’

Participants described volunteering as about gaining perspective, insight, diversity and generally broadening one’s life to include experiences one may not otherwise encounter in everyday life. Volunteering could be a way to learn, develop, grow and move out of one’s comfort zone.

A second component of the bigger picture theme suggested volunteering brought purpose and meaning to one’s life, focusing on the things that are important, fulfilling and worthwhile. Some volunteers saw volunteering as allowing them to pursue a personal cause or belief. Others saw volunteering as a way to make a difference.

Citizenship and Society

Eighteen per cent of volunteers discussed volunteering as a way to give back to the community, or an avenue through which to have a voice and participate in society. These kinds of statements were interpreted as an active kind of citizenship.

Other responses in this category saw volunteering as fulfilling a societal and economic need through providing a service to the community and ensuring that society was functioning smoothly.

When asked, 95% of volunteers agreed that volunteering is related to feelings of wellbeing.

Volunteers were also asked questions about:

• what volunteering meant to them

• what were the main reasons they volunteered.

Answers to both of these questions provide an insight into the motivational factors for people engaging in volunteering activity.

WHAT VOLUNTEERING MEANS TO THE VOLUNTEER

Responses to this question were themed into

five categories. The breakdown of responses is at Figure 11.

Community and Altruism

Forty seven per cent of volunteers linked volunteering to community and altruism. Linking volunteering to community meant:

• building or enriching the community

• being part of, involved in, and contributing to

the community

• connected and belonging to the community

• sharing, making friends or helping the community.

Volunteers viewed volunteering as helping or giving without expecting anything in return. This kind of one‑way helping was described in our research as a form of altruism. This was often linked to the idea of helping or assisting people who are in need or who cannot help themselves due to circumstances outside their control such as poverty, illness, or being new to Australia.

WHY VOLUNTEERS VOLUNTEER

…the bigger picture

theme suggested

volunteering brought

purpose and meaning

to one’s LIFE…

Individual Benefits

Fifteen per cent of volunteers viewed volunteering as providing something enriching for themselves. This included:

• providing a personal sense of satisfaction or reward

• extending personal wellbeing

• developing feelings of being useful and valued

• providing opportunities for establishing

new networks

• developing new skills.

Figure 10: What Volunteering Means to Volunteers

Fifteen per cent of

volunteers viewed

volunteering as

providing something

ENRICHING for

themselves.

What Volunteers Say Volunteering Means to Them

Volunteering offers the opportunity to contribute to, and build the character of the community in which I live.

Volunteering provides the opportunity to help other people who face difficulties not of their own making: disability, being a refugee etc.

The concept [volunteering] is ‘selfless service’.

Enables me to give something back to my community. The people I meet give me more than I give them—a fantastic feeling of joy of living.

It gives me something worthwhile to do, and the people I meet (our clients) help me to keep my feet on the ground, and in many cases, inspire me.

To me volunteering is fundamental to being an active community member. Life isn’t just about making sure all my needs are met, it is about extending my skills and time to others who need it.

It keeps me happy, healthy, motivated, and importantly gives me social contact.

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Individual and the self

Citizenship and society

The Bigger picture

Altruism

Community


WHAT VOLUNTEERS LIKE ABOUT VOLUNTEERING

Volunteers made a number of comments about what they liked about volunteering. Interestingly, these comments were strikingly similar to those given when volunteers were asked what volunteering meant to them. This suggests a strong correlation between the meaning of volunteering for volunteers and the pleasure volunteers derive from the experience. This also correlates with the finding that volunteering is related to feelings of wellbeing.

The main responses are identified within the following

categories in Figure 11.

Community and altruism together constituted 39% of responses. Volunteers saw this as feeling part of, or contributing to the community, and helping or giving to others.

Over 20% of volunteers said the relationships they made were important. This included relationships with their customers and clients, new friendships and the diversity of people they came into contact with.

Seventeen per cent of volunteers said they liked the feeling that they were making a difference or making a contribution through their volunteering. This group of responses is identified under the bigger picture category. This included notions of being linked to a cause, broadening one’s horizons, and gaining perspective and insight.

Other things volunteers liked included:

• the acknowledgement that one was contributing

• the variety of opportunities available

• training and support provided by the organisation

• the specific organisation one was working for because

it functioned well

• flexibility in volunteering arrangements

• that volunteering was practical and tangible.

What Volunteers Say They Like About Volunteering

It challenges me mentally: I continue to learn; I give pleasure to others, and I meet some interesting people.

Love feeling useful and connected to this tiny community.

Seeing the direct result of how much of a help so little of my time and effort can be for others in my community.

Gives me a good sense of wellbeing.

One of my volunteer jobs is working with migrants. I enjoy helping them settle into their new country.

Meeting people, well run flexible organisation who work at showing recognition for their volunteers, close to home, free parking, pleasant ‘workplace,’ sense of worth.

Figure 11: What Volunteers Like About their Role

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Personal gains


The bigger picture

Altruism

Community connection

Relationships

MAIN REASONS FOR VOLUNTEERING

Volunteers gave a number of reasons for their

motivations to volunteer, identified in Figure 12.

The main reasons given for volunteering were

• to give back to the community

• to help the community

• to make a difference.

These responses provide an insight for organisations about how they might better market their volunteering opportunities.

Figure 12: Reasons Volunteers Gave for Volunteering

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16%

To help with my kids’ activities

Other

To make professional connections

To �ll in time

An existing relationship with an organisation

To improve my health and wellbeing

For fun

To gain skills and experience

To make social connections

To learn new things

To increase happiness and contentment

Personal belief in a cause/issue

To make a di�erence

To help the community

To give something back to the community

One main reason given for

VOLUNTEERING

was to make a difference.


Organisations and volunteers were asked to identify

the benefits that came from volunteering. Generally

respondents said they believed people from all age

groups benefit from being volunteers.

BENEFITS TO VOLUNTEERS

The major responses to this question are shown in

Figure 13.

Connection with the community emerged as the major

benefit that came from volunteering. The next major

benefits were:

• the bigger picture, where volunteers saw themselves

broadening their world view and values

• volunteering as essential for the provision of services

and for the smooth functioning of society. Many

volunteers commented that without volunteers

many organisations would not be able to function.

Other benefits of volunteering included:

• the creation of a close‑knit community

• personal health and wellbeing

• a space for retirees to meet, serve and use their

skills and experience

• two‑way benefits to the organisation and

the volunteer

• awareness and knowledge about organisations

and social needs.

THE BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING

What Volunteers Say are the Benefits of Volunteering

Volunteering helps me understand better the world

around me.

Keeps unemployed people occupied and gaining

experience; balance against paid work; opportunity for

retired people to feel part of the community; helps needy

groups and individuals.

It provides me with a way to broaden my life knowledge

and skills by hearing about other people’s stories. It also

provides me a way to help others in small, but practical and

tangible ways.

Volunteers plug the gaps in between the services that

government can offer.

Doing something for the greater good, networking, forming

relationships, partnerships and changes ones personal

character from ‘what do I have,’ to one of ‘what I can do

for others.’

BENEFITS TO ORGANISATIONS

Organisations made a range of comments about the

benefits that volunteering brought to their organisations

and to the community.

There was commonality between the major benefits

noted by volunteers and organisations with both citing

connections with community as the most significant

benefit of volunteering.

The main responses to this question provided by

organisations are at Figure 14.

Figure 13: Benefits of Volunteering: Volunteer Responses

Figure 14: Benefits of Volunteering: Organisation Responses

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%


Promotes the city

Provides diversity

New learning

Altruism

Personal gains

Fills a real need

The bigger picture


0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

New learning

Relationships

Altruism

Personal gain

Fills a real need



Organisations said that volunteers benefit the ACT community by:

• providing enriched and extended services that would not otherwise be available without their support

• providing a great benefit to the community through their activities.

Other benefits included that:

• volunteers fill a societal and organisational need

• retirees bring great skill and experience to the roles

• new friendships are made

• volunteers develop new skills.

What Organisations Say are the Benefits of Volunteering

Volunteers provide a huge range of benefits to the organisations for which they provide their service, the clients of those organisations and therefore the ACT community. Many programs which directly help vulnerable people are able to run due to the dedication of volunteers. Volunteers save organisations money, provide education, care and support to people and contribute their unique skills and perspectives.

Many disadvantaged people benefit directly and indirectly from the efforts of volunteers. Many volunteers’ lives are enriched by their volunteering activity.

We could not provide the services we do without the assistance of volunteers.

We couldn’t do without them. The office staff would be more stretched and we would be offering a very different service to our clients.

Enormous assistance to the community in the settlement of migrants and refugees.

They fill gaps in organisations that would be costly to fill if paid.

Generally volunteers build social capital and add a very

human face to community services.

ENGAGING YOUTH IN VOLUNTEERING

Engaging youth in volunteering has been emphasised in the literature and in previous research by Volunteering Australia as a key priority for the Australian voluntary sector, especially considering Australia’s ageing population. Therefore Volunteering ACT included a question about the benefits and barriers of engaging youth in the organisational survey.

Twenty four per cent of organisations said engaging youth is a key priority for their organisation. The full list of identified benefits is shown at Figure 15.

The most common benefit identified was that volunteering connects young people to their community. In addition respondents noted that young people aged 15–18 bring enthusiasm, a new perspective and a broadened and more diverse approach to the

volunteering experience.

providing enriched

and extended

SERVICES that would

not otherwise be

available without

their support

Figure 15: Benefits to Organisations of Engaging Youth

0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25

Bring new skills

Provide new insights

Build understanding of cause

Build relationships

Bring broader and more diverse views

Bring enthusiasm

Build community


We asked volunteers and organisations to identify the barriers they saw to volunteering. Volunteers were also asked to identify personal circumstances that affect their

capacity to volunteer.

THE CHALLENGES OF VOLUNTEERING

CHALLENGES FOR VOLUNTEERS

By far the most significant factor impacting on volunteers and raising a barrier to engagement is time pressures. Volunteers often cited their lack of time or various other commitments such as work, family or study as restricting their ability to volunteer. This, combined with the organisations’ inflexibility and/or expectations of long term and ongoing commitment, could make volunteering difficult.

However, the second most common response from volunteers was that there were no barriers.

The main responses are at Figure 16.

Figure 16: Barriers to Volunteering; Volunteer Responses

By far the most

significant factor

IMPACTING on

volunteers and raising a

barrier to engagement

is time pressures.

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Compatibility with organisation

Personal matters

Accessibility of role

In�exibility of organisations

Structural barriers

Organisational barriers

Procedures

Negative attitudes

Visibility of oportunities

Economic barriers

None

Time and other commitments

Economic barriers were identified as:

• those related to the individual (the cost of transport, petrol and parking in particular)

• those related to the organisation (lack of resources to adequately support the volunteer).

A number of respondents talked about the difficulty they had finding out about opportunities. This is a valuable finding given the breadth of marketing tools available,

and reported as being used by organisations.

The attitudes of others impacted on volunteers.

These included:

• attitudes of paid staff who sometimes made them

feel unwelcome

• some volunteers seeing themselves as more

important than other volunteers

• some staff believing that volunteers do not have

the required skills

• society not valuing volunteers in general.

Another issue for volunteers was the paperwork and

procedure overload which they viewed as creating an

overly regulated and restrictive volunteering climate.

This included having to undertake training for skills that

they already believed they had and could demonstrate.

Organisational barriers were varied. They ranged

from questions of the compatibility of the volunteer

with the role, lack of flexibility and lack of support.

Some volunteers said organisations were not well set

up to make them welcome or help with tasks that

were appropriate to their knowledge and experience.

A comment was made that rather than dealing with a

difficult issue that might arise, volunteers often gave up

or took their volunteering energies elsewhere.

Just over half of the respondents indicated that their

personal circumstances impacted upon their ability to

volunteer. The most common impacts were family and

work commitments, and health. Other impacts were

noted as the incidental costs of involvement, study

commitments and travel.

Fifty four per cent of volunteers said there were issues

or challenges with their role. The most common related

to clients and customers who may be difficult, draining

or challenging. The second most common issue or

challenge had to do with organisational issues such

as staff management.

What Volunteers Say are Barriers to Volunteering

Unless you are really connected with an organisation

volunteering opportunities can be hard to find particularly

if you are new to Canberra.

Organisations for which you are volunteering may have

no insurance or inadequate insurance. There may be no

dispute resolution process in place. The volunteer may risk

being sued. It can be difficult to walk away from a task

when unsatisfactory elements emerge—the task may be

left undone or you feel guilty. There are many risks and

downsides to volunteering I have found.

Time constraints, fiscal costs, lots of red tape and

bureaucracy, work/life balance, negative attitudes,

competing demands.

Not easy to access what’s available; organisations not well

set up to make volunteers welcome or help with tasks that

are appropriate to their knowledge and experience.

Now that I have a job I am precluded from many of the

volunteering opportunities that I was interested in by the

opening hours of these organisations.

Too much red tape—can’t just get on with it.

The organisations have gone crazy on training, more

training and yet more training. It’s now hard to apply skills

you already have to help an organisation you see as doing

good, because you’re made to feel inadequate unless you

train, train, train, and often this training is at a very low level

of something you might already have at university level, or

‘intro to management’ when you have been a manager for

20+years.

A lot of organisations want you to sign up for a regular and

regimented commitment.

Some organisations are not that welcoming to new people.

The delay from organisations once you show an interest,

some didn’t get back to me for nearly six months.

You lose interest before you even get going. It took me

about 2.5 years before I finally found an organisation

that had its act together.


CHALLENGES FOR ORGANISATIONS

Organisations identified the top three challenges they had regarding volunteers and volunteering. These concerns were recruiting volunteers, providing them with appropriate training and support and the organisation’s resources.

Other challenges identified included:

• the ageing population and its impact on the availability of volunteers into the future combined with a growing need for their services

• attitudes and expectations of volunteers

• balancing the organisation’s and the volunteer’s needs

• the time involved in managing volunteers.

These challenges suggest that because volunteers need to be supervised, trained and supported to ensure compatibility with the organisation this inevitably

creates more work for organisations.

Figure 17: Major Concerns of Organisations

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Skill level of volunteers

Reliability of volunteers

Low youth numbers

Compatibility of volunteers

Managing volunteers

Extent of organisations resources

Providing training and support

Recruiting enough volunteers

Figure 18: Barriers to Volunteering: Organisation Responses

Concerns of Organisations

Gaining volunteer commitment for the long term.

Managing a large number of volunteers.

Volunteering participation trends indicate a preference for one day events.

Properly matching skills to our needs.

Old age of our volunteers.

Attracting young people.

Ensuring good relationships and care of volunteers.

Volunteers not turning up at scheduled times.

Finding a good way to thank our volunteers.

Not to overwork volunteers in peak periods.

Organisations agreed with volunteers that time was the most significant barrier to volunteering. The most common responses are at Figure 18.

Organisations made particular note of the extent of compliance procedures that were required when recruiting volunteers and the time these take to

implement. They also observed that sometimes volunteers may be unreliable in their attendance and that while organisations ideally required long‑term commitment many volunteers were looking for shorter‑term opportunities as they had other commitments.

This points to a key consideration for organisations regarding how they view volunteering. Organisations may need to be more flexible in their volunteering arrangements as, if things cannot work to the volunteer’s advantage, they may not continue with the experience.

Organisations were also asked to identify barriers to

engaging volunteers in their organisations.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Reliability of volunteers

Training and support

Procedures

Attitude and needs of volunteers

Organisational resources

Time and other commitments

Organisations agreed

with volunteers that

time was the most

significant barrier

to VOLUNTEERING.


0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25

Flexibility

Time

Reliability/commitment (long term)

Lack of experience

Other commitments

Attitudes of youth

The Challenges to Engaging Youth Organisations were asked about the barriers to engaging young volunteers.

The major responses were youth attitudes, their other commitments, lack of experience and their lack of reliability in committing to a long term volunteering role, shown at Figure 19.

These barriers suggest that engaging youth may require targeted methods by organisations and the volunteer community. These methods would aim to address youth attitudes to volunteering, cater to their other commitments and their need for short term or flexible roles, and support and train them so that their first

experience is a positive one.

Figure 19: Barriers to Engaging Youth

What Organisations Say Are the Barriers to Engaging Volunteers

Most of the population is in paid employment and that leaves the weekend for volunteering.

Lack of spare time amongst volunteers.

Grandparenting responsibilities.

The demands placed on volunteers to remain accredited in their volunteering role places extra pressure and longer hours than some volunteers feel is reasonable.

People don’t want to commit time to ongoing programs —very choosy about what they want to participate in.

Finding them training, cost of insurance.

Location of our facilities. They want to volunteer close to home.

Not being able to give travel assistance.

Time and tolerance.

Insurance and safety.

…SUPPORT and train them so that their

first experience

is a positive one.

Volunteers and organisations were asked: What would

you like to see in the future for volunteering in the ACT?

Volunteer ViewsVolunteers offer a range of recommendations about

volunteering in the future.

Volunteers mainly say they want opportunities that

match their skills and interests and more information

about how to become a volunteer.

The full list of responses is at Figure 20.

Other suggestions include:

• marketing to specific cohorts (for example, youth and

people with a disability)

• quicker responses from organisations to those people

wanting to volunteer

• promotion of the value of volunteering more widely

across the community

• education for staff who use volunteers in

their organisations.

Of the responses in the ‘Other’ category (14%) there were

a significant number who had nothing further to add.

HOW WE MIGHT WANT OUR VOLUNTEERING FUTURE TO LOOK

Figure 20: What Volunteers Suggest for the Future

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Clearer descriptions of volunteer roles

More �exible volunteering opportunities

Availability of training for volunteers

Time commitments that work for me

Other

More information about how to become a volunteer

More volunteer work matched to my interests


What Volunteers Suggest for the Future

To bed volunteering into the psyche of our youth and young

adults to foster a more connected community.

Ensure an easier path to volunteering. It took me a year.

Provide more information aimed at young people.

Identify more avenues to give it a go for people who are shy.

Reimburse out of pocket expenses.

Target youth in high schools as in my experience they are

happy to give time to charities and are looking for extra

curricular activities to add to their CVs.

Push the agenda for tax changes to allow volunteers a

certain amount of tax deductions a year to increase the

number of volunteers.

More promotion of the benefits, needs and availability

of volunteering.

Less than half the organisations surveyed provided a

response to the question of what they would like to see

in the future for volunteering.

What Organisations Suggest for the Future

Run more face-to-face events showcasing the various

volunteering opportunities in Canberra.

Attract more Indigenous and culturally and linguistically

diverse volunteers especially those with a second language.

Make more information regarding volunteer opportunities

accessible to the general public.

I would like to see volunteers continue to be recognised

for their contribution to the Canberra community.

Volunteers are the very breath of many charities and not

for profit organisations. Any profile raising and reward and

recognition is welcomed.

Recognition of volunteer efforts through the media.

More lobbying to government for financial support/

incentives for people who volunteer, for example money

for petrol/free parking.

There needs to be some strategic work that increases the

visibility of smaller organisations to potential volunteers,

and to look at the specific resourcing needs of smaller

organisations to engage and retain volunteers.

Target young people. Encourage employers to release their

staff for volunteer work. Ask volunteers to work before or

after work hours.

Give inexperienced volunteers more training in basic

computer skills before they decide to enrol.

Other suggestions include:

• the need for greater community awareness

and knowledge about volunteering

• visibility of volunteering as a key priority

• diversification and broadening of the sector

• recruitment and retention of more volunteers

• more structural (often government) support

for volunteering

• improved infrastructure

• changes to the attitudes of society

towards volunteering

• more training and support.

Volunteers mainly

say they want

OPPORTUNITIES that

match their skills and interests and more information about

how to become a volunteer.

Organisations were asked more extensively about their

contact with Volunteering ACT. Many said they felt they

were well supported and served by the peak body.

What Organisations Say They Value Most About Volunteering ACT

Fast and professional service.

That they are behind us supporting us doing our mission

in the community. The online referral system has been

fantastic for us.

Referrals and raising the profile of volunteers within the

Canberra community.

Free and cheap training. Networking opportunities.

Good events.

The knowledge, the staff, the training.

While 90.5% of volunteers had heard of Volunteering

ACT, 56% had not used the peak body’s services.

Organisations generally said that they value

Volunteering ACT’s:

• training

• support

• information provision

• referrals

• knowledge and awareness raising about volunteering.

These suggest that Volunteering ACT is essential to

organisations for referring volunteers and helping

organisations with training as well as acting as an

advocate and supporter of the sector.

THE ROLE OF VOLUNTEERING ACT

Organisations suggest that into the future Volunteering

ACT could consider:

• providing more training and support

• fostering and maintaining connections in the

volunteering community

• assisting with recruiting and retaining volunteers

• making volunteering more visible across

the community

• assisting with the engagement of more

youth volunteers.

While some organisations say Volunteering ACT

is already doing a great job, some suggestions for

improvement or expansion of services were mentioned.

What Organisations Say Volunteering ACT Could Improve

Training for people managing volunteers.

Help us find more volunteers who are serious about

volunteering for the long term.

Provide information about grants available or suitable for

supporting volunteer programs.

Develop training around practical scenarios, for

example HR consultant acting out having a termination

conversation with a volunteer; dealing with disharmony in

volunteer teams; practical negotiation skills.

Be more proactive in contacting us for opportunities to

advertise for more volunteers.

I get the impression Volunteering ACT looks after large

organisations only. There are plenty of small community

groups out there that exist without coming in to contact

with VACT. Can things be offered to them?

Doing a great job already.


A number of individual respondents had once

volunteered and were no longer doing so, or had

never volunteered.

NON-CURRENT VOLUNTEERS

Six per cent of individual survey respondents indicated

they were not currently volunteering.

Non‑current volunteers gave a number of reasons for

their previous involvement in volunteering activity.

These were:

• to give something back to the community (20%)

• to help the community (12%)

• to make a difference (12%)

• personal belief in a cause/issue (10%)

• to learn new things (8%)

• to make social connections (8%).

The major impacts on the availability of people

to volunteer in this group were recorded as work

and family.

Sixty per cent had volunteered between 12 and

24 months prior to the survey.

Seventy per cent had been satisfied or highly satisfied

with their past volunteering experience.

Fifty five per cent said there had been quite specific

issues or challenges with their volunteering role.

These were varied and included time pressures, being

over or under stimulated in their volunteer work,

issues with the organisation, challenging clients, and

organisations taking too long to get back to them.

NON-VOLUNTEERS

Four per cent of individual survey respondents said they

had never volunteered.

Fifty three per cent of this group spoke a language other

than English.

The majority of respondents resided in the Belconnen

and Gungahlin areas.

All respondents said they had considered volunteering

but cited a range of reasons for not doing so.

These included:

• lack of time because of other commitments

• organisations’ failure to follow up once they had

been initially contacted by the potential volunteer

• lack of knowledge about what was available

• lack of flexibility related to organisations’ volunteer

opportunities. This included places only being

available on an ongoing long term basis or during

normal work hours when potential volunteers were

already in paid employment.

These kinds of responses indicate that potential

volunteers would value more flexibility in volunteering

and provide useful data on the preliminary barriers to

people volunteering in the ACT.

RESPONSES FROM OUTSIDE THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR

ACT Government Community Services Directorate. 2011.

Volunteer Statement Information Paper. Canberra:

ACT Government.

ACT Government Community Services Directorate. 2011.

Volunteering in the ACT Fact Sheets. Available at:

http://www.dhcs.act.gov.au/wac/strategic__policy/

volunteer_statement.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2011. Census of Population

and Housing. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2010. General Social Survey

4159.0. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2010a. General Social Survey:

States and Territories 4159.0.55.003. Canberra: Australian

Bureau of Statistics.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2010b. Voluntary Work,

Australia 4441.0. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2006. General Social Survey

4159.0. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2006a. Information Paper:

A Comparison of Volunteering Rates from the 2006 Census of

Population and Housing and the 2006 General Social Survey

4441.0.55.002. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2000.Unpaid Work and the

Australian Economy, 1997,5240.0 Canberra: Australian

Bureau of Statistics.

Australian Government 2011. National Volunteering

Strategy. Canberra: Department of the Prime Minister

and Cabinet.

Borlagdan, J. 2012. ‘The Case for a New Youth Offer:

Building a Better Future for Our Young People’.

Brotherhood Comment: 1–2.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Citizens Advice Bureau ACT. 2013. Contact: Canberra’s

Directory of Community Services. Canberra: Citizens

Advice Bureau ACT.

Diamond, P. 2006. ‘Optimal Tax Treatment of Private

Contributions for Public Goods With and Without Warm

Glow Preferences.’ Journal of Public Economics 90 (4–5):

897–919.

Eliasoph, N. 2011. Making Volunteers: Civic Life After

Welfare’s End. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Fahey, C. 2003. ‘Working With Communities’ to “Build

Social Capital”—Reflecting on Old and New Thinking

About Volunteers.’ The Australian Journal of Emergency

Management 18(4): 12–17.

Hyatt, S. B. 2001.‘“Service Learning”, Applied

Anthropology and the Production of Neo‑liberal Citizens.’

Anthropology in Action 8(1): 6–15.

Ironmonger, D. 2012. The Economic Value of Volunteering

in Victoria. Report commissioned by the Victorian

Government. Melbourne: Victorian Department of

Planning and Community Development.

Leigh, A. 2010. Disconnected. Sydney: UNSW Press.

Leong, R. 2008. ‘Volunteering: Pathway to Inclusion.’

Australian Journal of Volunteering 13 (2): 67–73.

M&P Henderson and Associates 2012. Contemporary

Practices and Research in Volunteering: A Literature Review.

Report commissioned by the Queensland Government.

Queensland: Department of Communities, Child Safety

and Disability Services.

Murphy, J. 2006. ‘The Other Welfare State:

Non‑Government Agencies and the Mixed Economy of

Welfare in Australia.’ History Australia 3(2): 44.1‑44.15.


Musick, M. A. and J. Wilson. 2008. Volunteers: A Social

Profile. Indiana University Press.

Nielsen, T. 2011. ‘Chapter 15: A Curriculum of Giving for

Student Wellbeing and Achievement—How to Wear

Leather Sandals on a Rough Surface’. In Social Ecology:

Applying Ecological Understanding to Our Lives and

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O’Dwyer, L. 2013. ‘Beyond the Value of Time: Towards

a Methodology for Quantifying the Other Impacts

of Volunteering.’ Presentation at the 2013 National

Volunteering Conference, Adelaide.

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of American Community, New York: Olivier and Schuster.

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42(2): 115–131.

United Nations Volunteers Report, prepared for

the UN General Assembly Special Session on Social

Development, Geneva.2001. Available at http://eyv2011.

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definition‑volunteering.pdf.

Van der Meer, T. W. G. and Van Ingen, E. J. 2009. ‘Schools

of Democracy? Disentangling the Relationship Between

Civic Participation and Political Action in 17 European

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48(2): 281–308.

Volunteering Australia. 2012. State of Volunteering in

Australia Report. Melbourne: Volunteering Australia.

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Volunteer Issues. Melbourne: Volunteering Australia.

Volunteering Tasmania. 2012. State of Volunteering in

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Mean for Volunteerism? Tasmania: Volunteering Tasmania.

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THE STATE OF VOLUNTEERINGIN THE ACT 2013

Selfless service:

VOLUNTEERING

A CAPITAL

www.volunteeringact.org.au

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