Mobilising volunteers to help rebuild Australia: refreshed opportunities

Australia’s volunteering sector has a big role to play as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic with opportunities to refresh and remodel delivery with technology, including remote volunteering.

As the COVID social and economic fallout continues, mobilising volunteers will be essential to help individuals and communities build back stronger.

The Committee held a forum last month exploring how the pandemic-induced disruption could reinvigorate volunteering to ensure it remains responsive to community needs.

CEO of Volunteering Victoria, Scott Miller, provided an overview of the state of volunteering. While acknowledging the challenge of rising demand for services at a time of mobility restrictions and funding constraints, Scott emphasised that there are opportunities for the sector to embrace new operating models and technologies to deliver value.

Scott then joined Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation’s General Manager Fund Development, Ricci Andrews, Ardoch education volunteer, Martina Beaumont and Australian Volunteers International’s Program Director, Zoe Mander-Jones, for a panel discussion. Key points for volunteer organisations included the need to:

• re-think their engagement strategies to encourage pre-pandemic volunteers to return and to recruit new volunteers.
• clearly articulate their vision and value to position themselves favourably for funding opportunities.
• consider new models of volunteering and technologies to deliver services in innovative ways, which will be beneficial for the volunteers and those they serve.
• consider implementing or revising training programs that are responsive to the new environment.

The Committee thanks Scott, Ricci, Martina and Zoe for participating, as well as chair of the Committee’s NFP Taskforce and Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria’s CEO, Scott Chapman, for his leadership and contribution.

For further information about the Committee’s NFP Taskforce and agenda, feel free to view two papers – Working Together and Charitable Giving in Australia – or contact Brett Van Duppen at bvanduppen@melbourne.org.au

We look forward to continuing our work with our members on social policy matters.