UN Volunteers Executive Coordinator Toily Kurbanov with Bhutan volunteers last year. Image: UNV.
Volunteering creates lasting relationships that enrich lives and strengthen communities.
More than six million people in Australia volunteer through organisations across the nation.
Millions more volunteer informally in their local communities, helping neighbours and strangers, especially in times of crisis and adversity.
Volunteers are an essential part of the workforce, spanning major sectors such as aged and disability care, community welfare, sports and the arts.
Volunteers are also active in crisis preparedness, emergency response and recovery, and environmental sustainability and protection.
Across Australia in 2020, Volunteering Australia estimates about a quarter of people aged 15 years and over volunteered through an organisation or group, down approximately five per cent from the year before.
The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) conducted the Heartbeat of Rural Australia Research Study that found over half of all community organisations in regional Australia employ no paid staff and are mainly run by volunteers.
According to the study, many regional groups’ conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic period significantly altered volunteer numbers and hours.
Also, fewer volunteers are contributing more hours to compensate for the reduction in numbers and deal with greater demand.
Organisations reported to FRRR that it is harder to find volunteers and existing volunteers are ageing and looking to retire.
FRRR reported that organisations with lower turnover were more likely to struggle with costs and updating technology, and were more reliant on volunteers using their own technology to complete tasks.
The study also observed that volunteer-only organisations were far less likely to use digital technology than counterparts with paid employees and this was most readily seen in relation to video conferencing figures which were halved.
