Volunteering in community

Volunteers are the lifeblood of any arts organisation in regional Australia.  We simply can’t operate without them. 

The aging population and initiatives for the unemployed are having a major impact on volunteering and in many ways are changing the face of volunteering.  In coming years as the Baby Boomers become retirees we need to think about how we attract them to volunteer in our organisations.  We also need to take advantage of the volunteering schemes through Centrelink and regional volunteer resource centres.

We are all so busy trying to recruit volunteers and managing their day to day involvement in our organisations that sometimes we forget to take a step back and look at who we are trying to attract.

  • Who has the time to volunteer? 

  • What motivates people to volunteer? 

You need to find the people that suit your organisation – your target “audience” to market to for volunteering.

Who has the time? 

Generally, the people with time for community activity are those who are retired, working casually or part-time or who are unemployed.  That is not to say that these people are not also busy with personal interests, family, work or job seeking.  Everyone seems busy these days, but sometimes busy people, including the working population, can find the time because they are good time managers.

 

What motivates people to volunteer? 

Many retirees are busier in their “third age” than they were during their working life because they devote themselves to what they are passionate about.  That is the key.  Connect with a person’s passions or interests and you will attract them to your organisation no matter how busy they are.


For others wishing to volunteer it is about gaining work experience.  Can the volunteer work your organisation is offering lead to a career path?


When the volunteer knocks on your door you need to ensure that you have ample structures in place to make them feel a valued member of the organisation.  There are many resources available to assist your organisation in retaining and rewarding volunteers. 

References

National Volunteer Skills Centre, June 2005, Information Sheet:  Model Code of Practice for Organisations Involving Volunteer Staff, Volunteering Australia, Melbourne.

Bundaberg City Council, 2006, ‘Bundaberg Arts Centre Volunteer Program’.

The editor acknowledges the work of Michael Frawley on an early draft of this Section.