Volunteering

Updated August 2003

Online resources

Beyond the tyranny of distance: the challenge of supporting volunteers in the bush. by Greet, P. (PDF 237 KB)
Archived paper which was presented at Volunteering: Real Choice, Real Change - International Year of Volunteers Conference, October 2001, presenting an overview of the operation and management of the Queensland Cancer Fund volunteer program in regional and rural areas of Queensland, identifying and recognising the contributions which can be made from the most remote and isolated volunteers.

Building consumers in: a resource manual in consumer participation for the not-for-profit sector by Johnson, S. and McAdam, H. (359 KB)
Arthritis Victoria, 2001
Arthritis Victoria has over 600 volunteers, most being consumers of AV services. This document is a resource book to assist the not-for-profit sector to develop policies and practices that facilitate consumer participation in the organisation.

Building consumers in: final project report for the Consumer and Provider Partnership Project. (189 KB)
Arthritis Victoria, 2001
Report on Arthritis Victoria's Consumer Participation Project, initiated as a way of documenting and sharing information and processes regarding consumer participation with other non-government organisations across Australia.

Building stronger communities through volunteers and reciprocity by Bott, M. (45 KB)
Archived paper which was presented at Volunteering: Real Choice, Real Change - International Year of Volunteers Conference, October 2001, Melbourne, describing the Community Resource Program of UnitingCare Connections, which aims to strengthen professional intervention to high-risk families by harnessing available volunteer time, as well as assisting non-formal communities, volunteers and family members to identify their own gifts and talents (assets) and contribute to the community.

Consumers and volunteers as collaborators: lessons from rural palliative care research by Moorhouse, C.
Archived paper presented at Good Health - good country: from conception to completion: 6th National Rural Health Conference, Canberra, March 2001. It addresses the potential role for health service consumers and volunteers in rural health research.

Definition and Principles of Volunteering
An information sheet from the Volunteering Australia

Employee volunteering guide: a resource for employers, volunteers and not-for-profit organisations.
Employee Volunteering Working Group, NSW Department of the Premier, 2002
A practical resource that covers what employee volunteering is; getting started; implementation; promotion; evaluation; and where to get more information.

Engaging and retaining volunteers for youth development by Fryar, A. (95 KB)
Paper presented at 2nd National Youth Development Conference, 2001, examining three aspects of involving youth in volunteering activities: recruitment, retention, and the implications of current volunteering trends on organisations and individuals who manage volunteers and volunteer programs.

Giving time: the economic and social value of volunteering in Victoria by Soupourmas, F. and Ironmonger, D. (PDF 2.2 MB)
Department of Human Services, 2002
Estimates the economic value of formal and informal volunteering in Victoria, taking into consideration the contribution that volunteering makes to the social fabric of our communities.

Good Beginnings Volunteer Home Visiting Program: creating a new form of extended family by Ewins, J, Sinclair, R, Wellesley, B, and Cant, R.
Child Abuse Prevention: National Child Protection Clearinghouse Newsletter v.7 no.1 Autumn 1999
Good Beginnings is a program using volunteer parents who help new parents build self-confidence, thus helping ensure that children have a healthy start in life.

International Year of Volunteers evaluation: full report Quantum Market Research
Department of Family and Community Services, 2002
This report states that, from the results delivered through this evaluation, it is apparent that the Department of Family and Community Services' involvement in IYV 2001 has delivered successfully on all three core objectives; celebration, culture-building and engagement.

Measuring the value of unpaid houshold, caring and voluntary work of older Australians by Gray, M; de Vaus, D; Stanton, D.
International Social Security Association, 2003
This paper presented at the 4th International Research Conference on Social Security seeks to estimate the financial value of the unpaid contributions of older people - both to their family and to the wider community.

Statement of IYV 2001 activity in Australia
prepared by the Department of Family and Community Services for the Plenary Session of the 57th Session of the UN General Assembly - 26 November 2002

Strengthening communities through volunteering - www.actnow.com.au. by Coleman, S.
communitybuilders.nsw, 2003 (PDF 532 KB)
This paper presented at the PPP2 Conference profiles ActNow, an online volunteering service designed to usher in a new era of volunteering and community engagement among young people.

The community's most valuable (hidden) asset - volunteering in Australia by Flick, M; Bittman, M; Doyle, J. (PDF 622 KB) Social Policy Research Centre Report 2/2002
This final report prepared for the Department of Family and Community Services covers current developments, the state of volunteering, projections of future volunteer supply, and motives for, and experiences of, volunteering.

Telling your story: a guide to developing a speakers program and protocol for volunteers to act as ambassadors for a not-for-profit organisation (PDF 2822 KB)
Australian Conservation Foundation

The role of volunteerism in maintaining emergency services in small rural communities by Townsend, M., Mahoney, M. and Hallebone, E.
Paper presented at Leaping the boundary fence: using evidence and collaboration to build healthier rural communities - 5th National Rural Health Conference, 1999. It addresses questions such as the extent to which the health and well-being of small rural communities is dependent upon voluntary contributions of community members.

Volunteering and youth development: making a positive difference. Good practice: an implementation guide. by Sanders, C. (PDF 708 KB)
Ausyouth, 2002
The intent of this publication is to provide assistance to youth development provider organisations in implementing good practice in volunteering and youth development.

Useful links

communitybuilders.nsw - be a community builder - volunteering
This is a page of links to resources for volunteering, documents, reports, case studies.

GoVolunteer
An initiative of Volunteering Australia, the GoVolunteer web site provides 1) information for those who want to volunteer, and 2) free Internet advertising for not-for-profit community organisations looking for volunteers.

National Volunteer Skills Centre
The National Volunteer Skills Centre aims to support voluntary and volunteer involving organisations throughout Australia develop and implement their training and skills development needs.

Volunteering Australia
Volunteering Australia is the national peak body working to advance volunteering in the Australian community. The site includes information about a wide range of aspects of volunteering (see Resource file), volunteering policy, research, statistics, and the Voluntary Work Initiative.

VolunteerGreen
This site from the Australian Conservation Foundation includes information about terms and conditions for volunteers, and volunteer rights.

World Volunteer Web
Information about volunteerism worldwide