The National Strategy for Volunteering Visioning Workshops came to an end this week with our final session in Canberra. Thank you to everyone who shared their vision for the future of volunteering in Australia.
The workshops provided an opportunity for rich and diverse input from across the country. The next step is to synthesise and make sense of this diversity to build a draft national strategy that is meaningful for the whole volunteering ecosystem.
Over 200 people attended the online launch of the Volunteering Research Papers Initiative. An initiative of the National Strategy for Volunteering Research Working Group, the Volunteering Research Papers summarise important research on volunteering and outline key insights for policy and practice. These insights will feed directly into the development of the National Strategy for Volunteering.
The first round of publications from the Volunteering Research Papers Initiative includes eight papers, each of which addresses a key area of research on volunteering.
The launch event was introduced by the Chair of the National Strategy for Volunteering Research Working Group, Professor Melanie Oppenheimer, and included a series of brief presentations in which contributing authors highlighted the findings and policy and practice implications of their research.
We are delighted to announce we have scheduled our first Visioning Workshops for the National Strategy for Volunteering project!
The workshops are designed for everyone – volunteers, Managers of Volunteers, community leaders, people who work in local, state, or federal government, people who volunteer through their workplace, people who benefit from volunteering, and people who aren’t currently volunteering. We want to hear from as many voices as possible about their vision for the future of volunteering in Australia.
The Volunteering in Australia organisation survey was undertaken from May to June 2022 and we have produced an Early Findings Report that summarises the key findings. new data explores current trends in volunteering, including recruitment and support practices, volunteer contributions, and predictions about future need.
Lead researchers Professor Kirsten Holmes and Associate Professor Patrick Dunlop presented the early findings, followed by a discussion on how the research relates to the National Strategy for Volunteering project and a facilitated question and answer session.
The Discovery Insights Report summarises the feedback we heard from stakeholders during our Discovery Phase.
Read the Discovery Insights Report to see the 12 insights we uncovered and suggestions for how some of the challenges facing volunteering might be solved.
The Volunteering in Australia organisation survey is an historic opportunity to capture the current state of volunteering, map trends, and consider how volunteering may evolve into the future.
If you are a Manager or Coordinator of Volunteers, Program Leader, CEO, or otherwise represent an organisation or group involving volunteers, you were invited to have your say on the future of volunteering. By participating in the survey, you helped build the most comprehensive understanding of volunteering in Australia’s history.
We have partnered with Curtin University, Griffith University, and the University of Western Australia to undertake this landmark research. The findings of this research will inform the development of the National Strategy for Volunteering, which will provide a blueprint for a reimagined future for volunteering in Australia.
As part of the development of the National Strategy for Volunteering, Volunteering Australia is leading the Volunteering in Australia research project. The research project will produce a series of four reports that will serve as a core evidence base on contemporary volunteering in Australia, which will inform the development of the National Strategy for Volunteering.
The four reports will be based on:
The population survey was undertaken in April 2022 and we have produced an Early Insights Report that summarises the key findings.
As part of the Discovery Phase for the National Strategy for Volunteering project we are undertaking a comprehensive evidence review. To ensure the National Strategy is underpinned by a robust evidence-base we sought input from academics, researchers, and other experts in volunteering.
The Research Working Group was pleased to accept Expressions of Interest for its Volunteering Research Papers Initiative. Subject matter experts were invited to propose a paper that covers a topic relevant to volunteering for inclusion in the National Strategy for Volunteering project.
Expressions of Interest for the Volunteering Research Papers Initiative have closed. Thank you to all of the subject matter experts who submitted their ideas.
We received an overwhelming number of Expressions of Interest for our final two Working Groups. We’d like to thank everyone who put their hand up to be involved. Working Group members were selected based on diversity of expertise, discipline, experience, and geography. Meet the members of our latest Working Groups.
One of the most impactful ways you can help us build a robust evidence base for the National Strategy is by completing our survey. The survey will be for volunteer involving organisations and aims to capture a breadth of information on how you engage volunteers, the challenges you’re facing, and the opportunities you see for volunteering. We’re in the final stages of designing the survey with our research partners and then we’ll need your help getting as many responses as possible.
The National Strategy for Volunteering is for all of us and our futures
Volunteering Australia
02 6189 4921
Ground Floor, 1 Farrell Place
Canberra City ACT 2601
ABN: 23 062 806 464
Connect with the National Strategy for Volunteering project on social media
The National Strategy for Volunteering is funded by the Australian Government