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Volunteering is vital to the social, economic and environmental well being of Victorians. The most recent figures show that the value of volunteering in Victoria was equivalent to almost eight percent of Gross State Product - or around $10 billion.

The simplest way to describe volunteering is 'working for a not-for-profit organisation for no pay'. It's a way for people to become involved in their community that is interesting, personally satisfying and fun. It can be formal or informal, full-time or part-time, occasional or even once-off. But whatever type of volunteering you want to do, you have a responsibility towards the organisation and tasks you accept, just as you would towards paid employment.

In some communities, support for extended families, neighbourhood groups or social networks is seen as an intrinsic part of belonging to that community. For these communities volunteering is not viewed as a separate or unique activity.


Volunteers in Victoria are doing great things and work across a wide range of sectors.

In 2002, the value of volunteering in Victoria was estimated to be around $10 billion.

Some of the sectors in which volunteers play a central role include:

    * fire fighting, lifesaving, and emergency response
    * health, welfare and care services, and associated support systems
    * pre-school and school education, adult education and lifelong learning
    * arts, heritage and tourism
    * community justice, corrections and juvenile justice, courts and tribunals
    * sport and recreation
    * conservation and environment
    * community governance and local government

The changing face of volunteering

The overall rate of volunteering in Victoria remains high and similar to national levels but there are some changes causing major challenges for volunteer-based organisations. To meet such challenges, organisations need to adapt to a changing volunteering environment.

Some of these challenges are:

    * we are time poor and can't volunteer in the same way as previous generations
    * we want to volunteer and make a difference, but don't know how best to go about it
    * we’re an ageing population who increasingly needs the services that volunteer-based organisations provide
    * many volunteer-based organisations are still adapting to the changing environment