ACT Government
Community Services Directorate
Volunteer Statement
Information Paper
August 2011
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Contents
Contents ..................................................................................................................................... 2
Executive Summary.................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 4
The contribution of volunteers .................................................................................................. 6
How is volunteering currently supported? ................................................................................ 8
Programs and initiatives ....................................................................................................... 13
Community Service Leave .................................................................................................... 13
Employee Volunteering Programs........................................................................................ 13
EVPs: Types of volunteering .............................................................................................. 14
EVPs: Challenges ............................................................................................................... 15
EVPs: Insurance ................................................................................................................. 17
Brokers and Linking Programs .............................................................................................. 17
Volunteering grants and in-kind support ............................................................................. 18
Scholarships, resources and human development .............................................................. 19
Events ................................................................................................................................... 20
Promotional activities ........................................................................................................... 20
The future of volunteering in the ACT ..................................................................................... 21
Canberra’s population profile............................................................................................... 21
Regulatory, management and technological change ........................................................... 23
What are examples of principles that might be included in an ACT Government Volunteer
Principles Statement? ................................................................................................................ 8
What happens next? .................................................................................................................. 9
Attachment: Examples of Australian Government Volunteering Leave Provisions ................ 24
ACT GOVERNMENT VOLUNTEER STATEMENT: INFORMATION PAPER | Page 2 of 27
Executive Summary
2011 is the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers. In the context of this
celebration, the ACT Government is preparing a set of principles – a Volunteer Statement –
to recognise and support volunteers and to guide its understanding of volunteering in the
ACT into the future. An ACT Government Volunteer Statement would represent a whole-ofgovernment approach and would support organisations working with volunteers by
developing a framework of principles on which support for volunteering was based. This
information paper aims to support community input into the development of these
principles by providing background information about volunteering, considering emerging
and existing trends in volunteering, and providing a context to the role of government in
supporting volunteering.
Volunteering occurs in a broad range of ways – some of which occurs through and with the
support of organisations. The ACT has a high rate of volunteering – 38% of the population
volunteer. Many features of Canberra’s population profile indicate a positive outlook for
volunteering into the medium term future. However, this picture is not without challenges.
Many people are now increasingly mobile, time-pressured and strategic about their
volunteering and prefer to volunteer in an ad-hoc, project-based fashion. Volunteers in
Canberra also give the lowest median number of hours per volunteer in Australia.
ACT Government support for volunteering includes providing all ACT Government
employees access to three days of paid Community Service Leave each year, as well as
assistance with police checks. Each directorate has policies and procedures around
volunteering, including, for example, the Emergency Services Agency Volunteer Charter.
The ACT Government supports and runs a range of volunteering programs in areas as
diverse as the environment, health, sports and recreation, education and tourism, to name
just a few. The community and corporate sectors are involved in volunteering – through
involving, supplying and supporting volunteers. Volunteering in the ACT is also supported
by the peak body, Volunteering ACT.
Many emerging and established modes of volunteering occur in the ACT, such as Employee
Volunteering Programs, virtual volunteering, family volunteering. This volunteering is
supported by networks, brokers, grants, in-kind support, promotion, scholarships, on-line
resources, and is recognised in events and awards.
A set of principles contained in an ACT Government Volunteer Statement will revolve
around recognition and promotion as well as commitment and facilitation.
ACT GOVERNMENT VOLUNTEER STATEMENT: INFORMATION PAPER | Page 3 of 27
Introduction
2011 marks the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers. To celebrate this
milestone, the role and contribution of volunteers across Australia is being recognised
through a range of initiatives such as the Australian Government’s National Volunteering
Strategy. To recognise and support the valuable contribution of volunteers, the ACT
Government is developing a set of principles – a Volunteer Statement – to guide its
understanding of volunteering in the ACT into the future.
A Volunteer Statement will emphasise the value of volunteering to achieve the Canberra
Plan’s vision of a sustainable and creative city; an inclusive community that supports
vulnerable people and enables all to reach their potential; the proud capital of the nation
and a home of its pre-eminent cultural institutions; and a place of natural beauty.
Volunteers are centrally involved in pursuing these visions. In Canberra, the generous spirit
involved in giving time and resources to neighbourhood and national scale projects fosters
belonging, participation, ownership and cohesion within the diverse ACT Community.
Developing the ACT Government’s Volunteer Statement is a timely contribution to the
nation-wide recognition of volunteers.
One of the themes of the Canberra Social Plan 2011 is connection. People connecting with
each other and the place they live plays a key role in strengthening our communities, giving
a sense of belonging and social cohesion. Connection starts with having active citizens in our
community who have opportunities to be involved, return something to their community,
gain experience, maintain and develop skills and confidence. The ACT has a high level of
volunteering, which reflects this connection through participation and interaction between
members of the community. Without volunteers and their time and assistance, events,
crisis response and service delivery could not be undertaken such as the Multicultural
Festival, ACT Rural Fire Service, sporting events, conservation protection and restoration.
The spectrum of volunteering in the ACT is broad and support for volunteering is strong.
Many non-government organisations – both community sector and private for profit
organisations – involve or support volunteers. Volunteering in the ACT is supported by the
peak body, Volunteering ACT. Many ACT Government directorates and agencies have
specific policies and programs relating to volunteers and volunteering. An ACT Government
Volunteer Statement would seek to consolidate the ACT Government’s approach to
supporting volunteers and volunteering. It would consolidate existing initiatives and
represent a whole-of-government approach to supporting and recognising volunteers. It
would ensure a consistent approach across government and would support organisations
working with volunteers by developing a framework of principles on which support for
volunteering was based.
This information paper aims to support community and industry input into the development
of these principles by providing background information about volunteering, considering
emerging and existing trends in volunteering, and providing a context to the role of
government in supporting volunteering to inform the development of an ACT Government
principles statement for volunteers. The ACT Government invites responses to this
information paper and has attached a survey for feedback to assist the development of an
ACT Government Volunteer Statement. This information paper and survey are also
available online at the ACT Government Community Engagement Website:
http://www.communityengagement.act.gov.au/.
ACT GOVERNMENT VOLUNTEER STATEMENT: INFORMATION PAPER | Page 4 of 27
Volunteering in Canberra: Some examples
Environmental restoration with LandCare.
A registered wildlife carer with the RSPCA.
Scout group leader.
Letter writing for Amnesty International.
Participating in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout.
Being a Red Cross MATE – regularly sharing a coffee or watching the footy
with a person who is isolated and perhaps has a disability or mental illness.
Volunteer coaching or marshalling for a local sporting team.
Preparing a cultural performance for the Canberra Multicultural Festival.
Taking a day of volunteering leave from work to contribute to the “Links”
Memorial Quilt Project with the AIDS Action Council of the ACT.
Constructing and maintaining a local playgroup’s website.
Assisting newly arrived families through Canberra Refugee Support.
Playing “old time” tunes with your local community orchestra at an
accommodation service for people who are ageing.
Arranging a “garden makeover” for a child care centre by your work team.
Helping out at the Koori Kids Christmas held by the Burrunju Aboriginal
Corporation and the Ngambri Local Aboriginal Lands Council.
Raising funds through a door knock appeal or running a workplace raffle.
Sorting and pricing clothes in a local opportunity shop.
Membership on a local school P&C committee.
Volunteer tour guide at Old Parliament House or Questacon.
Supporting a trash and treasure market through a Rotary Club.
Participating in “Blue Hijab Day” – wearing blue for autism awareness.
Providing transport for the frail aged and people with disabilities.
Reading to children in hospital with the Starlight Foundation.
Being a Lifeline phone counsellor one evening a week.
ACT GOVERNMENT VOLUNTEER STATEMENT: INFORMATION PAPER | Page 5 of 27
The contribution of volunteers
People volunteer in many ways; by helping a neighbour with their gardening; caring for a
relative; making food for a fundraising event; coaching a local sporting team; setting up a
local hall for a weekly church, temple or other faith-based meeting; or helping with storytime at their local school. Voluntary actions such as these are vital to a cohesive society and
many occur without the involvement of formal organisations or governments.
However, a significant amount of volunteering does occur through and with the support of
organisations – both government and non-government. It is this “formal” volunteering
which is the focus of this paper. The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines a volunteer as
“someone who willingly gives unpaid help, in the form of time, service or skills, through an
organisation or group”. This reflects the notion that voluntary actions are those performed
of one’s own free will, without an expectation of monetary reward other than
reimbursement of expenses, for the benefit of someone (or society at large) other than the
volunteer themself. This is in contrast to services or activities that are involuntary – for
example, work experience that is a required feature of a student’s schooling; or to services
or activities provided voluntarily to people within the volunteer’s own household.
Volunteers make a significant contribution to the Canberra community. In 2006, 94,300 ACT
residents volunteered 10m hours of their time. The annual ACT average contribution of each
male volunteer was 112 hours, and each female 103 hours a year. The total Australian
volunteer hours for the year were 713m, with an average annual contribution of 144 hours
per week for men and 130 hours for women.
Approximately 6,000 ACT residents volunteer for emergency and other community safety
type activities each year. The practical support provided by volunteers in emergencies can
be life saving. Contributions to post-disaster rebuilding work provide an invaluable boost to
community morale.
The diversity of the ACT community’s interests is reflected in the range of volunteering in
which they engage: 11% of Canberrans volunteer with sporting or other physical recreation
organisations and 29% of Canberrans volunteer with organisations that relate to community
and welfare, education and training, health, parenting and young people, or religion. The
ABS reports that in 2006, 84% of the organisations for which people volunteered were in the
community sector, with 14% in the government sector, including health and education
services.
Volunteers give their time to activities such as fundraising, preparing and serving food,
administration, teaching, coaching and officiating, transporting, managing and befriending,
advocacy, committee work, personal care and assistance, protecting the environment,
animal welfare, gardening, coaching sporting teams, emergency and crisis responses and
teaching. Approximately 13% of Canberrans contribute time to behind the scenes
administrative work and over 20% of Canberrans engage in volunteer fundraising.
Canberrans are generous in their commitment to volunteering. Of all Australian states and
territories, the ACT has the highest proportion of volunteering at 38% of the population.
Women in the ACT are highly represented in the volunteer community with 42% of women
volunteering, and 35% of men. All age groups participate significantly in volunteering
however in the ACT the highest representation for women is in the 35-44 years bracket
(46%) and men 45-54 years (47%).
ACT GOVERNMENT VOLUNTEER STATEMENT: INFORMATION PAPER | Page 6 of 27
Many Canberrans engage in volunteering as volunteer Board members who contribute to
essential corporate governance and general management of organisations which provide
key services to the community. They form part of the community’s management
infrastructure, without which the organisations could not operate. Their responsibilities as
Directors are equivalent to those in the private sector, covering all legal aspects, including
contract and financial management, occupational health and safety and as employers.
The Australian Institute of Company Directors and Volunteering ACT have worked together
to provide valuable training and support to volunteer board members in the ACT. These
organisations recently collaborated in an event which brought together community agencies
seeking Directors with some 40 prospective Directors.
The Annual Thanks Awards
On 19 October 2010, the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Mr
Andrew Barr MLA, presented volunteer recognition awards to members of
the sport and recreation industry. These annual awards recognise the
valuable contribution of sport and recreation volunteers in the Canberra
community. To date more than 210 volunteers from over 50 sport and
recreation organisations have been recognised for their contribution.
“Volunteers play a vital role in the local sport and recreation industry.
Approximately 27,000 Canberran’s contribute their volunteer services each
year in ‘non-playing’ roles such as coach, official, administrator,
timekeeper and ground manager. This contribution provides the equivalent
of 3.1 million hours of labour and is estimated to be worth $43.7 million
dollars per year,” Minister Barr said.
Volunteering contributes both to society and to the volunteer themselves. By providing
their time and resources to organisations, volunteers help deliver services, products and
opportunities that otherwise might have been provided at a higher cost to the recipient or
not provided at all. Valuing the economic contribution of volunteering occurs in a range of
ways. Some organisations attribute a dollar amount on the time donated by volunteers
estimating the average wage an organisation would have paid to employ someone to
perform the volunteer’s activities. Using this approach, the Australian Bureau of Statistics
estimated that in 2006-07, the 4.6 million volunteers who supported community
organisations contributed 623 million hours, equating to 317,200 full time equivalents. The
economic value of these hours was estimated to be $14.6 billion. Volunteers can also
provide services not easily provided by paid workers, such as mentoring and role modelling.
The benefits and contributions of volunteering are, however, not restricted to financial gains
to the economy. Research indicates that volunteering enhances social cohesion,
strengthens communities and provides benefits to the volunteer themselves. 1 Volunteering
1
Wilson, J., & Musick M. A. (2000). The effects of volunteering on the volunteer. Law and Contemporary Problems, 62, 141-168.
ACT GOVERNMENT VOLUNTEER STATEMENT: INFORMATION PAPER | Page 7 of 27
can increase social inclusion, physical and psychological wellbeing and career
opportunities. 2
In addition to providing vital community services, volunteers and volunteer organisations
are contributors to government-community consultation.
Volunteering with the National Multicultural Festival
Each year, Canberra’s National Multicultural Festival depends on a
dedicated group of volunteers. Volunteering for the Festival in February is
a great experience and there are a variety of tasks available, such as stage
manager or information officer.
What are examples of principles that might be included in an ACT Government
Volunteer Principles Statement?
A set of principles contained in an ACT Government Volunteer Statement will revolve
around recognition and promotion as well as commitment and facilitation. These principles
might focus on the following:
•
Acknowledging and valuing the vital role of volunteers in the ACT;
•
Acknowledging the role of volunteering in building social inclusion, individual wellbeing
and community resilience;
•
Committing to work across the ACT Government, with volunteering organisations and
with the community and corporate sectors to recognise and celebrate the contribution
of volunteers and, in the case of employee volunteering programs or community service
leave, the support they receive to volunteer;
•
Committing to developing and enabling a dynamic, adaptable, flexible and innovative
environment where volunteering is safe and supported with effective management and
risk-based protection;
•
Recognising the enduring collaboration between government, the community and
business to support and grow volunteering into the future;
•
Commitment to identifying barriers to volunteering, promoting opportunities to engage
those least likely to volunteer and exploring options for addressing these barriers; and
•
Developing flexible volunteering models to assist organisations to adapt to emerging
trends.
2
Haski-Leventhal, D (2009). Addressing social disadvantage through volunteering. Centre for Social Impact. Available at:
http://www.csi.edu.au/
ACT GOVERNMENT VOLUNTEER STATEMENT: INFORMATION PAPER | Page 8 of 27
The UN’s four pillars of volunteering
Recognition: acknowledging the value of volunteerism to society
Facilitation: ensuring that the maximum number of people from the
broadest range of backgrounds has access to volunteer opportunities
Networking: fostering the exchange of experience and strengthening
partnerships among different entities promoting and implementing
volunteer projects
Promotion: promoting inclusive volunteerism representative of the diverse
groups in society
Principles of Volunteering as described by Volunteering Australia include the following:
•
Volunteering benefits the community and the volunteer;
•
Volunteer work is unpaid;
•
Volunteering is always a matter of choice;
•
Volunteering is not compulsorily undertaken to receive pensions or government
allowances;
•
Volunteering is a legitimate way in which citizens can participate in the activities of their
community;
•
Volunteering is a vehicle for individuals or groups to address human, environmental and
social needs;
•
Volunteering is not a substitute for paid work;
•
Volunteers do not replace paid workers nor constitute a threat to the job security of
paid workers;
•
Volunteering respects the rights, dignity and culture of others; and
•
Volunteering promotes human rights and equality.
What happens next?
This information paper is the first step in seeking community and industry views on an
ACT Government Volunteer Statement. Comments and feedback are invited on the issues
raised in this information paper and other matters associated with volunteering in the ACT.
A survey with a range of questions to assist the development of an ACT Government
Volunteer Statement is attached. Individuals and organisations are invited to complete and
return the survey by post to:
Volunteer Statement Secretariat
Strategic Policy
ACT Government Community Service Directorate
ACT GOVERNMENT VOLUNTEER STATEMENT: INFORMATION PAPER | Page 9 of 27
GPO Box 158
Canberra ACT 2601
An electronic version of this information paper and the survey can be accessed at:
•
The ACT Government Community Services Directorate website
www.dhcs.act.gov.au;
•
The ACT Government Community Engagement Website:
www.communityengagement.act.gov.au
•
ACT Government Time to Talk Website (from mid-August 2011):
TimeToTalk.act.gov.au
Comments and responses can be provided via email to ACTVolunteering@act.gov.au.
Submissions responding to this information paper must be received by 23 September 2011.
For further information contact the Volunteer Statement Secretariat at the ACT Government
Community Services Directorate on 6205 7253.
The process of developing this Volunteer Statement is also supported by an
ACT Government Inter-Directorate Committee.
How is volunteering currently supported?
The Australian Government is currently working towards a National Volunteer Statement
and Strategy which aim to set the national direction for volunteering for the next ten years.
This statement is due for public release later in 2011 and describes features of volunteering
in Australia, considers future challenges, and highlights a range of strategic directions for
supporting volunteering into the future. The National Volunteering Strategy will aim to
contribute to an Australian community that is inclusive and supports a vibrant cultural life
by supporting initiatives to: engage new volunteers; respond to emergencies and build
community resilience in the face of challenges; address protection, risk management and
training issues for volunteers; respond to emerging trends and issues; and recognise,
support and value volunteers.
Across Australia, legislative frameworks which support volunteers and volunteering are the
responsibility of the States and Territories. As a result, each state/territory has its own
legislative arrangements – for example, South Australia has the Volunteer Protection Act
2001 which gives legal protection from personal liability to volunteers doing voluntary work.
In the ACT, volunteers are covered by the Work Safety Act 2008, which addresses health
and safety in the workplace and provides workers and volunteers with a consistent level
workplace safety.
The ACT Government is finalising subordinate legislation in readiness for the debate of the
Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Bill 2010. This initiative involves
developing a centralised background checking and risk assessment system for people
working with vulnerable people, including children, people with disabilities and people who
are ageing. Under this initiative, employees and volunteers who have contact with
ACT GOVERNMENT VOLUNTEER STATEMENT: INFORMATION PAPER | Page 10 of 27
vulnerable people as part of the provision of certain services will be checked and suitable
people will be registered to work with vulnerable people for up to three years. Rechecking
will not be required when registered people change employers or volunteer with different
organisations. This initiative will relieve many charitable and non-government organisations
of the costly administrative burden of double-checking the background of volunteers who
have already been through this procedure.
Each ACT Government Directorate and agency is responsible for supporting its own
volunteers, reflecting the unique features of each agency’s work. For example, the ACT
Government Education and Training Directorate describes the policies around volunteering
with children and young people, while ACT Parks and Conservation’s volunteer policy covers
the use and provision of specialist Land-care tools and equipment.
The ACT Emergency Services Agency Volunteer Charter
The ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) is the ACT Government agency
responsible for emergency management within the ACT. There are a
number of operational Services within the ESA that have appropriately
registered, trained and equipped volunteers as a part of its workforce. The
ACT State Emergency Service has around 250 volunteers operating from its
seven Units, there are around 420 volunteers in the Rural Fire Service
operating out of eight Brigades. The ACT Fire Brigade administers the
Community Fire Units (CFU’s), there are currently 50 CFU’s and 830
volunteers. The ESA also maintains a mapping capability that has a
volunteer workforce of 80 members.
In 2008, ESA released a Volunteer Charter, co-signed by representatives
from the ACT Government, ESA and the community. This charter provides
the framework for the relationship between the ACT Government and
volunteers of the ACT Rural Fire Service, ACT State Emergency Service and
Community Fire Units. It recognises and acknowledges the contributions
that the ESA volunteers make to the community, and it charges the ACT
Government to appropriately recognise these volunteers.
ACT Government volunteer policies include guidelines around topics such as:
•
A definition of volunteers;
•
Identifying volunteering opportunities, recruiting and placing volunteers;
•
Committing to appropriate management, coordination, supervision and training for
volunteers; and
•
Outlining the roles, rights and responsibilities of volunteers and the organisation for
which they are volunteering – this typically includes responsibilities such as complying
with privacy and insurance requirements, and rights such as being treated as a valued
team member.
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Many jurisdictions across Australia and internationally also have statements, charters and
compacts focused on volunteers and volunteering. Common themes in these foundational
and aspirational documents relate to acknowledging the value of volunteering, coordinating
research on volunteering, developing flexible volunteering models to assist organisations to
adapt to emerging trends and exploring tax incentives to meet the costs associated with
volunteering. In some jurisdictions, volunteers and volunteering are also supported by an
“Office for Volunteers” and an advisory council or group providing advice to the Minister
whose portfolio includes volunteers and volunteering.
Volunteers and organisations that involve volunteers in the ACT are supported by
Volunteering ACT, a membership-based not for profit agency, which is supported by
Government funding and is a Foundation Member of Volunteering Australia. The role of
Volunteering ACT is to advance volunteering as a valued social, cultural and economic
contribution to the community. It does this by offering members and the community a
range of services, including:
•
A volunteer referral service, whereby people interested in becoming volunteers are
linked with volunteering opportunities notified by members
•
Promotion and support of employee volunteering programs and projects
•
Providing leadership in the effective management of volunteers through general and
customised training and development programs and through resources, information
and advocacy
•
Celebrating volunteer effort by organising public events, such as the ACT Volunteer
of the Year Awards during National Volunteer Week in May and International
Volunteers Day in December
•
Through the Students Participating in Community Enterprises (SPICE) Program,
linking at-risk young people with practical work experiences in private sector
businesses or with community employers
•
Through the Connections Program, linking people with mental health recovery issues
with supportive volunteer buddies or mentors to foster social inclusion and
encourage personal growth and self-confidence.
In Canberra, volunteering with organisations is typically supported through a range of
organisational policies and procedures, guided by the Volunteering ACT Code of Practice,
which recommends that member organisations:
•
Empower volunteers to meet their own and their organisation’s needs;
•
Offer volunteers work opportunities appropriate to their skills, experience and
aspirations;
•
Provide volunteers with clear duty statements and orientation to the organisation and
its work;
•
Offer training and support for volunteers to achieve personal and work goals;
•
Implement procedures to safe-guard volunteer safety and well-being;
•
Offer reimbursement or other compensation for agreed out-of-pocket expenses;
ACT GOVERNMENT VOLUNTEER STATEMENT: INFORMATION PAPER | Page 12 of 27
•
Recognise volunteers as valued team members, with opportunities to participate in
organisation decisions which affect them; and
•
Provide mechanisms to acknowledge the value of contributions made by volunteers.
Programs and initiatives
The ACT Government runs and supports a range of volunteering programs and
opportunities. For example, more than 400 volunteers – including university students,
retirees, mums and dads and even full time workers – support the work of the Canberra
Hospital. This support occurs through a range of programs, including, but not limited to the
Auxiliary’s Kiosk, trolley service to the wards, hospital guides, and a library service, the
Cancer Council’s Wig Service, the volunteers providing hand and foot massages to oncology
patients and the Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy volunteers.
Across the ACT, there are many volunteering programs and activities organised locally by
community organisations. These opportunities are diverse, ranging from community
transport to museum guide, conservation field work to classroom assistant, computer
trainer to soccer coach.
Community Service Leave
All ACT Government employees are entitled to three days paid Community Service Leave
per year to undertake volunteering activities with recognised community organisations.
Between February 2009 and April 2011, 40 ACTPS employees had taken a total of nearly 90
days of paid volunteering leave. In May 2011, the ACT Legislative Assembly agreed to
promote this community service leave entitlement; to support all ACT Government staff to
utilise their community service leave; and to seek the support of the Assembly to have all
Members of the Legislative Assembly lead by example and undertake at least three days of
volunteering each year, auspiced by a community sector organisation.
Paid and unpaid volunteering leave is also available to many ACT residents who work for the
Australian Government – see the attachment to this information paper. Community Service
Leave is a potentially significant untapped resource for volunteering in Canberra.
Employee Volunteering Programs
Supporting employees to volunteer is one way in which both public and private employers
demonstrate social responsibility. With a focus on employee engagement and participation,
Employee Volunteering Programs (EVPs) – or “corporate volunteering” – demonstrate a
shift from a traditional perception of corporate philanthropy centred around fundraising
and sponsorship to a focus on promoting good corporate citizenship through greater
community involvement and employee engagement. EVP is an emerging field of
volunteering, with only 26.3% of community organisations in the ACT reporting involvement
with corporate volunteering.
EVPs can provide a range of benefits for the employees and organisations for which they
work and volunteer. Volunteering Australia’s 2007 survey of employers found that 75% of
employers with EVPs believed that they improved staff retention rates and 82% believed
that they improved levels of staff satisfaction. EVP volunteering is most commonly directed
to community welfare organisations, despite the ABS finding that sport and recreation is the
highest user of volunteers in general.
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Students Participating in Community Enterprises (SPICE)
SPICE actively connects 12-15 year olds, at risk of disengaging from
education, with volunteer employer mentors.
Broadly representative of labour market sectors, including building and
construction, hairdressing, children’s services and community services,
these volunteer business mentors provide five days of work experience
across a five-week period.
SPICE, which is a specialist program of volunteering ACT, offers volunteer
students hands-on, real-life opportunities in the workplace. These
placements act as catalysts for young people to see the relevance of school
and the benefits of training for a qualification to enable their career and
life goals.
Australian Business and Community Network (ACBN)
ACBN is a partnership of national business leaders and companies with a
focus on education and providing mentoring, partnering and support
programs to targeted students and schools across Australia.
The ACBN represents 28 major national and global companies, supports
over 150 schools in areas of high social need, involves 7700 students and
over 2000 company volunteers working in sustained programs nationally –
including the ACT.
“I think the program exceeded my expectations. I entered this program
with a cynical view of having an extra line on my resume and concluded
with a strong belief in corporate social responsibility. I finish this program
as an evangelist for the spirit of ABCN and am happy to continue the
relationship both with my business partner and school that I have been
associated with. It has left me with a strong belief that corporations can
provide tremendous value to the education system, and similarly, I believe
the challenges the education system provides and their approaches to
resolution are equally applicable in the corporate world.”
General Manager, Insurance Australia Group
EVPs: Types of volunteering
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There is no one “type” of volunteering provided through EVPs. The key for successful
volunteering experiences is to support a “bottom up” approach, in which employees have a
choice and active role in identifying volunteering opportunities that have intrinsic value.
Employees may seek volunteering opportunities which involve transferring their skills in
ongoing relationships with community organisations, for example, by volunteering on
management committees or community organisation boards, or supporting organisations
through mentoring. Mentoring roles are ideal for corporate volunteers as they require skills
such as leadership, communication and the imparting of knowledge and experience.
Volunteers can mentor community organisation’s clients such as disadvantaged adults or
high school students, or they could mentor those in senior positions of the community
organisation itself.
Some employees prefer to be engaged in one-off, team-based activities that and can be
undertaken in a day. These are the classic garden-makeover, wall-painting, tree-planting,
toy-construction types of events. Days such as these provide employees with an alternative
to their usual work. A Volunteering Australia Survey of community organisations identified
that less than half of the corporate volunteers were used for their professional skills, and
the majority of organisations were not seeking them to volunteer their professional skills.
Instead, fundraising, administration or clerical work and repairs, gardening or maintenance
were the most common activities for corporate volunteers.
“Virtual” volunteering, where volunteers undertake roles that can be performed offsite
with the support of technology, gives considerable flexibility to the volunteer who can
complete the assignment on their computer at home or at their workplace. This type of
volunteering is supported by many employers, who are happy to facilitate it by allowing the
employee to use office equipment such as photocopiers or telephones. Virtual volunteering
projects include: web research; brochure design; writing policies; organising or
administering EVPs; email mentoring; and writing business plans or grant applications. An
example is the National Library of Australia’s free search service ‘Trove’, providing an
extensive repository of Australian material and creating a virtual community of volunteers
who contribute to the information through comments, corrections and linkages, or “sharing,
repurposing, mashing and adding to information”. 3
EVPs: Challenges
For community organisations, some challenges for EVPs are:
•
Organising volunteering experiences to suit corporate needs and wishes;
•
Awareness about corporate volunteering – such as direction on how to set up an EVP,
how to manage an existing EVP, how to expand an EVP or how to write manuals and
policies;
•
Availability of staff to develop projects, establish relationships, train and supervise
volunteers, organise events and meet corporate needs – one survey found community
organisations that struggled with the capacity for corporate volunteering had 2-5 staff,
while community organisations with 6 to 10 staff reported consistently positive
3 Holley, R. (2010). Trove: Innovation in Access to Information in Australia, Ariadne, 64. Available at:
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue64/holley/
ACT GOVERNMENT VOLUNTEER STATEMENT: INFORMATION PAPER | Page 15 of 27
experiences when involved in EVPs. However, most EVPs were provided to community
organisations with 20 or more staff and a paid manager of volunteers;
•
Limited internal support from the “corporate” partner;
•
Difficulty of finding partners - most EVP experiences are initiated by corporations and
their employees; and
•
Incompatibility of an organisation’s work with corporate goals – some organisations do
not feel they are suitable for corporate volunteers due to client privacy, volunteering
hours and importantly because corporate volunteers would need to undertake training
to ensure client outcomes and duty of care.
For corporations and public employers, some challenges associated with EVP programs are:
•
Employees have limited time to devote to volunteering;
•
Finding suitable volunteering opportunities;
•
Finding meaningful volunteering opportunities; and
•
Finding suitable community organisations that have the capacity to accept assistance.
Example: Australia Post’s Community Awards
Australia Post’s Community Awards reward employees who have made an
outstanding commitment to their community – providing $1000 for the
charity of the employee’s choice and
$100 gift voucher for the employee.
Example: EVPs for Employees with Limited Time
Some employees may find it difficult to take out a whole day for
volunteering. One Australian community organisation successfully dealt
with this by establishing an EVP where employees performed two-hour
shifts helping out in a call centre.
Given that most volunteers have a limited amount of time for
volunteering, an organisation has a greater chance of filling a volunteer
position if the role can be broken down into smaller components. For
example, one volunteer could write and prepare the notes required for a
training workshop and another volunteer could deliver the actual sessions.
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A volunteer could be used to identify suitable corporate volunteering
projects in the organisation and scope the initial stages of a project before
the organisation invests time and resources.
Skills and expertise can often be the most valuable contribution. For
example, IBM’s ‘On Demand Community’ encourages sustainable
volunteerism by providing employees with technology tools targeted for
community organisations and schools. In Australia the ‘IBM Mentor Place’
program involves IBM employees volunteering their time to mentor school
students, providing advice and guidance.
EVPs: Insurance
Volunteers participating in EVPs may be covered by insurance held by the company or the
community organisation. Volunteering Australia recommends that employers structure their
EVP so that the volunteering work is understood as clearly within the course of employment
and that they extend workers’ compensation to the volunteer. For comprehensive cover,
Volunteering Australia suggests that the community organisation also takes out personal
accident insurance in case they are in some way to blame for the injury sustained by the
volunteer. From a survey of businesses with identified EVPs, 53% of companies surveyed
extend their insurance coverage to staff while they are volunteering.
Public liability (for damage to property or injury to another person caused by the volunteer)
is the community organisation’s responsibility as the volunteer is under their supervision.
Risk can be minimised by training and supervising volunteers, and by having appropriate
OH&S procedures in place.
Brokers and Linking Programs
Many jurisdictions, including the ACT have programs which link potential volunteers to
volunteering options. Often these programs are targeted towards specific target groups
such as students or retirees. Targeting volunteer activities also occurs – for example,
arranging for students to assist with tasks including website development, event
management, marketing and public relations activities.
GoVolunteer (www.govolunteer.com.au), an initiative of Volunteering Australia, is a website
that provides internet advertising for community organisations looking for volunteers.
People seeking volunteering opportunities visit the website and can search a database of
volunteering opportunities posted by local community organisations. GoVolunteer provides
volunteers with information about volunteer opportunities, and helps them make the best
match possible between their personal requirements and choice of volunteer work.
Independent brokers – including Volunteer Centres in some areas – offer consultancies to
business, providing co-ordination and placement of up to four team challenges and four
individual volunteering positions.
Indigenous Community Volunteers (ICV)
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In 2010, ACT resident Tegan Murray was awarded the ICV Outstanding
Volunteer Award by Senator Ursula Stephens, Parliamentary Secretary for
Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector. Tegan, a psychology student
from Canberra, was recognised for her work mentoring 22 year old Torres
Strait Islander,
Reg Hodges.
“Tegan is an exceptional person who, at just 24, supports Reg in many
activities including Torres Strait Islander dancing for ICV’s volunteers
during their cross-cultural induction workshop and assisting with general
duties in ICV’s Canberra office,” Senator Stephens said.
Volunteering grants and in-kind support
Providing small, one-off grants is a popular way of providing government funding to
community organisations to promote and support volunteering. These grants are provided
for a range of initiatives, such as helping volunteer-involving organisations to provide
training opportunities for volunteers as well as purchasing equipment or resources for
volunteers such as computers and first aid kits.
Grants such as these are provided by governments as well as non-government
organisations. For example, through its Volunteer Grants program, the Australian
Government provides funding of between $1,000 and $5,000 to community organisations to
support volunteers and encourage volunteering. These grants are provided to assist in the
purchase of portable, tangible, small equipment items to help volunteers, contribute to
transport costs incurred by volunteers, as well as contributing to the costs of training
courses and background screening checks for volunteers.
The ACT Government provides grants, scholarships and other funds to support community
and volunteering organisations. These grants are promoted through the ACT Government
online grants portal: http://www.grants.act.gov.au/. For example, in 2010, with the
assistance of an ACT Government Seniors Grant provided as a part of the ACT Strategic Plan
for Positive Ageing, Southside Community Services developed an online volunteer program
called 'Shine a Light' which aimed to link senior members of the community who wanted to
volunteer their time and skills with organisations and community groups.
Non-government organisations, including private businesses and foundations also provide a
range of grants and funding to support volunteers in the ACT.
Often, grants and in-kind support provided by private for profit entities are guided by the
principles of corporate social responsibility. This kind of support can include activities such
as service provision or the use of office equipment; donations of products or dollars; and
supporting or acknowledging staff volunteering that is undertaken in their own time.
Example: Corporate Social Responsibility
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Many businesses have established corporate social responsibility
initiatives. For example, each year the Vodafone Foundation selects a
group of core charity partners such as Oxfam and Mission Australia and
supports them in numerous ways; financial support, technology and
innovation, transfer of human capital, employee volunteering, marketing
and sponsorship opportunities. The Vodafone Foundation also runs an
initiative called the World of Difference program, in which five Australians
are paid an annual salary of up to $50,000 and expenses of up to $25,000
to work for the charity of their choice for a year.
Recently, BP also invited applications for community organisations across
Australia to receive fuel vouchers.
In the ACT, individuals and charitable organisations can be considered for
a grant from the Snow Foundation. The size of grants from this foundation
varies greatly and can be as little as a few hundred dollars to more
substantial sums of $20,000.
Example: State Volunteer Congress
The South Australian government funds an annual State Volunteer
Congress, held on International Volunteers Day, 5 December, aimed at
volunteers and paid staff who are managing/coordinating volunteer
programs or involved in developing the capacity of volunteer involving
organisations. This event focuses on sharing information and inviting a
range of speakers.
Scholarships, resources and human development
In various jurisdictions, government and privately funded scholarships are provided, often to
support professional development in management skills and experience for volunteer
program managers and co-ordinators or to attend conferences and seminars.
Governments might directly provide risk assessments or management advice, as well as
specific training for volunteers, such as a 'Cultural Awareness in Volunteering Programs'
workshop. Other initiatives that governments may undertake include e-training for their
own service delivery staff such as occupational health and safety training in a hospital or
school environment.
There is also an extensive range of internet-based resources available to support
volunteering and volunteer management. These might be provided by governments and/or
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non-government organisations such as Volunteering Australia and Volunteering ACT. These
might include, for example:
•
An events calendar – where organisations can post details of coming events such as a
fundraising fun run or conservation volunteers “Come and Try Day”;
•
A range of modifiable policy templates for managers of volunteers and community
organisations;
•
Guides to designing volunteer roles and writing position descriptions;
•
Online subject guides about involving volunteers with a disability, involving volunteers
from a variety of specific age groups;
•
Best practice tips and advice for community organisations and volunteers; and
•
Regular e-bulletins and a range of fact sheets covering topics relevant to individual
volunteers and volunteer involving organisations.
Events
Events such as award ceremonies, expos and photographic exhibitions are held across
Australia to celebrate the contribution of volunteers. These events raise the profile of
volunteers and recognise the valuable contribution of volunteers. They can provide
opportunities for volunteers and volunteer-supporting organisations to network and share
information. In Australia, events often occur in collaboration with state or national nongovernment Volunteering Organisations.
ACT Volunteer Awards Events
Volunteering ACT host the annual ACT Volunteer of the Year Awards which
recognise the contribution of dedicated volunteers in the ACT as part of
National Volunteer Week in May each year.
The ACT and National Landcare Awards recognises the work of ACT’s
environmental volunteers. This is a significant event and is only possible
through funding from Landcare Australia via sponsors including large
corporations and the Australian Government. The ACT Government, via
Minister Corbell, also provides local awards for environment volunteers as
part of this program.
Promotional activities
Governments across Australia are often involved in funding or providing promotional
campaigns promoting volunteering. For example, a television campaign, titled ‘If you want
to lift yourself up, lift up someone else’, screened on commercial channels across South
Australia to encourage people to volunteer.
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Also in South Australia the Community Voices grants program provided grants to University
Screen Studies students working with volunteer organisations to produce television
commercials or short films to encourage volunteering in the community.
Governments can also provide free promotional opportunities for communities to advertise
volunteering positions in government-provided publications such as newspapers and
community bulletins.
The future of volunteering in the ACT
Canberra’s population profile
Many features of Canberra’s current and future demographics and population profile help
explain the current high rates of volunteering and suggest a positive outlook for
volunteering in the next 10 to 20 years.
A significant proportion of Canberra’s population were born between 1946 and 1963. This
cohort is often referred to as “Baby Boomers”, and many of these adults are approaching
retirement age. Canberra is expected to experience significant population ageing, with those
aged 65 and over set to increase from 10.2 per cent of the population in 2009 to 21.9 per
cent in 2059. While this may cause challenges in the form of skills shortages in workplaces
across Canberra, it may also lead to an increase in volunteering – statistics from the ABS
suggest that people who are older and people who are retired are more likely to volunteer.
This rapidly growing group of mature professionals see volunteering as a new chapter in
their “working” lives and seek volunteering work that is meaningful, interesting, challenging
and matched to their skills.
Canberra also has a large proportion of its population with characteristics and in
occupational groupings associated with higher rates of volunteering. Again, ABS statistics
suggest that people with tertiary education and those employed in management,
administrative, professional, clerical and service work within or associated with the public
service are more likely to volunteer. Volunteering is not restricted to those in employment –
across Australia, the ABS found that students are one of the groups with the highest rate of
volunteering. This suggests positive volunteering outcomes for Canberra, with more than
30,000 university students across the ACT. Although, young people’s rate of volunteering in
Canberra is lower than for Canberrans overall.
The picture for Canberra is not entirely without its challenges. Many people are now more
mobile, more time-pressured and more strategic about their volunteering and as a result
tend to volunteer in an ad hoc fashion based on particular projects, instead of in the
traditional style of long-term commitment. While the rate of volunteering in the ACT has
increased since 1995, and is the highest in Australia, the median annual hours per person
(52 hours) is the lowest in Australia – along with Queensland and Western Australia – and
has been below the Australian average for a number of years. The amount of hours per
person in the ACT also decreased substantially from 1995, where it was 66 hours per person
per year. This trend of decreasing hours per person is replicated across Australia, where
volunteering hours dropped from 74 in 1995 to 56 in 2006.
The long-term future of volunteering will be dependent on increasing the rate of young
people entering into their life-long association with volunteering. Increasing these low rates
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of volunteering in young people may be especially critical as older and more sizeable
cohorts age and stop volunteering – volunteering rates decrease markedly at 75 years of
age. Volunteering rates amongst mature professionals may also vary into the future, as
more and more people are encouraged to stay in employment beyond retirement age.
Example: The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden (SAKG)
The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden (SAKG) Foundation has been set
up to develop Kitchen Garden projects in primary schools across Australia.
The SAKG aim is to engage and encourage young students in the growing,
harvesting, preparing and sharing of delicious and healthy food in the
belief that such skills are essential to the development of life-long and
healthy eating habits. The Foundation has developed the highly successful
Kitchen Garden Program for all children in years 3-6. The key objective is to
provide experiences that positively influence children’s awareness of
health and good nutritional choices. Underpinning this, is an
understanding of environmental sustainability and its relationship with
health also is fostered through a focus on water and energy conservation,
soil health and recycling/composting - linking in with the school's existing
environmental sustainability programs. In practical terms the project
involves the establishment of a kitchen garden to complement the
construction of a kitchen classroom and dining room area. Practical
garden and kitchen classes taught by specialists providing children with a
hands-on learning experience of the benefits of growing your own fruit and
vegetables and how to incorporate this produce into a healthy lifestyle.
Majura Primary School is proud to be the ACT demonstration school for the
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.
ABS statistics indicate that volunteers most often become involved in voluntary work
because they were either asked to volunteer by someone (35%) or did so because they
knew someone involved (29%). This is in stark contrast to the 5% of volunteers who became
involved in volunteering in response to a media report or an advertisement.
According to the ABS, volunteers are also more likely to:
•
Have parents who also volunteered – the volunteer rate among those whose parents
had volunteered was 43% compared with 23% for those whose parents had not
volunteered;
•
Have first volunteered while a child – the volunteer rate for those who had themselves
volunteered as a child was also higher than average (42%);
•
Cite “helping others in the community” (57%), “personal satisfaction” (44%) and “to do
something worthwhile” (36%) as the reason for volunteering; and
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•
Have recently had some kind of active involvement in community activities (44%).
Parents of dependent children are also likely to be involved in volunteering which is related
to their children’s activities – suggesting that creating opportunities for children to be
involved can increase the likelihood of parental volunteering.
Family volunteering – where families participate in volunteering together – is an emerging
field of volunteering and is often promoted in the context of a time-poor society. The
purpose of family volunteering is, on the one hand, to encourage bonds and strong
relationships amongst families and, on the other, to increase the number of volunteers now
and into the future.
Example: Greening Australia Tree-planting
Recognising changing trends in volunteering, organisations like Greening
Australia offer a variety of volunteering experiences. For example,
volunteers can give their time in an ad hoc manner to project based tree
planting days. Such activities are also useful for families wishing to
volunteer together.
Regulatory, management and technological change
The future of volunteering will not only be influenced by changes in Canberra’s population
profile, but also by the opportunities and challenges presented by a changing regulatory and
technological environment.
Information technology and new media are important tools to volunteering through their
roles in engaging and informing volunteers, and through on-line volunteering and training –
many examples of which are described above. The challenge for volunteering will be in
managing these opportunities and ensuring these opportunities keep pace with
technological changes and are designed to meet the varying technological fluency of
volunteers of all ages.
Features of the regulatory environment which have an effect on volunteering include issues
around Occupational Health and Safety, Child Safe Environments, and Volunteer Insurance.
The consultation process informed by this information paper provides an opportunity to
consider the regulatory environment for volunteers and volunteering in the ACT.
Effective volunteer management and leadership are critical to maintaining suitable and
appropriate volunteering into the future. Recent events across Australia, reaching back to
the Canberra bushfires of 2003, have demonstrated community willingness to spontaneous
volunteering, often in response to emergencies or natural disasters. Training and
coordinating emergency response volunteers – both planned and spontaneous – poses
particular challenges. There is a need to strike a balance in risk management that protects
the safety of volunteers and others while still enabling productive work to continue
efficiently.
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The ACT Government wants to ensure that the experience of volunteering in Canberra
remains positive and effective, regardless of the changing community context. While it is
positive that Canberra has comparatively high rates of volunteering, there are not
necessarily clear links between the number of volunteers and the effectiveness or
sustainability of volunteering. The process of developing a Volunteer Statement provides an
opportunity for the ACT Government, community and business to contribute to creating a
vision for effective and satisfying volunteering experiences – for both volunteers and the
organisations and individuals who receive assistance from them.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Ghandi
“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.”
Winston Churchill
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Attachment: Examples of Australian Government Volunteering Leave Provisions
Examples of allowances for Volunteering leave in the range of Australian Government
Department Enterprise and Collective Agreements:
•
Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs: up to three days paid
leave per calendar year.
•
Education, Employment and Workplace Relations: up to two days paid leave per
calendar year.
•
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry: up to one day paid volunteer leave per calendar year
and paid community service leave is determined on a case-by-case basis.
•
Climate Change and Energy Efficiency: up to one day paid Miscellaneous leave per
calendar year to undertake charity or community work.
•
Infrastructure and Transport: Personal Circumstances Leave for short-term volunteer or
community service activities can be accessed.
•
Resources, Energy and Tourism: leave without pay and short term paid leave is available
in accordance with leave policy and procedures, including for community service
volunteers.
•
Innovation, Industry, Science and Research: paid leave for the purposes of engaging in
community service activities as per s108 of the Fair Work Act 2009.
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Attachment: Volunteer Statement Survey
Please attach further pages if required.
1. Gender
 Female
 Male
2. Age




Under 24
25-44
45-64
65 and over
3. Number of hours spent volunteering in the last 12 months:
 none
 0 – 9 hours
 10 – 49 hours
 50 – 100 hours
 More than 100 hours
4. What are the most important benefits of volunteering?
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5. What are the benefits of having an ACT Government Volunteer Principles Statement?
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6. What are examples of principles that you would like to see included in an ACT
Government Volunteer Principles Statement?
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7. What makes volunteering easier?
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8. What are the barriers to volunteering?
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9. Where is the greatest untapped volunteering opportunity in the ACT?
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10. What are the support needs of volunteers?
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11. What are the support needs of volunteer-involving organisations?
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12. How can volunteering be best facilitated in the ACT?
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