National Volunteering Strategy

The National Volunteering Strategy was launched on 30 November 2011. The Strategy sets out the vision for volunteering, including supporting those who are currently volunteers and encouraging more Australians to participate in their communities through volunteering. The Strategy will set the direction for volunteering in Australia for the next ten years and will support organisations to adapt to changes in the ways that Australians want to volunteer.

The Strategy is one of many activities to support and celebrate 2011 as the tenth anniversary of the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer (IYV+10).

The Strategy was developed in consultation with states and territories and the International Year of Volunteers Plus 10 Advisory Group, which was formed by the Minister for Social Inclusion to provide advice on issues affecting the community relating to volunteering.

The Strategy was also be informed by the National Volunteering Strategy Consultation Report, released in early 2011. More than 800 volunteering groups were polled and found that traditional forms of volunteering remained popular but new forms of participation are emerging and need to be accommodated if organisations are to continue to effectively recruit and retain volunteers. These changes include a growing preference for online volunteering, more young people and highly skilled early retirees wanting to volunteer, and an increasing interest in short term or project based volunteering.

Download National Volunteering Strategy - PDF 3.9 MB | RTF 256 KB