RE: Briefing on the role of Volunteering Victoria and the crucial need to support Victoria’s volunteers
Dear Hon. James Merlino,
On behalf of the team and members of Volunteering Victoria, we congratulate you on your appointment to Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers. This portfolio presents opportunities for you to support and advocate for a strong, vibrant, and active volunteering sector in Victoria.
As the state emerges from another extended lockdown, your strong support for volunteering is critical to promoting the value power of volunteers in our state’s recovery. Volunteers have and will continue to be at the forefront of so many initiatives that contribute to the improvement of social cohesion. Volunteers make our communities stronger, safer, and more liveable.
About Us
Volunteering Victoria is the state peak body for volunteering in Victoria, focusing on advocacy, sector development and the promotion of volunteering. Our role is to lead the development of a collaborative, sustainable, thriving, and respected volunteering community in Victoria.
Volunteering Victoria promotes volunteering that is diverse, inclusive, and accessible, encouraging resilient communities and empowered and active Victorians. We continuously strive to find new and creative ways to engage organisations and individuals in meaningful volunteering.
With an estimated 2.3 million volunteers across Victoria, volunteering is both ubiquitous and impactful. The State of Volunteering in Victoria Report (2020) found that volunteering represented $58.1 billion in value for the Victorian economy, or a net return of approximately $3.70 on every dollar invested. In many ways, volunteering is the lifeblood of our communities, as it is essential for the delivery of crucial services, including those provided by state and local governments.
Yet, effective, and meaningful volunteering comes with resourcing needs. Our sector requires expert leadership of volunteers, clear and coherent policy, and regulations and legislation that both protect volunteers while maintaining realistic compliance on volunteer-involving organisations.
Our challenges
Over the last two years, the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis has had an enormous impact on the volunteering sector in Victoria. This recent decline is compounded by the existing downward trend in volunteering participation prior to the pandemic. Overall, the sector is currently facing a trilogy of systemic challenges:
- An increase in demand for services of volunteer-involving organisations and the not-for-profit sector;
- A funding crisis; and
- A collapse in volunteer participation.
