Volunteer Management
The objective of the Volunteer Management Activity is to create a thriving, inclusive and diverse volunteering culture, which meets the changing demands for capable and committed volunteers in communities across Australia.
The Volunteer Management Activity aims to increase opportunities for people to participate in the social and economic life of their broader community through volunteering.
On 30 June 2021, all funding agreements under the previous Volunteer Management Activity ceased. The redesigned Volunteer Management Activity commenced on 1 July 2021.
Organisations currently funded under the Volunteer Management Activity are listed on the DSS Grants Service Directory. You can search the directory by program name, state/territory, region or postcode, or a combination of these.
Review of the Volunteer Management Activity
In November 2017, Matthews Pegg Consulting (mpconsulting) was commissioned to conduct an independent review into the appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency of the Volunteer Management Activity program.
The final report was received by the Department of Social Services (the Department) in October 2018.
On 13 February 2020, the Minister for Families and Social Services, Senator the Hon Anne Ruston, released the Report on the Review of the Volunteer Management Activity (the Review).
The Review provided the Department with recommendations on ways to significantly improve volunteer management across Australia.
The Review recommended that the Australian Government:
- Continue to invest in volunteer management, but clarify its interest in volunteer management including the focus and objective of its investment, and
- Work with stakeholders over the coming 12 months to co-design a new program (including the performance framework) that focuses the Australian Government’s investment on building the capacity of Volunteer Involving Organisations to effectively recruit and manage volunteers.
The Review noted the importance of volunteering to the Australian society, including contributing significant value to the economy, community cohesion and individual wellbeing.
The Review also highlighted the important role volunteering plays in service delivery across a wide range of sectors, including aged care, disability, family and community services, disaster resilience, environmental management, sports, arts and culture.
The redesigned Volunteer Management Activity
From 1 July 2021, the Australian Government will distribute up to $33.5 million (excluding GST) over five years under the redesigned Volunteer Management Activity to the state and territory volunteering peak bodies.
An additional $6.6 million was provided through the 2021-22 Budget to support a smooth transition to the redesigned Volunteer Management Activity during the first year.
The redesigned model focuses on volunteering peak bodies developing and implementing strategies to build the capacity of Volunteer Involving Organisations, through online volunteer management services, and breaking down barriers to volunteering for identified priority groups.
These priority groups include:
- People with Disability
- First Nation Peoples
- Newly Arrived Migrants
Please see the attached for information:
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