Diversity the key in updated volunteering standards

Volunteering Australia CEO Mark Pearce said while the core principles of the national standards for volunteer involvement remain the same, they have been updated to ensure they better reflect the diversity of volunteering and volunteers.

“Volunteering continues to change in Australia, with the contemporary environment providing both opportunities and challenges for organisations and volunteers alike,” he said.

“It was time to refresh the national standards for volunteer involvement to ensure they continue to meet the ecosystem’s needs and support volunteering to thrive.”

While the eight focus areas of the national standards remain the same, each statement has been updated and is now "free-standing" with the intent of the standard incorporated into the standard itself.

For example, Standard 1 was previously "Leadership and Management" and has now been changed to "Volunteering is embedded in leadership, governance and culture."

It is hoped the changes swill make the framework simpler and easier to use.

The development of the refreshed volunteering guidelines followed a sector wide consultation process across Australia in 2023 designed to make the new standards:

• more appealing and applicable to a wider variety of organisations and groups

• better reflect contemporary volunteering, including virtual volunteering

• more inclusive, with the incorporation of information on diversity, inclusion and accessibility

• more volunteer-centric, with volunteers themselves more prominent, and with reinforcement of the reciprocal relationship between the volunteer and an organisation

Volunteering Australia expects that by adopting the national standards, organisations can help improve the volunteer experience, support the wellbeing of volunteers and ensure their contributions are valued.

The framework is also intended to provide best-practice guidance and benchmarks to help organisations attract, manage, and retain volunteers and ensure the use of effective risk management and safety practices.

Mr Pearce said the refreshed national standards reflect the intent and spirit of the National Strategy for Volunteering.

“They are a vital tool to ensure volunteering is safe, effective and inclusive into the future.”

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