People with Purpose: Sign me up!

What do you do for a living and how does your employer support your passion for volunteering?

I’m very lucky that my work is I'm very supportive of my volunteering.

I worked in the university sector for the past 15 years, but I made the move at the end of last year to become the head of partnerships for a company called Rosterfy that operates a volunteer management system.

So, I love volunteering so much that I've decided to make it my full-time job!

We not only get volunteer days for work but obviously every day is spent talking about volunteering and how we can make volunteering easier, more sustainable and looking at how we can support organisations.

When did you first become involved in volunteering?

I've been volunteering since I was a kid, probably around the ages of nine or 10. It was always small things to begin with, mostly through school, where I was looking at opportunities to raise money, do walkathons or community engagement.

I had a keen interest in animals and wildlife, which continued into High School where I did what's called stream watch, which is where you go down to a river or lake and do water testing for the local community. There’s also a lot of advocacy around cleaning up the waterways.

That led me to do a lot in the environmental impact space.

I’ve always been keen on science and love learning new things, but when I did High School, I really started to volunteer and just try lots of different things, but I found I really liked being in this space.

Mainly because you got out and about at different events, met different people, and could see the tangible effects of what you were doing every time you went out and volunteered.

Tell us about some of the organisations you volunteer with now.

I volunteer as deputy commissioner at St John Ambulance NSW.

That involves looking after volunteers across the entire state, everything from volunteers that go to the local football field to help to events such as New Years Eve, the Sydney Royal Easter Show, Tamworth Music Festival and everything in between.

I’m part of the executive team and look at things like strategy and volunteer retention and engagement.

I also volunteer with the State Emergency Service in my local unit in Paramatta. I’m not a leader, but I just want to pick up the tools and have a go and keep learning. I also love that feeling of local community impact, which sometimes you don’t always get at that state leadership level.

I also volunteer for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons where I teach medical communication as part of a professional development course a couple of times a year. I’m also on the committee for that course.

I was volunteering for Warrior Women Foundation but have recently taken a break from that because my new role is so busy and requires a lot of travel.

With that organisation, you're partnering with somebody, or mentoring someone with a one-on-one relationship and obviously if you become unavailable, you want to make sure that you have the commitment level that person requires.

It’s something I’m still interested in though and am hoping to go back to volunteering there in the future.

How do you find the time to volunteer?

It’s a combination of lots of different things.

I think the main one is that as a leader and as a volunteer, I make sure I find those environments where I can take a phone call or write an email, whether it’s before work, after work on my lunch break. I feel like it’s important to use every moment to say thank you or make it easier for someone to volunteer.

That's still volunteering and that's where I have my greatest impact.

But in terms of that face-to-face aspect, there’s more opportunities than I can actually do. I find there's always something new such as new courses or events.

I like to challenge the system, and I use technology to my advantage all the time to look at where things are coming up, and the opportunities where I do something new to volunteer.

What is it about volunteering that strikes such a chord with you?

It's not something that someone's told me to do or that I have to do it.

It's been something that I have loved from a very early age because I think there's an initial feeling of doing something good and giving back and doing more for others and for yourself.

I think what keeps me coming back to it is the friends that I've made and the community that I feel part of. That feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself is a huge motivator for me.

Now I'm in a stage of volunteering where for me, it’s about creating those opportunities for other people and being that person who's a good role model, who is helping the next generation of volunteers find their path and their way to navigate the world.

What are some of your most memorable moments from years of volunteering?

There are so many. I think something that I really have enjoyed recently, is where I volunteer for the State Emergency Service and talking to little kids about what volunteering is and what we're doing.

You know, we're going into people’s houses when they are at their most vulnerable and little kids want to have a chat to you or want to try on your helmet. To be a female in emergency services is something I want to really be a good role model for.

What advice would you give people who are thinking about volunteering?

I would reach out to your friends and family and I’m sure you know someone who has had a go at volunteering and knows of an event or activity group or something that they're fundraising for, because having a go and saying yes is sometimes the hardest part.

When you have people who you know and feel comfortable with, there’s that sense of familiarity and it’s not as scary if you’ve got someone by your side.

If you want something that's totally out of your comfort zone and are looking for those really exciting opportunities, there’s lots of websites out there that can help you find volunteering opportunities.