I was very fortunate to attend the State Volunteering conference last month with over 200 delegates and to hear from over 50 speakers about all things volunteering. It was a wonderful opportunity to share knowledge, hear some amazing stories and provided an opportunity to connect and learn from others.
The volunteering landscape has shifted significantly over the last 18 months and volunteer recruitment is more challenging than ever.
- Volunteers account for half the workforce in Australia - 6 million volunteers vs 13 million paid workers
- Steady decline in the volunteer participation rate plus a 35% drop in the hours of volunteering which is worth 12 Billion PA of economic, social and cultural value to the state of WA. Yes 12 BILLION!!
- Rise in skilled and Corporate Volunteering
- More interest in Work Experience and pathways to employment
- Higher interest of Culturally Diverse and Youth wanting to volunteer
- Volunteers looking for Group opportunities and flexible volunteering opportunities
I also had the opportunity to present. My topic was 'Mergers - Creating a New Culture' which was about the Merger process from a volunteer coordinators perspective, some pros and cons of the journey and tips to engaging your leaders. So nervous to present but it went really well and was very well received.
We will have a lot of work to do in 2022 to meet the needs and interest of future volunteers so watch this space.