Key focus areas

The key focus areas feature our goals as well as the proposed priorities for change within the draft Volunteering Strategy for South Australia 2021-2027

Focus Area 1 – Invest in the foundations of volunteering

Why?

This goal focuses on the value and benefits of volunteering to the individual, the local community and across South Australia.

Now what?

Goals to achieve change will include:

• Promote how volunteering benefits the individual, community, and society. Help volunteers to achieve personal goals and improve their health and wellbeing through volunteering.
• Include a diverse range of volunteers to connect with the community. Make sure that everyone knows they can make a valuable contribution regardless of age, culture, gender or ethnicity.
• Find new ways to recruit and retain regional and rural volunteers.

Focus Area 2 – Communicate the benefits of volunteering

Why?

This goal focuses on continuing to advocate for volunteering and raise awareness of the range of volunteering activities available.

Now what?

Goals to achieve change will include:

• Make sure volunteers and their managers know about different ways to communicate and interact, so that:
  • volunteers can communicate well with each other
  • the community knows how volunteers help them
  • people who want to volunteer know what their options are.
• Make sure that people can choose volunteer activities that suit them. Do this by having flexible ways of finding volunteers and a wide range of volunteer positions to choose from.

Focus Area 3 - Implement leading practice and high quality standards

Why?

This goal focuses on organisations having high management standards to make sure that volunteers have the resources and support to do their work to the best of their ability.

Now what?

Goals to achieve change will include:

• Help volunteer involving organisations use good volunteer management practices so they are accountable and that volunteers are trained to a high standard.
• Increase the understanding of compliance and risk management to make sure that clients, volunteers and staff are protected and safe.

Focus Area 4 - Continuous improvement

Why?

This goal focuses on helping government, business and not-for-profit organisations and groups improve how the build the community through volunteering.

Now what?

Goals to achieve change will include:

• Encourage partnerships and collaboration between different sectors to promote and sustain volunteering.
• Encourage continuous improvement in volunteer management and engagement.
• Support research on the impact and growth of volunteering.