Volunteering Strategy for SA: Beyond 2020

Consultation has concluded

Consultation Process


Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 6 April to 29 May 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.


Help us to develop a second volunteering strategy to support and enhance volunteerism in South Australia.

What’s being decided?

We need your help to determine how best to promote and sustain volunteering in South Australia.

In 2014, we released the Volunteering Strategy for South Australia 2014-2020 which provides a coordinated and collaborative blueprint for action, identifying opportunities to promote and sustain volunteering. You can find out more about the current strategy in the background section.

Consultation Process


Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 6 April to 29 May 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.


Help us to develop a second volunteering strategy to support and enhance volunteerism in South Australia.

What’s being decided?

We need your help to determine how best to promote and sustain volunteering in South Australia.

In 2014, we released the Volunteering Strategy for South Australia 2014-2020 which provides a coordinated and collaborative blueprint for action, identifying opportunities to promote and sustain volunteering. You can find out more about the current strategy in the background section.

Now, it’s time to shape the next Volunteering Strategy that will guide us from 2021-2027. The second Volunteering Strategy for South Australia (2021-2027) aims to create the best volunteering experience for everybody. It will be guided by the information provided by the volunteering sector, volunteers and members of the community.

We have identified four key focus areas for the Volunteering Strategy:

  • Invest in the foundations of volunteering
  • Promote and inform on the benefits of volunteering
  • Implement leading practice and high quality standards
  • Progressively adapt through continuous improvement

The key focus areas tab provides more information about these areas as well as the proposed actions for change.

Get involved

Read the four key focus areas and have your say by:

  • Joining the online discussion
  • Completing the online survey:
    • For organisations
    • For the community
  • Sending us an email - ofv@sa.gov.au

How can your input influence the decision?

Your input will help us focus on the most important issues to address in each of the four key areas. Feedback will directly inform the second Volunteering Strategy for South Australia (2021-2027).

What are the next steps?

The outcome of the consultation will be shared with stakeholders in June 2020.

The second Volunteering Strategy is expected to be launched in the week leading up to International Volunteers Day (5 December 2020).

Contact details

For general enquiries, please email us at ofv@sa.gov.au or call us on 1300 014 712 during business hours (9 am to 5 pm, weekdays).

Closing date: 5pm Friday 29 May 2020



Background


Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 6 April to 29 May 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.


Volunteers are the heart of our state. Over 900,000 people – that’s approximately 70% of South Australians – freely donate their time and efforts to volunteer initiatives that contribute approximately $5 billion to our economy every year.

In 2014, we released the Volunteering Strategy for South Australia 2014-2020 in partnership with Business SA, the Local Government Association of South Australia and peak volunteering advocacy body Volunteering SA&NT. The Strategy provides a coordinated and collaborative blueprint for action, identifying opportunities to promote and sustain volunteering until 2020.

A formal Volunteering Strategy Partnership Board comprising representatives of each partner and an independent chairperson governs the strategy. Working groups are identified to deliver initiatives and address specific issues associated with the four key areas of the strategy.

The current Volunteering Strategy has successfully delivered a range of volunteering initiatives across the state. Highlights include:

The current Volunteering Strategy will conclude in December 2020. The resources and tools developed have positively impacted on South Australia 900,000+ volunteers.

The complete 2014-2020 Volunteering Strategy document can be read online at the Volunteering Strategy for South Australia website.

The second Volunteering Strategy will be in place for a further 6 years and ensure the partnership’s sustained focus and commitment to the volunteering sector. Incorporating lessons learned from the first Volunteering Strategy, the second Volunteering Strategy will introduce a more flexible governance structure and deliver on initiatives that grow and support volunteering in South Australia.

Consultation has concluded

  • Key focus areas

    Now Closed

    This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 6 April to 29 May 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.


    Download a PDF of the Volunteering Strategy for SA

    Focus Area 1 - Invest in the foundations of volunteering

    This focus area will ensure that volunteers are welcomed and valued by society and are given the opportunity to develop according to their individual abilities, needs and aspirations.

    Why?

    As interest in volunteering grows, volunteer involving organisations need to be supported to build their capacity to inclusively recruit, train and support volunteers. The aim is to deliver experiences that match the needs, aspirations and lifestyles of volunteers and higher standards of volunteer management.

    Now what?

    Key actions to achieve change will include:
    • Raise the status and profile of volunteers and volunteer management
    • Clarify the difference between volunteering and paid employment, while acknowledging the benefits shared between the fields of volunteering and those of employment-driven internships and work experience
    • Increase opportunities and accessibility of training for volunteers and managers of volunteers to increase recruitment and retention of volunteers
    • Update, accredit and increase the uptake of the National Volunteer Standards and best practice
    • Increase partnerships that develop the capacity of community organisations, minority groups, young people and communities of interest
    • Identify fiscal barriers for volunteering in all sectors and research solutions
    • Review the definition of volunteering to address emerging trends

    Focus Area 2 - Promote and inform on the benefits of volunteering

    This focus area will raise the profile of volunteering in South Australia to ensure all facets of the community have a greater understanding of the benefits of volunteering, with the ultimate goal of facilitating greater participation. A key challenge is to create and strengthen more resilient communities by sourcing volunteers to meet demand.

    Why?

    Where there are issues such as shortages of volunteers, marginalised groups being underrepresented or people from diverse backgrounds facing barriers to inclusion, it is vital that the benefits of volunteering are accessible to all volunteer involving organisations. This builds community wellbeing and a robust civil society.

    Now what?

    Key actions to achieve change will include:

    • Develop a holistic promotion strategy for volunteer recruitment with a unified message
    • Promote positive images of volunteers and the diversity of volunteering roles
    • Identify innovative and new IT models for volunteer recruitment, training, engagement and funding
    • Research and promote the benefits of corporate volunteering and encourage employers to provide employee-working arrangements, which facilitate volunteering in the community
    • Recognise volunteering as both a pathway to employment and a pathway to retirement with multiple outcomes for individual well being and connections to community
    • Simplify volunteer recruitment processes and consider common template

    Focus Area 3 - Implement leading practice and high-quality standards

    This focus area will support an active infrastructure that is essential to inclusive and sustained volunteer involvement. Issues that impede volunteering need to be responded to and more effective policy interventions need to be initiated to support volunteering.

    Why?

    Governments, business and volunteer involving organisations need to work together to ensure that regulatory requirements are as clear and uncomplicated as possible and that future policy decisions take into account any potential impact on volunteering.

    Now what?

    Key actions to achieve change will include:

    • Identify issues and gaps in the rights of volunteers in terms of work health safety, governance and recognition
    • Review government and private funding criteria to include volunteer costs, training and management
    • Investigate the transferability of criminal history record checks across organisations and jurisdictions.
    • Develop simple guidelines on how they should be used
    • Improve access to information on regulatory requirements, good governance and risk management for the use of volunteer-led community organisations, to reduce red tape

    Focus Area 4 - Progressively adapt through continuous improvement

    The value of volunteering to individuals and communities needs to be recognised across South Australia. This focus area aims to ensure that the impact of volunteering on individuals, organisations and communities is measured consistently with the aim of continuous improvement and advocacy.

    Why?

    There is a lack of information about the scale and impact of volunteering. This focus area will generate and test potential solutions to overcome barriers to volunteering and make sure that the strategy stays focused on collaborative action and results.

    Now what?

    Key actions to achieve change will include:

    • Support research and advocacy that documents the value and impact of volunteering
    • Address the time-poor barrier to volunteering by developing innovative avenues to volunteering such as family volunteering, on-line roles, ‘voluntourism’, episodic roles and opportunities for students, employees and the singles segment
    • Adopt a governance structure for the implementation of the Volunteering Strategy for South Australia in collaboration with stakeholders and strategy partners
    • Review the Volunteering Strategy for South Australia on an annual basis to ensure it is relevant, deals with current trends and practice and maintains partner and bi-partisan support