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Connecting Volunteers

Volunteer Support Services

Through the Volunteering WA Hubs, and our connections with tertiary centres and Volunteer Resource Centres (VRCs), our team delivered significant value to the communities in which we support, with a special emphasis on assisting those experience disadvantage – tens of thousands of Western Australians received tailored support and referrals to match their best volunteer experience.

Connecting regions: 29 Volunteer Resource Centres (VRCs) worked across WA to support the community and provide local expertise (11 servicing regional WA, and 18 in metro) and were funded by the Department of Social Services (through the Volunteer Management Activity (VMA) program), the WA State Government (through the Volunteer Development Support Program), Local Government and other community organisations. The VRCs worked alongside Volunteering WA’s DSS funded metro and regional Hubs, to support volunteers and volunteer involving organisations through volunteer matching services, and best practice advance and guidance.

Through the Volunteering WA Hubs, and our connections with tertiary centres and VRCs, our team delivered significant value to the communities in which we support, with a special emphasis on assisting those experience disadvantage – tens of thousands of Western Australians received tailored support and referrals to match their best volunteer experience.

Commencing in the next financial year (2021-22), the state and territory peak volunteering bodies will be responsible for the channelling of the Department of Social Services VMA funding to Volunteer Resource Centres and Volunteer Support Services. This means that Volunteering WA will partner with local organisations to deliver a new and consistent VMA, ensuring each organisation can effectively engage with priority.

Connecting students: In addition to UWA Guild Volunteering, there are a number of services supporting volunteering within tertiary institutions including: Notre Dame University, Murdoch University, Curtin University and ECU. Read more about our tertiary engagement.

Volunteer recruitment

VIKTOR is the national volunteering database developed by Volunteering WA and endorsed by all of the State and Territory volunteering peak bodies across Australia. It continues to grow and connect people to their communities by providing organisations and Volunteer Resource Centres across Australia with the technology to reach potential volunteers, with on average 8,200 active volunteer roles listed nationally through VIKTOR at any time.

With more Volunteer Resource Centres and organisations recruiting volunteers online, the demand for our volunteer recruitment platform has increased over the past year. Organisations can list their open positions on the VWA website, as well as embed the ‘search widget’ on their own website (as shown on the Volunteering WA website).

Emergency Support Volunteering

As a member of Western Australia’s State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC)’s Recovery and Community Engagement subcommittee, Volunteering WA’s role in an emergency is to support the recruitment of spontaneous emergency support volunteers through our state-wide emergency volunteering website.  Individuals wanting to become emergency support volunteers, and community organisations seeking volunteer support register their details – the platform then matches appropriate volunteers to organisations who deliver services impacted by an emergency. At any time, potential volunteers can also create a ‘volunteer profile’ listing their skills so they are registered on our system in case of future emergencies.

In 2020-21, Volunteering WA was called on multiple times to support spontaneous emergency volunteering, during the devastation of Wooroloo bushfires, regional floods, and ex-tropical cyclone Seroja. Volunteer positions included administrative support for an emergency accommodation provider, food preparation and donation sorting for relief agencies, and collecting and delivering groceries for those in need.

The emergency volunteering website will continue to be used for future emergencies in Western Australia, allowing people to volunteer and assist in times when the community needs them.  

In response to our State Election Priorities, the McGowan Government recognised the vital role of volunteers in supporting the economic, social and cultural aspects of our community and in addition to existing funding in the State budget, has committed to provide funding to support a state-wide platform for emergency volunteering technology. This funding will help to ensure that volunteer involving organisations can search for and recruit volunteers in times of emergency and community recovery while also ensuring volunteers can not only find volunteer roles in times of emergency, but create a volunteer profile and register to be ‘activated’ in times of emergency.  This initiative will assist Volunteering WA and support communication across the sector, harnessing community interest in volunteering in times of emergency.

“Thanks for all your assistance with gaining great volunteers, you all do such a great job. I’m very grateful.” Suzanna Cuplovic – Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)*

*ADRA is an agency responsible for coordinating emergency accommodation for individuals affected by disasters. Volunteering WA were proud to partner and support ADRA during the bushfires and cyclone relief crises.