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Report from the Chair and CEO

Volunteering WA respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country across Western Australia in which we live and share. We also acknowledge the ongoing contribution of and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Chair Statement

David Morrison

As the peak body for volunteering in Western Australia, Volunteering WA continues to stay true to delivering our mission of leading, advancing and celebrating volunteering. Through active collaboration with our 745 valued member organisations, we are pleased to report a successful and extremely productive 2020-21, that saw us support many sectors and regions.

The last year saw Volunteering WA focus on providing the State’s community sector with support to continue to deliver vital services through COVID-19 restrictions. As a state we relied on our volunteer workforce more than ever, and I commend our sector for tackling the challenges the pandemic and cyclone Seroja threw our way – and the efforts that are still ongoing.

As an organisation, our team showed incredible adaptability in the wake of ongoing sector and community uncertainty. Volunteering WA’s programs continued to diversify and evolve in the wake of changing requirements and growth in demand. This is a testament to the commitment of our staff and the effectiveness of our business plan, which prioritised the needs of our members, continuous improvement, the diversification of revenue streams and promoting collaboration within our sector. Investment in our volunteer services, technology infrastructure (recruitment and management software), and corporate volunteering programs were key priorities the team worked on to help develop and enhance capabilities within the sector.

Heading into 2021-22, our key strategies focus on growing stakeholder engagement, digital capabilities and workforce planning. Prioritising these three areas will ensure our organisation’s effectiveness, success and sustainability and allow us to continue to lead, advance and celebrate volunteering in Western Australia. We will continue to build organisation capacity, increase our capabilities to recruit spontaneous volunteer during emergencies, and support our members as they respond to ongoing and new challenges.

I thank our valued members, volunteers, and volunteering organisations across the State that have helped us shape and deliver our priorities. I would also like to acknowledge and thank our dedicated employees and my fellow Board Members for their commitment and passion.

To each and every one of our volunteers: I pay tribute to your generosity, dedication, and contribution to our community. Volunteers show us that anything is possible, and that helping one another is how we move forward as a society.

CEO Statement

Tina Williams

As we close another year, I would like to acknowledge our volunteering and community sectors for the resilience they have shown throughout this year – especially during the recovery phases in early 2021. Whilst we are uncertain how the longer-term impacts of COVID will affect Western Australia, the sector has proven its adaptability and capacity to meet sudden changing circumstances. Every organisation and volunteer leader I have spoken with has been working full-throttle on new initiatives to support their clients and communities during these challenging times.

This year we said goodbye to the Hon Mick Murray MLA as he left the sector for retirement, and we welcomed the new Minister for Volunteering, the Hon Reece Whitby MLA after the March state election. Our new Minister has shown a strong commitment to volunteering and we are encouraged by his appreciation and enthusiasm for our sector. We continue to meet with Minister Whitby and his team monthly, as well as through the Minister’s Volunteer Community Reference Group, which we convene.

Throughout the State Election we continued to advocate for our sector, calling for adequate funding and greater recognition for volunteering. 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 our state-wide platform for emergency volunteering technology.

Whilst the decline in formal volunteering continues to impact volunteer involving organisations and requires urgent attention, there are opportunities presented with a shift towards informal, virtual and micro-volunteering. Throughout the 2020-21 Annual Report you will see how Volunteering WA continued to support our members and the sector, with the creation of new programs, delivery of pandemic and virtual volunteering resources, and new research projects to inform and shape the future of volunteering.

The Volunteering WA team has shown extraordinary adaptability, taking giant steps in promoting, connecting and reducing barriers to advance volunteering. I am very proud of our achievements this year, and highlights for Volunteering WA included:

  • Reducing barriers to volunteering – through our advocacy and policy work.
  • Evolving and adapting our services to support our members and the sector with resources to support volunteering in the pandemic.
  • Growing our corporate volunteering program by 12% and welcoming our newest corporate partners, Horizon Power and Perron Group. We thank all our valued corporate volunteering partners, in particular Woodside, BHP and Bankwest for their continued commitment to volunteering. It is our privilege to be able to share our corporate volunteering expertise with other State peak bodies as they view Volunteering WA as the ‘centre of excellence’ in this area.
  • Enhancements to our volunteer recruitment and management platforms.
  • The strong commitment, professionalism and dedication of our Volunteering WA team in their work to serve our members and community.

As our 2017-22 Strategic Plan comes to its end, I am proud to reflect upon our performance and report success in our achievements. Our new strategic plan is in the pipeline and we are excited to begin consulting our members and stakeholders to create the blueprint for Volunteering WA and the sector for the next three years.

I’m really looking forward to working with you all and to an enjoyable, enlightening and rewarding year.

Happy volunteering,

Tina