About the National Standards
Refreshed National Standards for Volunteer Involvement
Overview
The National Standards for Volunteer Involvement are a best practice framework to guide volunteer involvement. They are an essential resource for all organisations and groups that engage volunteers.
The National Standards for Volunteer Involvement were developed in 2015 and refreshed in 2024, in consultation with the Australian volunteering sector. They are a useful benchmark to strategically position organisations to attract, recruit and retain volunteers, as well as increasing the likelihood of securing funding.
Access the free Knowledge Base Resources
Who are they for?
The National Standards are for any organisation, group, club, or association that involves volunteers. They have been designed to help:
- Improve the volunteer experience
- Ensure the wellbeing of volunteers is supported and their contributions are valued
- Provide best practice guidance for organisations to attract, manage and retain volunteers
- Support effective risk and safety practices
What are the National Standards?
Designed for organisations that strive for best practice, the National Standards offer simple, practical criteria that can be applied to a broad range of volunteering scenarios. They are scalable to organisation size and available resources.
There are 8 standards addressing the key areas of volunteer involvement:
- Volunteering is embedded in leadership, governance and culture
- Volunteer participation is championed and modelled
- Volunteer roles are meaningful and tailored
- Recruitment is equitable and diversity is valued
- Volunteers are supported and developed
- Volunteer safety and wellbeing is protected
- Volunteers are recognised
- Policies and practices are continuously improved
Each standard is accompanied by specific criteria and examples of evidence that indicate whether they have been met.
Download the National Standards Framework
2025 National Standards Training Sessions
An Introduction and Overview of the Refreshed National Standards
Free to all. The National Standards for Volunteer Involvement are a best practice framework to guide volunteer involvement, and they are designed for organisations that strive for best practice and who offer simple, practical actions that can apply to a broad range of volunteering scenarios.
This one-hour Information Session is for all Leaders of Volunteers who want to explore the Volunteer National Standards in more detail.
Find an upcoming session on our Training Calendar
Implementing the Refreshed Volunteer National Standards Workshop: Face to face Group Training Session
Free to Volunteering WA full members, $50 + GST for others. This three-hour face-to-face training will include change management considerations and the benefits and challenges in implementing the National Standards, reviewing as a group your VIOs completed self-assessment gap analysis, and we will explore how to complete an action plan.
This is a fantastic opportunity to meet and network with other VIOs going through the same process. For those outside of the metro area, there will be an online option.
Before attending this group training session, you will need to commit to completing a Self Assessment Gap Analysis on your VIO and have approval from your leadership team to start the implementation process.
Find an upcoming session on our Training Calendar
National Standards for Volunteer Involvement Resources
Volunteering WA offers a variety of tools and resources to assist organisations to demonstrate their compliance with the Standards. These include:
Volunteer Involving Organisations (VIOs) can take advantage of a hour hour consultation to discuss your organisation’s alignment with the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement.
You’ll learn about any gaps you may have and how to move forward with a reliable action plan for next steps.
To book in for a consultation, please book through the following links:
Book a one-hour National Standards Consultation with Louise Giles
Book a one-hour National Standards Consultation with Felicity Smith
Cost: Free for Volunteering WA Full Members and $50 for Others. An invoice will be sent to you once your booking has been confirmed.Volunteering WA facilitates practical workshops for volunteer leaders and volunteer-involving organisations. These include:
Introductory workshop: An hour introduction and overview of the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement.
Implementation workshop: A 3 hour workshop assisting organisations with preparation and planning for the implementation of the National Standards.
The Introductory Workshops are free for leaders of volunteers and the Implementation Workshop is free for Volunteering WA full members and $50 for Others.
If you are unable to book in for a consultation, these sessions will support you through the implementation process.
The Volunteer Experience Checklist can be used to understand National Standards implementation from a volunteer’s perspective.
Use the Gap Analysis Tool for high-level assessment of whether your programs meet the National Standards.
The National Standards Implementation Guide contains the steps, activities, policy consideration, tips, tools and advice to help when implementing the National Standards.
National Standards for Volunteer Involvement - Implementation Guide
The National Standards Evidence Guide identified the practices, processes, policies and documentation that can be used to show that an organisation has implemented the National Standards.
National Standards for Volunteer Involvement - Evidence Guide
This online tool helps volunteer-involving organisations achieve best practice by measuring their performance with volunteer involvement.
You can apply to obtain complimentary access to the tool until 31 May 2025. Places are limited.
It is an easy to use, online self-assessment.
In proud partnership with Breaking New Ground (BNG), we’ve developed an easy-to-use, online self-assessment tool, empowering you to meet the new National Standards for Volunteer Involvement.
This vital new resource measures your organisation’s performance in volunteer involvement, equipping you with the information you need to achieve best practice and secure your reputation as a great place to volunteer with. Ultimately, this will improve your ability to attract and retain volunteers.
The functions of this tool include:
- Assessment of your organisation’s performance against the Standards
- Recommendations on how to achieve compliance with the Standards
- Automatically generated action plan for good practice
- Great workflow management tools, including a shared digital workspace, the ability to assign actions, and a weekly reminder system
- Several resources to help run your organisation
With the new National Standards in place, it is more important than ever to stay informed and regularly check compliance. We are excited to be part of a project that supports you in meeting those needs – and meeting best practice standards.
Access the tool today
It only takes a few minutes to register for the tool. Click the link below and fill in your details. Please remember to indicate which state you are from.
For any questions, contact us at training@volunteeringwa.org.au
It is possible to achieve accreditation for achieving the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement and be endorsed as an Exemplary Volunteer Involving Organisation (EVIO).
The process consists of 2 parts:
- Assessment of relevant documentation.
- Review conducted directly with volunteers to verity their experience, awareness and knowledge
For any questions, contact us at training@volunteeringwa.org.au
Please note, the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement (2024) are the intellectual property of Volunteering Australia. They are recognised within Australia as the best practice framework for volunteer involvement.
As the owners of the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement, Volunteering Australia has endorsed its foundation members, the state and territory peak bodies for volunteering, as being the sole organisations authorised to deliver training and develop resources on the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement.
Any unauthorised use of the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement is strictly prohibited.