Why volunteer

Volunteers are the backbone of Western Australian society. Our research indicates we have over 1.5 million volunteers contributing over $63 billion to WA’s economy each year. Without volunteers our state would grind to a halt.

The official definition of volunteering is time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain.

Volunteering Australia's definition of volunteering

When we consider the benefits gained from volunteering we are all winners – the impact has a ripple affect starting with the volunteer, the organisation , service and/or people benefitting from the volunteer and the impact this has on our community.

There are many reasons for volunteering and you might identify with one listed below:

  • Make a difference to the lives of others
  • Support for a cause that you are passionate about
  • Give something back
  • Help others less fortunate
  • Help the environment
  • Feel valued and part of a team
  • Spend quality time away from work or a busy lifestyle
  • Gain confidence and self-esteem
  • Gain or develop new skills, knowledge and experience
  • Improve employment prospects
  • Meet new people and make new friends

Whatever your reason we can help you find a role that’s meaningful and enjoyable.

Are you ready to step into volunteering?

Video information session

Watch our Step into Volunteering video information session to provide you with an overview of the benefits of volunteering, the different types of roles, and where you can find your next volunteering opportunity.

VIDEO: watch the volunteering information session video here. 

Find a Volunteering role

Start looking for a volunteer position online:

Opportunity List   Opportunity Map

Types of Volunteering

There are many types of volunteering available in Australia. With all of these choices there is something to suit everyone.

Volunteering WA is proud to work with leading WA corporate organisations that are committed to contributing to the community through volunteering.

Through the corporate volunteering programme, we source projects which are tailored to meet both the requirements of corporate volunteers, and the needs of the community organisation . The two types of corporate volunteering that Volunteering WA host are one-off team days whereby a corporate team spends a day at an organisation or longer term individual skills-based projects.

To find out more about how your organisation can access Corporate Volunteers:

Contact us or visit our accessing corporate volunteers page

In the wake of a disaster or emergency such as flooding, bushfires and cyclones, we need a list of support volunteers on hand who are willing to help those affected. If you are interested in helping in a support role in times of need, please register to be added to our emergency volunteer database.

Register to our emergency volunteering database

This type of volunteering involves supporting one-off events, usually the commitment is no more than a day or two.

This type of volunteering is an on-going commitment, typically no more than 16 hours per week, however any time you can spare is highly valued.

This type of volunteering is usually ad-hoc and involves volunteering for short amounts of time (usually a few hours). For example it could be making up packs for trauma patients or folding letters into envelopes.

This type of volunteering involves a commitment that is 6 months or less.

This type of volunteering involves offering your high level expertise (i.e. risk management, professional coaching, strategic planning, etc.) to a not-for-profit organisation .

This type of volunteering involves volunteers offering their services from a remote location for example copywriting from home.