Why Should You Volunteer?

Volunteering gives the opportunity to give as well as receive. Voluntary work enables people to share skills and develop new skills, while helping members of the community.

Volunteers have the opportunity to:
1. Meet new people.
2. Have fun while giving to the community.
3. Learn new skills.
4. Try something new or different.
5. Stay involved and be active.
6. Gain a knowledge of the community and its needs.

There are numerous opportunities in the community for volunteer workers which may meet your needs, as well as benefiting your community.

• 34% of the adult population (5.3 million people) volunteer, contributing 713 million hours to the community.
• Slightly more women (36%) than men (33%) volunteer.
• 43% of those aged 35-44 yrs volunteer, the highest participation level of any age group.
• The volunteer rate was 33% for capital cities compared to 38% outside capital cities.
• People born in Australia were more likely to undertake voluntary work than those born elsewhere, 36% and 39% respectively.

• Almost two thirds of those who became involved in volunteering in the last 10yrs were asked by someone (35%) or did so because they knew someone involved (39%).
• They were rarely recruited by the media with only 5% doing so as a response to a media report of an advertisement.
• Over half of volunteers (53%) reported that at least one of their parents had done voluntary work compared to 33% for those whose parents had not volunteered.
• The top reason for volunteering was 'Helping others or the community' 57%, followed by 'personal satisfaction' at 44%, 'to do something worthwhile' at 36% and 'social contact' at 33%. Sourced from the ABS Voluntary Work, Australia Survey (4006)