State Budget Submission

Transcription

1 Submission from Volunteering Victoria State Budget Submission Leading, representing, connecting and supporting Victorian volunteering Inquiries about this submission should be directed to: Constantina Dertimanis Policy & Advocacy Manager

2 CONTENTS PREFACE...3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...3 Summary of recommendations... 4 Summary of Requested Funding ABOUT VOLUNTEERING VICTORIA...6 VOLUNTEERING IN VICTORIA: THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE...6 The extent and impact of volunteering... 6 Participation in volunteering... 7 Areas of volunteering... 7 The economic value of volunteering in Victoria... 7 Volunteering as community strengthening... 8 The policy context... 8 The regulatory environment... 9 VOLUNTEERING VICTORIA S BUDGET PRIORITIES...9 Providing a whole of government view of volunteering... 9 Recurrent Funding for Peak Body Services Enhancing our one-stop-shop online volunteering portal Supporting the development of volunteer management Effectively managing spontaneous emergency volunteers Annual State of Volunteering Report Victorian Volunteering Awards Supporting and promoting youth volunteering Supporting and promoting multicultural volunteering Supporting and promoting employee volunteering Volunteering in Sport and Recreation Recruiting the Volunteer Workforce Supporting and promoting best practice volunteering programs P a g e

3 Preface Volunteering delivers profound economic and social benefits to Victoria. It plays an important role in service delivery, strengthening communities, and supporting the health and wellbeing of our citizens. Volunteering Victoria s Budget Submission highlights that volunteering is a dynamic and transformative form of civil participation. It helps to build an inclusive civil society through bridging networks and by mediating disadvantage through economic and social participation. Volunteering links people to labour markets and job opportunities, and influences civil society by providing a platform for collective participation in all facets of our communities. The first section of this budget submission provides an executive summary of our recommendations with regard to support for volunteering and a summary of requested funding. The second section articulates the current funding and social environment within which Volunteering Victoria operates. The final section details Volunteering Victoria s budget priorities and recommendations for Executive summary Volunteering has grown substantially in Victoria over the last five years and is projected to continue this growth through the next decade. It plays an important part in developing and consolidating community resilience, the wellbeing of the individuals who volunteer and the benefits of services delivered by volunteers. Volunteering continues to diversify and expand across all sectors of the Victorian community, including health, emergency services, sport & recreation, aged services, arts & culture, the environment, animal welfare, multicultural services, major events, tourism and community services. Volunteering Victoria is the state peak body for volunteering with a singular and specialised focus on volunteering. As such, we are well positioned to lead the development of a collaborative, inclusive, thriving volunteering community in Victoria. The $131,765 (excl. GST) of recurrent funding Volunteering Victoria presently receives from the State government severely curtails our ability to undertake core activities to support the volunteering sector at a time when many organisations cannot function effectively without volunteers. This amount grossly undervalues the contribution of volunteering, estimated at $16.4 billion (including $4.9 billion in organised volunteering) in 2006 this is projected to grow to between $30.3 billion and $42.1 billion by It is also one third of the average core funding for volunteering peak bodies in other state and territory governments in Australia (including ACT and Tasmania). By investing in volunteering we build strong and connected communities and create a more inclusive, liveable and sustainable Victoria. 3 P a g e

4 Summary of recommendations That the Victorian Government: 1. Provide a whole of government view of volunteering by administering funding for volunteering through the Department of Premier and Cabinet. 2. Establish a Ministerial Advisory Council as an advisory body to the Victorian Government on volunteering trends, issues and priorities. 3. Provide Volunteering Victoria with sufficient recurrent funding to carry out its primary role as the State s peak body for volunteering. 4. Funds Volunteering Victoria to expand and maintain our website, which provides a comprehensive online one-stop-shop for resources and services related to volunteering in Victoria. 5. Funds Volunteering Victoria to provide training and professional development activities for people who manage volunteers and volunteer programs. 6. Funds Volunteering Victoria to implement the model for managing spontaneous emergency volunteers set out in the 2012 business case prepared by Volunteering Victoria. 7. Commissions a report on the State of Volunteering in Victoria that documents the health of and trends in volunteering in Victoria. 8. Funds research on the motivations for and barriers to people participating in volunteering in Victoria, as well as the impact of volunteering on the health and wellbeing of volunteers. 9. Funds Volunteering Victoria to develop and administer a comprehensive annual state-wide volunteering awards program that complements the Premier s Volunteer Awards. 10. Funds Volunteering Victoria to develop tools and provide guidance and support to volunteer involving organisations to help them attract and retain youth volunteers. 11. Funds Volunteering Victoria to develop tools and programs to promote volunteering to members of the multicultural community, particularly refugees, asylum seekers and newly arrived migrants. 12. Funds Volunteering Victoria to develop tools and provide guidance and support to volunteer involving organisations on creating opportunities for and working with multicultural volunteers, particularly refugees, asylum seekers and newly arrived migrants. 13. Funds Volunteering Victoria to develop tools and provide guidance and support to volunteer involving organisations on creating opportunities for and working with employee volunteers. 14. Funds Volunteering Victoria to develop tools and programs to promote employee volunteering to businesses and to provide guidance and support to businesses on developing and implementing employee volunteering programs. 15. Funds Volunteering Victoria to continue to build on our existing relationships in the sport sector and the work commenced with the Volunteer Innovation Project. 16. Funds Volunteering Victoria to make the Imagine the Possibilities campaign accessible to the broader volunteering involving sector in order to support volunteer recruitment and to promote the benefits of volunteering across the state. 17. Establishes a grants program, to be administered by Volunteering Victoria in consultation with the Victorian Government, to support programs and projects that encourage innovation and collaboration in volunteering. 18. Funds Volunteering Victoria and volunteer support organisations to deliver best practice statewide or regional volunteering programs. Summary of Requested Funding P a g e

5 The following activities correspond to headings through the body of this submission. Whilst all these activities are important, core activities are included towards the start of this list. Activity Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Providing a Whole of Government view of volunteering, including the establishment of a Ministerial Advisory Council Recurrent funding for Peak Body services $395,000 $415,800 $435,500 N/A Enhancing our one-stop-shop online volunteering portal Supporting the development of volunteer management Effectively managing spontaneous emergency volunteers $95,000 $45,000 $45,000 $85,000 $85,000 $85,000 $472,300 $251,700 $237,200 Annual State of Volunteering report $120,000 $10,000 $10,000 Comprehensive Volunteering Awards program $65,000 $45,000 $55,000 Supporting and promoting youth volunteering $95,000 $95,000 $95,000 Supporting and promoting multicultural Volunteering Supporting and promoting employee Volunteering $120,000 $120,000 $120,000 $35,000 $25,000 $25,000 Volunteering in sport & recreation $110,000 $110,000 $110,000 Recruiting the volunteer workforce and promoting the benefits of volunteering Supporting and promoting best practice volunteering programs $145,000 $100,000 $100,000 Not costed TOTAL $1,737,300 $1,302,500 $1,317,700 5 P a g e

6 About Volunteering Victoria Volunteering Victoria is the state peak body for volunteering. We work to promote and build a vibrant, prosperous and strong volunteering community that is inclusive, respected and sustainable. Our services as a peak body include advocacy, learning and development, consultancy services, volunteer support, the promotion of volunteering, policy development, facilitation of collaborative networks and communities of interest, and research. Our vision is for resilient communities and empowered and active citizens through volunteering. As a member-based organisation, with over 300 not-for-profit and corporate members, we bring together diverse people and organisations across many sectors with a commitment to volunteering in our State. Our membership includes: Very small organisations that are entirely volunteer run, through to major Australian companies with very extensive employee volunteering programs Organisations from all sectors, including financial services, community services, sport & recreation, community development, religious, emergency services, legal, health, animal welfare, arts & culture, tourism, government, environment & wildlife, corporate, education & training, employment services and philanthropy Organisations that are utilising volunteers in many different ways, including traditional, one-off, skilled, virtual, episodic and micro volunteers. We also have corporate members that support employee volunteering Individuals who volunteer, who manage volunteers or who simply have an interest in volunteering. In developing this budget submission, Volunteering Victoria has consulted our members, giving them the opportunity to contribute their ideas and views. We have also drawn on our priorities as articulated in our Manifesto 2014 and Strategic Plan Volunteering in Victoria: the current landscape Volunteering Victoria s budget submission has been developed in the context of the currently available evidence about the extent and impact of volunteering, the policy context, and the regulatory environment. The extent and impact of volunteering Volunteering impacts all our lives and all aspects of our community. Those working in the volunteering space know that, without volunteers: Many community support services will not be delivered Community sport clubs could not operate Many cultural institutions will close Particular natural environments will degrade and particular wildlife populations will decline We will be at greater risk from disasters and recovery will be slower 6 P a g e

7 There will be a breakdown in social connectedness, cohesion and resilience People will live less safe, less healthy, lonely, isolated and poorer lives. These claims are not just our views. There is a range of evidence demonstrating the profound contribution that volunteering makes to our society, some of which is highlighted below. Participation in volunteering Australians have high levels of participation in volunteering. Research conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that in 2010, 36% of Australians aged 18 years and over participated in voluntary work. 1 People aged 45 to 54 years reported the highest rate of volunteering. Overall, women working part-time had the highest rate of volunteering (49%). The same study found that volunteering rates vary between groups in the community. People living in regional and rural areas are more likely to volunteer (41%) than those living in capital cities (34%). Within Melbourne, the City of Boroondara has the highest rate of organised volunteering (25.1%) and the City of Brimbank the lowest (9.8%). 2 Lower rates of organised volunteering were found among people who speak a language other than English at home, people with low education levels and those whose main source of income was a government pension, benefit or allowance. 3 Areas of volunteering Volunteers operate in many sectors from health to community services, from local government to education and training. In 2010, sport and physical recreation organisations attracted the largest number of volunteers in Australia (2.3 million or 14% of the adult population). Males were more likely to volunteer for sport and physical recreation organisations (55% of volunteers in this sector, or 1.2 million individuals) than women (45% or 1 million). 4 After sport, the most common types of organisations for which Australians volunteer are community welfare, religious groups and parenting and children & youth organisations. 5 The economic value of volunteering in Victoria Volunteering makes a major economic contribution to Victoria. A report prepared for the Victorian Government estimated that formal (or organised) volunteering contributed $4.9 billion to the state economy in 2006 and that time spent on volunteering in Victoria increased by 38% in the 15 years between 1992 and Of that $4.9 billion formal volunteering, women contributed $2.6 billion, men contributed $2.3 billion, while regional Victorians contributed $2.0 billion compared to Melbournians $2.9 billion. Volunteer work contributing $1.3 billion to the sport and physical recreation sector, with this followed by education and training ($1.0 billion), community and welfare ($723 million) and religious organisations ($646 million). The economic value of formal and informal volunteering in Victoria by 2021 is projected to be between $30.3 billion and $42.1 billion, depending on the growth in volunteer participation. 7 This valuation does not encompass the profound non-financial social benefits to participants and recipients. 7 P a g e

8 Volunteering as community strengthening A 2011 Victorian Government report found that volunteering plays an important role in strengthening communities. The report highlights that volunteering is a formal form of civic participation that creates bridging networks in communities and can mediate the negative psychological effects of disadvantage. In addition, it found that volunteering connects people to career paths and labour markets that are better paid and more stable and builds collective efficacy by influencing civic norms, developing political and negotiation skills, as well as inspiring collective problem solving to improve community life. 8 The policy context The Australian Government s National Volunteering Strategy, developed in consultation with the volunteering community, was released in late The strategy identifies and commits the Australian Government to action in six areas: 1. Respond to trends in volunteering 2. Harness technology 3. Better regulation and risk management 4. Strengthen management and training 5. Strengthen relationships and advocacy 6. Recognise and value volunteering. 9 Volunteering Victoria has developed a joint work plan with Volunteering Australia and the other volunteering state peaks that focuses on priority actions to support the implementation of the National Volunteering Strategy. The Victorian Government released the Victorian Emergency Management Reform White Paper in December The paper provides a road map for emergency management reform over the next decade. The white paper highlights the important role volunteers have to play in responding to emergencies and identifies two recommendations (actions) specifically related to volunteers. 10 Action 8 focuses on working with local government, volunteer organisations and agencies to develop strategies to manage spontaneous volunteers during emergencies and to review protections (including insurance) for volunteers engaged in emergency events. Action 19 commits the Victorian Government to develop strategies in relation to nine areas of volunteering to strengthen the capacity, capability and diversity of Victoria s volunteers. Finally, it is also important to acknowledge a broader transformation across the human services system, which is highly dependent on the work of volunteers and volunteer involving organisations. Through Services Connect launched in December 2013, the Department of Human Services aims to provide a model of service delivery which is structured around clients and their individual needs. 11 This work builds on work of Professor Peter Shergold, whose report Service Sector Reform: A Roadmap for Community and Human Services Reform, recommends a new spirit of collaboration between government, public service agencies, community sector organisations and private providers, and suggests that an increasing range of 8 P a g e

9 government services will be delivered by non-government organisations into the future. 12 Professor Shergold s report has a strong emphasis on building the capacity of community service organisations and those working in them. The regulatory environment The increasing regulation of voluntary work is a significant challenge for the volunteering community. In general, volunteering organisations operate within three regulatory spheres: 1. Laws and regulations that are specific to a particular activity an organisation undertakes, for example, those relating to food handling 2. General laws and regulations that guide the management of an organisation and its people, such as governance, harassment & discrimination, health & safety, protection of minors, and privacy of information 3. Regulation of an organisational type, for example, incorporated associations. The establishment of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) and the commencement of the Associations Incorporation Reform Act (Vic) 2012 were the two major recent changes in the regulatory space for volunteering in Victoria. However, the regulatory environment is still in a state of flux, with the federal government announcing an intention to disband the ACNC. 13 Volunteering Victoria s budget priorities There are commonly encountered perceptions that there are minimal costs associated with administering volunteers and that the sector is essentially self-sustaining. More insightful analysis recognises that volunteer management is a professional discipline with marked differences from employee management and that appropriately funded and effective volunteering peak bodies can have a transformative influence on the sector, yielding benefits that far exceed the cost of operating those bodies. The State of Volunteering in Tasmania Report for instance estimates the return on investment of supporting volunteering as being in excess of 400%. This section outlines Volunteering Victoria s budget priorities for , based on the vision and strategy articulated in our Manifesto 2014 and Strategic Plan and input of our members. In broad terms, the highest budget priorities are those listed first. Providing a whole of government view of volunteering At present Volunteering Victoria receives Victorian Government funding support through the Office for the Community Sector within the Department of Human Services (DHS). We consider that the current 9 P a g e

10 arrangement fails to recognise the many areas of our community to which volunteers contribute. While many volunteers do contribute to the health, community and welfare sectors, a great number of volunteers participate in other areas, as has been documented above. The legislative framework under which DHS operates does not provide for it to appropriately support the majority of volunteering activity in this state. Volunteering Victoria proposes that funding for volunteering should be administered by the Department of Premier and Cabinet. This would recognise the diversity of sectors to which volunteers contribute and provide a whole of government view of volunteering. The Victorian Government should establish a Ministerial Advisory Council that would advise and inform them on all volunteering matters. Recommendations 1. That the Victorian Government provide a whole of government view of volunteering by administering funding for volunteering through the Department of Premier and Cabinet 2. That the Victorian Government establish a Ministerial Advisory Council as an advisory body to the Victorian Government on volunteering issues. Recurrent Funding for Peak Body Services Volunteering Victoria currently receives one third of the average state/territory funding for volunteering peak bodies. In 2014/15 variations between our funding and that of the state/territory jurisdictions starts at $42,584 more than Volunteering Victoria, and increasing to an additional $134,584, $150,584, $268,115, $459,668 and $482,594, depending on the respective state or territory. Our recurrent funding of $131,765 grossly undervalues the contribution of volunteering to Victoria which as indicated above contributed $16.4 billion (including $4.9 billion in organised volunteering) in 2006 this is projected to grow to between $30.3 billion and $42.1 billion by We believe a significant uplift in Volunteering Victoria s funding represents a very sound and effective investment in the economically and socially important volunteering sector. Volunteering Victoria currently receives annual Federal government funding of $215,650 per annum. From 28 February 2015 we will lose this general funding because the new Department of Social Security (DSS) funding scheme includes a caveat that state peak volunteering services will no longer be funded by the federal government. Specifically, funding will not be provided to support projects and services that address the specific tasks of a State or Territory. These include funding to support the operation of volunteering peak bodies; policy and research activities which address volunteering issues on a state/territory basis; advocacy on behalf of volunteering organisations within a state/territory framework; sector development and promotion activities on a state/territory basis 15 The new Federal funding arrangements administered by DSS provide significantly reduced funding for volunteering generally. Grant allocations for volunteer support services covering defined geographic regions (with priority given to communities experiencing significant disadvantage) are capped at $100,000 per annum, with a maximum 18 months funding available (to 30 June 2016). Volunteering Victoria has just received an indication that it shall receive some DSS funding for volunteer support services targeting 10 P a g e

11 those experiencing disadvantage in three localities, however the quantum is not yet known and this does not replace the peak body core funding that has been lost. Recommendation 1. That the Victorian Government provide Volunteering Victoria with sufficient recurrent funding to carry out its primary role as the state s peak body for volunteering. Enhancing our one-stop-shop online volunteering portal The Victorian Government currently operates an online portal for volunteering which provides general information about volunteering, as well as an online search function which allows people to search for volunteer opportunities. Volunteering Victoria is concerned that the Volunteering Portal duplicates information and functions available on other websites (including our own), although the government website is not as comprehensive or kept as up-to-date as these other sites. This unnecessary duplication would be eliminated by the Victorian Government funding Volunteering Victoria to operate a single online one-stop-shop for resources and services related to volunteering in Victoria. The creation of a single website for volunteering in Victoria will reduce costs and make it much easier for Victorians to find up-to-date information about volunteering and volunteering opportunities. Locating the portal outside the Department of Human Services, and government more broadly, has the additional benefit of acknowledging the full breadth of areas to which volunteers contribute. Volunteering Victoria recently submitted a proposal to the Office for the Community Sector within the Department of Human Services to take over the operation of Victoria s Volunteering Portal. Recommendation 1. That the Victorian Government funds Volunteering Victoria to expand and maintain a comprehensive online one-stop-shop for resources and services related to volunteering in Victoria. Supporting the development of volunteer management Volunteer managers are people who are responsible managing the volunteer workforce in an organisation. These managers are central to the success of volunteering as they work to design and implement strong volunteering programs, and help develop an effective and resilient volunteer workforce. Some volunteer managers are paid staff, while others are volunteers themselves. Volunteering Victoria considers it essential that the role of volunteer manager is supported and promoted. In addition, the volunteer manager position should be professionalised through training and professional development activities, continuous improvement initiatives and accreditation programs. While volunteer management needs to be supported and improved across all sectors, Volunteering Victoria has identified sport as a sector with particularly high need. Sport and physical recreation 11 P a g e

12 organisations attract the largest number of volunteers in Australia. At present, those responsible for managing volunteers in sport and recreation organisations receive very limited recognition and support. Building the capacity of volunteer managers in sport and recreation is essential to ensuring that community and elite sport continues to flourish in Victoria. Recommendation 1. That the Victorian Government funds Volunteering Victoria to provide training and professional development activities for people who manage volunteers and volunteer programs. Effectively managing spontaneous emergency volunteers Victoria is a state prone to bushfire, flood and other emergencies. In the event of an emergency, spontaneous volunteers have the capacity to make an important contribution to recovery. However, if they are not appropriately managed and deployed, spontaneous volunteers have the potential to exacerbate the risks and problems that arise during an emergency. Victoria currently has no state-wide systems in place to register, communicate with and deploy spontaneous emergency volunteers. This places our state at considerable risk. A lack of coordination can significantly burden or complicate efforts for organisations responsible for emergency response, relief and recovery. In addition, by not fully utilising volunteers, we are failing to provide a rewarding experience for individuals who are willing to offer their time and energies assist with relief and recovery efforts. Finally, not fully harnessing spontaneous emergency volunteers means that we miss an important opportunity to build on the social capital in our communities and may jeopardise wider efforts to build community resilience. In December 2012, Volunteering Victoria developed a business case for an improved solution to supporting citizens, groups and organisations who wish to volunteer following an emergency. The business case was submitted to the former Department of Planning and Community Development. While the current emergency register is little more than a centralised database, the model proposed in Volunteering Victoria s business case is an integrated, holistic system for managing spontaneous volunteers based on a highly regarded model operating in Queensland. Over the last two years we have secured Resilient Community Program funding for an Emergency Volunteer Manager (EVM) pilot project and then a secured Natural Disaster Resilience Grants Scheme funding for a state-wide EVM project which is now successfully underway. This is a subsidiary project to the proposed Spontaneous Emergency Volunteer (SEV) project which would extend on the highly successful and cost effective Queensland model and which as yet, remains unfunded. Recommendation 12 P a g e

13 1. That the Victorian Government funds Volunteering Victoria to implement the model for managing spontaneous emergency volunteers set out in the 2012 business case prepared by Volunteering Victoria. Annual State of Volunteering Report While the positive social and economic impact of volunteering in Victoria is beyond dispute, these benefits have not been comprehensively measured. Beyond the data sets highlighted in the section, The extent and impact of volunteering above, the gathering of qualitative and quantitative data about volunteering in Victoria is inconsistent and sporadic. Across Australia and indeed at a United Nations (UN) level many state of volunteering reports have been undertaken or are currently underway. These reports vary in their format and focus but all provide a quantitative and qualitative picture of the health of, trends in, and factors behind changes in, volunteering. 16 Volunteering Victoria strongly encourages the Victorian Government to invest in the development of a state of volunteering report for Victoria. This report will equip us with the knowledge to effectively plan for, invest in and support volunteering in Victoria. This report will add to the currently available evidence and help us understand the health of, trends in, and factors behind the observed changes in volunteering in Victoria over time. 17 Volunteering Victoria is currently undertaking some preliminary scoping work on a state of volunteering report for Victoria, which will propose the contents and a methodology for developing a state of volunteering report for Victoria. However, Victorian Government funding is required to build on this work to develop a comprehensive report on the state of volunteering in Victoria. In addition, Volunteering Victoria has identified some specific areas where more work is needed in order to better understand volunteering and its impacts. In particular, we believe research is required to help us better understand barriers to people participating in volunteering, as well as the impact of volunteering on the health and wellbeing of volunteers. Recommendations 1. That the Victorian Government commissions a report on the state of volunteering in Victoria that documents the health of and trends in volunteering in Victoria. 2. That the Victorian Government funds research on the barriers to people participating in volunteering in Victoria, as well as the impact of volunteering on the health and wellbeing of volunteers. Victorian Volunteering Awards 13 P a g e

14 There are many individuals, programs and organisations that make outstanding contributions to the Victorian community through the management of volunteering. It is highly desirable that exceptional contributions and achievements are recognised. Over the past 12 months Volunteering Victoria, as the state s peak body for volunteering, has been consulting with the volunteering sector about developing a state-wide awards program that reflects and celebrates the breadth and diversity of volunteering. In October 2013, the Victorian Premier presented volunteer awards for the first time. Volunteering Victoria was not consulted or involved in the planning and development of this awards program. The Premier s Volunteering Awards focused on the traditional areas of charitable, community and social services with a focus on individual volunteers. The awards that Volunteering Victoria has been developing are broader in scope, reflecting the diversity of volunteering in our community, as well as the important role of volunteer managers. Volunteering Victoria believes there should be a single Victorian awards program that is as inclusive of the whole volunteering sector as possible. There should also be an opportunity for regional volunteering services and volunteering organisations to align with the state awards through the multitude of recognition programs. As the peak body for volunteering, Volunteering Victoria is well placed to administer this comprehensive state-wide awards program. Recommendation 1. That the Victorian Government funds Volunteering Victoria to develop and administer a comprehensive annual state-wide volunteer awards program. Supporting and promoting youth volunteering Youth volunteers are the successors to the current dominant generation of volunteers in our community. If volunteer involving organisations do not engage and support young volunteers, they will struggle to deliver programs and services into the future. There is evidence that young Victorians are highly engaged in volunteering. 18 However, the evidence also suggests that young people have different motivations and expectations of volunteering, and are interested in volunteering in different ways, for example virtual or project-specific volunteering. Volunteer involving organisations need guidance and support to understand the changing notions of volunteering and to harness young people as volunteers into the future. Recommendation 1. That the Victorian Government funds Volunteering Victoria to develop tools and provide guidance and support to volunteer involving organisations to help them attract and retain youth volunteers. Supporting and promoting multicultural volunteering 14 P a g e

15 Volunteering is active citizenship that can play an important role in promoting social inclusion for members of the multicultural community. While multicultural Victorians are often highly engaged within their communities, evidence shows they have lower levels of formal participation in volunteering. 19 More needs to be done to inform members of the multicultural community about volunteering and to encourage them to volunteer. In addition, volunteer involving organisations need support to work with volunteers from different backgrounds. Volunteering Victoria has identified refugees, asylum seekers and newly arrived migrants as priority groups. Recommendations 1. That the Victorian Government funds Volunteering Victoria to develop tools and programs to promote volunteering to members of the multicultural community, particularly refugees, asylum seekers and newly arrived migrants. 2. That the Victorian Government funds Volunteering Victoria to develop tools and provide guidance and support to volunteer involving organisations on creating opportunities for and working with multicultural volunteers, particularly refugees, asylum seekers and newly arrived migrants. Supporting and promoting employee volunteering Australian businesses are increasingly recognising the benefits of volunteering and providing volunteer opportunities for their staff. There is significant potential for volunteer involving organisations and businesses to work collaboratively to provide more employee volunteering opportunities. However, at present many volunteer involving organisations are not able to capitalise on corporate good will and need support in terms of resources and training to enable them to maximise the benefits of working with employee volunteers. In addition, employee volunteering needs to be better promoted to businesses operating in Victoria, so they understand the benefits and opportunities for employee volunteering. Recommendations 1. That the Victorian Government funds Volunteering Victoria to develop tools and provide guidance and support to volunteer involving organisations on creating opportunities for and working with employee volunteers. 2. That the Victorian Government funds Volunteering Victoria to develop tools and programs to promote employee volunteering to businesses and to provide guidance and support to businesses on developing and implementing employee volunteering programs. Volunteering in Sport and Recreation 15 P a g e

16 An amount of $105,000 in funding will allow Volunteering Victoria to build on our existing relationships in the Sport sector and the work commenced with the Volunteer Innovation Project funded by Sport and Recreation Victoria. This funding will cover: A dedicated part-time staff member Ongoing development of resources, tools, templates and case studies to support volunteer management in sport Development of training programs to improve the quality of volunteer management in sport Establishment of a Volunteering in Sport Special Interest Group, with membership open to key stakeholders, including Vicsport, Sport & Recreation Victoria, Regional Sport Victoria, other state sporting organisations and Universities that have a focus on sport development and management (in particular Latrobe and Victoria Universities). Given the importance of volunteers in sport at all levels in the state, an investment in quality volunteer management will have a flow-on benefit to other programs that rely on volunteers for their delivery e.g. coaching, officiating, management and governance. Recommendation 1. That the Victorian Government funds Volunteering Victoria to continue to build on our existing relationships in the sport sector and the work commenced with the Volunteer Innovation Project. Recruiting the Volunteer Workforce Volunteering Victoria has recently launched a communications and marketing campaign that seeks to recognise and promote the social impact of volunteering and highlight volunteering as a form of active citizenship. The Imagine the Possibilities campaign aims to grow volunteering across the community and expand perceptions about the diversity of people who volunteer and the variety of types, ways, places and reasons for volunteering. The campaign asks people to imagine the world without the power of volunteers and juxtaposes images of a dystopian world without volunteers, with images of a utopian world supported by volunteers. It uses images provided by volunteer photographers briefed to photograph real Victorian volunteer services and people. The multimedia campaign utilises print, online, social and electronic media, and will be adapted to specific communities, sectors and scenarios. The campaign is designed to grow and evolve over time. Volunteering Victoria has received some corporate support to commence the campaign, however, we need the Victorian Government to support to further grow the campaign and promote the power of volunteering throughout Victoria. Recommendation 16 P a g e

17 1. That the Victorian Government funds Volunteering Victoria to make the Imagine the Possibilities campaign accessible to the broader volunteering involving sector in order to promote the benefits of volunteering across the state. Supporting and promoting best practice volunteering programs There are many volunteer involving organisations and volunteer support organisations providing programs and services throughout the state. While there are some excellent examples of collaboration between these organisations, Volunteering Victoria considers that more needs to be done to share ideas and programs that work. For example, Bite-Size Volunteering, a program developed by Volunteering Geelong which facilitates small chunks of volunteering, has been rolled out state-wide following its success at the local level. There are also significant opportunities to work collaboratively to develop new state-wide volunteering programs. Collaboration and innovation in volunteering initiatives should be driven through a new grants model for the volunteering sector. The grants should include a mix of small and large grants and the program school be designed to be as inclusive as possible of smaller organisations. As the state peak body for volunteering, Volunteering Victoria is well placed to administer such a grants program. Volunteer support organisations play an essential role in supporting volunteering at the grass-roots level. These organisations urgently need funding support to enable them to customise and deliver state-wide or regional volunteering programs in their local area. Funding from the state government in this regard should also be supplemented by local government funding. There are particularly important opportunities to build and share programs in relation to groups in the community that Volunteering Victoria has identified as priorities, namely asylum seekers, refugees and young people. Recommendations 1. That the Victorian Government establishes a grants program, to be administered by Volunteering Victoria, to support programs and projects that encourage innovation and collaboration in volunteering. 2. That the Victorian Government fund Volunteering Victoria and volunteer support organisations to deliver best practice state-wide or regional volunteering programs. 17 P a g e

18 References 1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Voluntary Work, Australia 2010, cat. No , 2011, 3. 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Census, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Voluntary Work, Australia 2010, cat. No , 2011, 4. 4 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Volunteers in Sport 2010, cat. No , 2012, 5. 5 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Voluntary Work, Australia 2010, cat. No , 2011, 5. 6 Ironmonger, D, The Economic Value of Volunteering in Victoria, Department of Planning and Community Development, Victorian Government, 2012, Ironmonger, D, The Economic Value of Volunteering in Victoria, Department of Planning and Community Development, Victorian Government, 2012, Department of Planning and Community Development, Indicators of community strength in Victoria: framework and evidence, Victorian Government, 2011, Australian Government, National Volunteering Strategy, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet 2011, Victorian Government, Victorian Emergency Management Reform White Paper, Victorian Government 2012, 14, Department of Human Services, Services Connect: Better services for Victorians in need, 2013, Shergold, P, Service sector reform: A roadmap for community and human services reform, Victorian Government, Ferguson, F, Andrews Announces Move to End ACNC, Pro Bono Australia, 5 December Volunteering Tasmania (2014) State of Volunteering Report 2014: The Economic, Social and Cultural Value of Volunteering. Available from 15 Volunteering FAQs, Department of Social Services, Volunteering Australia, State of Volunteering in Australia 2012, Volunteering Australia, 2012; Volunteering Tasmania, State of Volunteering Report: Tasmania 2010, Volunteering Tasmania, 2011; Volunteering WA, 2011 State of Volunteering in WA Report Summary, Volunteering WA, 2011; United Nations Volunteers programme, 2011 State of the World s Volunteerism Report, United Nations Volunteers, Ironmonger, D, The Economic Value of Volunteering in Victoria, Department of Planning and Community Development, Victorian Government, 2012, Mission Australia, Youth Survey 2013, 2013, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Voluntary Work, Australia 2010, Cat. No , 2011, P a g e