By Sonia Isaacs
AS Australia marks National Volunteer Week (May 18–24), small community organisations are warning they may not survive the next few years unless more people step forward, with an ageing volunteer base and falling recruitment placing increasing pressure on long-serving helpers.
At the Glass House Community Hall, volunteers are described as the “lifeblood” of everything from weekly programs to the annual free Christmas celebration.
But volunteer Lisa Iggo said the people holding the system together are getting older, with too few younger residents stepping in to replace them.
“I’d be the youngest volunteer, and I’m nearly 60,” Ms Iggo said. “Most of our volunteers are 70 and older. They’ve got so much to give, but it’s just purely the age that’s wearing them out.”
She said the informal pipeline that once sustained community organisations, where younger families gradually replaced retiring volunteers has largely disappeared.
While occasional younger helpers still step in, Ms Iggo said they are rare. “One in a million,” she said.
With no funding to employ staff, the community hall relies entirely on volunteers, leaving remaining helpers increasingly stretched across multiple roles.
Ms Iggo fears that without new recruits, many small organisations will be forced to scale back or shut down.
“You’ll just lose a lot of the small community groups,” she said. “And that would be a real shame.”
Tony Long of the Rotary Club of Glass House Country echoed those concerns, saying volunteers remain essential to filling gaps left by limited public and community funding.
“We just need more volunteers,” Mr Long said, noting members regularly assist with local support work and community events. He said attracting new members has become “extremely difficult”, particularly among younger people balancing work, study and family commitments.
Many existing volunteers, he added, are nearing the end of their capacity to continue. “We’ve got people who have volunteered for decades but now only have a few good years left in them,” he said.
Mr Long said volunteering remained the backbone of community life, stepping in where services would otherwise not be affordable or available.
Nationally, research indicates volunteering is shifting, with more Australians contributing in flexible and informal ways such as helping at school events, supporting neighbours or assisting local initiatives.
Volunteering Australia said this reflects changing lifestyles and rising cost-of-living pressures, which are reshaping how people give their time.
About 9.5 million Australians volunteered in 2025, either formally or informally, with more than five million engaged through organisations.
Volunteering Australia said these contributions remain vital to strengthening social cohesion and community resilience.
Chief executive Mark Pearce said reducing barriers to participation was essential if volunteering was to remain sustainable.
“We know there is a strong willingness to contribute across the community, but systems, structures and expectations haven’t always kept pace with how people live today,” Mr Pearce said. “By reducing friction and improving access, we can unlock even more participation.”
As demand increases and volunteer numbers tighten, local groups say the challenge is not only sustaining services, but ensuring the next generation sees volunteering as something they can still afford in time and opportunity to give.