Volunteers inquiry raises ugly truths
By Marina Gomide
SUNSHINE Coast charity and not-for-profit organisations say they fear for their futures in the face of a dwindling volunteer base.
From the Maleny Show Society to Mens Sheds, the QCWA and festivals – local organisations have joined in over 500 submissions to the State Government’s Parliamentary Inquiry. The Local Government, Small Business and Customer Service Committee is due to table its report on September 18.
The issue of declining volunteer rates is a stark reality, with Volunteering Queensland’s 2024 report having revealed a decline of over 10 per cent in volunteer participation between 2020 and 2023.
According to Festuri’s statement, this trend has been particularly accelerated by factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, which changed “people’s perspectives on life,” leading some to “prefer to keep to themselves versus being in contact with others”. Additionally, many people now have “no time for volunteering as they are busy surviving”.
The rising cost of volunteering was also noted, with many stating it is no longer a cost-free endeavour, which is a significant deterrent for many.
The Maleny Show Society noted a concerning trend where people have “lost sight of what it truly means to volunteer your time,” with many events now offering free entry if people “work” or “volunteer,” blurring the line from the “true meaning of volunteering – which is to give your time for free”.
Woodfordia Inc, known for the Woodford Folk Festival, highlighted how the cost of living directly impacted participation: “Many of our volunteers must cover the cost of private transport, often travelling long distances and incurring expenses such as fuel, accommodation, and time off work”. Post-festival surveys at Woodfordia even showed that “volunteers… raised the need to be provided with food or discounts to purchase food from stallholders as one of their top requests, showing the cost of feeding oneself as a barrier to volunteering”.
Its submission proposed key solutions including:
- Financial Support for Volunteers: Targeted support to alleviate the economic burden on volunteers, such as transport subsidies, fuel vouchers, or funding for food-related expenses incurred while volunteering.
- Mental Health Support and Training: A need for increased opportunities and financial assistance for Mental Health First Aid training specifically tailored for volunteer coordinators and managers.
- Investment in Technology: Urging greater support and investment in volunteer management systems and technology to reduce administrative overhead and improve volunteer coordination efficiency.
- Support for Episodic Volunteering: Seeing a significant need for more research and a clear framework to support Volunteer Involving Organisations (VIOs) that rely on episodic volunteers, particularly to inform strategies for major events like the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Queensland Country Women’s Association (QCWA) echoed these sentiments, stating “out of pocket expenses are a barrier for some volunteers,” particularly “increased costs associated with travel” in rural and regional areas.
The Queensland State Emergency Service Volunteer Association Inc estimated the average cost of volunteering in Queensland was “well over \$1000 per year”, a figure they believed was often higher for SES volunteers who may pay for food and water during long deployments.
Many long-standing organisations also emphasised they were grappling with an aging volunteer base. The Maleny Show Society, which has been running the local show for over 100 years, said it relied on dozens of volunteers in its working committee, with ages ranging from 60 to 89 years of age. In its submission, the Society said the main problem was that like “most other volunteer based organisations – people are aging and we are not attracting the younger members of the local area to join the voluntary base for whatever reason”.
The QCWA reported that “over 50 per cent of members aged 65 and above,” which they identified as a “potential risk to volunteer organisations”. Attracting new volunteers is proving difficult, with potential new volunteers, especially young people, seeking “a clear understanding of the role; the commitment; and the benefit to them (e.g. social connection, experience, giving back)”.
Beyond personal costs, organisations said they have faced significant administrative burdens. The Buderim Men’s Shed highlighted concerns about “liability – ‘Am I going to be covered by insurance if something goes wrong?’”. “Insurance costs to cover a volunteer activity are high and burdensome for organisers,” they wrote. They also lamented that “nothing is simple – there’s always a lot of red tape to get through to organise a volunteer event”.
Volunteering Sunshine Coast (VSC) bluntly stated that “the current system of VRCs [Volunteer Resource Centres] in Queensland is broken and requires a major rethink and rebuild”. VSC, which recruits, selects, and deploys volunteers for nearly 100 Volunteer Involving Organisations, said it is itself “planning to cease operation by the end of this financial year because of insufficient funds”.
The Supporting Our Volunteers Parliamentary Inquiry held its last public hearing in Rockhampton on August 12, as the government looks to address declining volunteer numbers across the State.