Funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services, the Volunteer Management Activity (VMA) aims to increase opportunities for people to participate in the social and economic life of their broader community through volunteering, while fostering a thriving, inclusive and diverse volunteering culture across Australia.
VMA achieves this by:
- building the capacity of volunteer involving organisations to offer inclusive and accessible volunteering opportunities.
- breaking down barriers to volunteering for specified priority groups of First Nations people, people with disability, newly arrived migrants, young people, people experiencing unemployment and women at risk.
Our Community Partners
Inclusive Volunteering Resources
Other Resources
- Introduction to volunteering for newly arrived migrants PowerPoint presentation
- Tip sheet for involving volunteers from migrant backgrounds
- Barriers to Volunteering (Newly Arrived Migrants)
- Let’s Talk Cultural Inclusion in Volunteering Video Discussion Guide
- VMA-Tasmania-Consultation-Summary-Report-Newly-Arrived-Migrants December 2021
- VMA-Project-Report-Newly-Arrived-Migrants-August-2022
Celebrating volunteers with disability
Our disability awareness campaign is the result of a co-design project facilitated by Volunteering Tasmania, alongside key stakeholders, to help understand the challenges and needs of people with disability, and to support organisations to deliver more accessible and inclusive volunteering opportunities. The campaign aims to support a volunteering sector where volunteering opportunities are meaningful, equitable, and accessible for people with disability.
The experiences of seven volunteers with disability from across the State are highlighted in video or story form, below.
Volunteer Stories
Hanna’s Volunteer Story
Hanna, with nearly two years of dedicated volunteering under her belt, is a driver for Mersey Community Care, going the extra mile, quite literally, to
Jan’s Volunteer Story
Jan has an impressive volunteering career spanning over five decades, where her journey has been marked by resilience and a commitment to creating positive change.
Nathan’s Volunteer Story
Navigating life with a disability, Nathan discovered a newfound sense of purpose by venturing into the realm of volunteering. Sharing his transformative experience, Nathan recounted,
Caroline’s Volunteer Story
Caroline’s journey exemplifies the profound impact of volunteering, both on oneself and the community. Despite living with a disability, her focus remains on aiding others,
Finn’s Volunteer Story
For Finn, volunteering has given him many rich experiences as well as a sense of achievement. Listen to Finn’s story here. With his support worker,
Celebrating Difference
A conversation with Dee, a volunteer. Click here to read the video discussion guide pdf Click here to read the video discussion guide Word https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxemAYE-7Y4
Resources
Youth Volunteering
These resources have been developed in partnership with UTAS through a Sustainability Placement Experience. During this placement, the UTAS student worked with VT and some of our member organisations to design resources to support volunteer-involving organisations engage young people in their volunteer programs.
Event Recording: Let’s Talk Youth Volunteering!
Volunteering and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Read
Quick links
Justice Connect Not-for-profit Law Resources
Engaging and working with youth volunteers guide
Additional Resources for Child and Youth safe organisations
- Child Safe Organisations – eLearning
- Engaging and working with youth guide
- Screening Checks Guide
- Working with Vulnerable People registration
- Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework, Office of the Independent Regulator, Tasmania
- Child and Youth Safe Standards
- Tell Someone, Tasmanian Government
- Strong Families Safe Kids, Tasmanian Government
- National Office for Child Safety, Australian Government
- Child Safe Organisations, Commissioner for Children and Young People Tasmania
- Child Safe Organisations, Australian Human Rights Commission
- Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations
Volunteer Management Resources
National Standards for Volunteer Involvement
The National Standards are a best practice framework to guide volunteer involvement. They can be used flexibly, recognising that volunteering takes place in highly diverse settings and ways.
Volunteer Involvement Cycle
Volunteer Involvement Cycle
The Volunteer Involvement Cycle outlines the different stages of volunteer involvement – from preparing an organisation for volunteers, to recruiting and supporting volunteers, and finally, evaluating a volunteer program. The tool aims to equip volunteer managers with knowledge, skills, and resources to enhance the volunteer experience.
Stages of the Volunteer Involvement Cycle
There are four stages to the Volunteer Involvement Cycle – Prepare, Recruit, Support and Evaluate. Each stage comprises three additional focus areas to guide you through the cycle.
Prepare: This stage involves the planning for volunteer involvement including program and role design, ensuring support and resourcing. The Prepare stage is comprised of the focus areas of Governance, Design and Resource.
Recruit: This stage involves the promotion of your volunteer roles and opportunities, volunteer selection and screening and volunteer onboarding. The Recruit stage is comprised of the focus areas of Promote, Select and Onboard.
Support: This stage involves the day-to-day activities of volunteer management including developing and supporting volunteers, communication, and recognition. The Support stage is comprised of the focus areas of Develop, Communicate and Recognise.
Evaluate: This stage involves collecting and analysing volunteer feedback, program evaluation and sharing impact. The Evaluate stage is comprised of the focus areas of Feedback, Review and Share Impact.
Volunteer Involvement Cycle Training Sessions
Visit Training and Events – Volunteering Tasmania for upcoming information sessions on the Volunteer Involvement Cycle.
Watch: Volunteer Involvement Cycle Information session 10 June 2025 meeting recording
National Quick Guides:
- Acknowledging Volunteers
- Continuous Improvement
- Developing Volunteer Roles
- Effective Reporting for Volunteer Programs
- Engaging Volunteers
- Giving Feedback to Volunteers
- Interviewing Volunteers
- Managing Complaints
- Orientating and Onboarding Volunteers
- Policies and Procedures
- Receiving Volunteer Feedback
- Recruiting Volunteers
- Resolving Conflict and Difficult Conversations
- Reviewing Volunteer Roles
- Selecting Volunteers
- Understanding Organisation and Management Structures
- Volunteer Motivations and Barriers
- Volunteer Reference Checks
- Volunteer Training and Development
- Youth Volunteering
- Volunteer Recruitment
Community Toolkits
Volunteering Tasmania has worked with eight councils and their communities, using a co-design framework, to develop volunteer strategies that are place-based and focused on building a stronger and more sustainable future for volunteering.
As part of the project, resources and tools were developed, including the Kentish Community Toolkit.
The community volunteer strategies offer practical examples of ways to engage and support volunteers in a meaningful experience, one that has value for them and where they can see the value of their impact on the people they volunteer with.
Whilst the volunteer strategies and the toolkit were developed locally with various councils and their respective communities, they can be utilised by other councils, volunteer involving organisations and volunteer managers and coordinators to support and grow volunteering locally.
Reports
- 2021-2026 Volunteer Management Activity Impact Report
- Our VMA Journey 2023/24
- Community consultation summary
- Stakeholder consultation summary – newly arrived migrants
- Engaging newly arrived migrants in volunteering April 2022
- Engaging newly arrived migrants in volunteering August 2022
- Stakeholder consultation summary – people with disability
- Engaging people with disability in volunteering June 2023
- Stakeholder consultation summary – people who are unemployed
- Stakeholder consultation summary – young people
