Volunteering

This is a very common method of assisting charitable organisations in Australia; 41% of Australians volunteered a total of 836 million hours in 2004. Sometimes a charity can use unskilled volunteers to carry out work which requires minimal skills or supervision, such as picking up rubbish or stuffing envelopes. Other charities will need to train volunteers, especially when they will have to deal directly with clients or the public. Volunteer work may be seasonal, such as packing and delivery of Christmas hampers.

There are several organisations which assist people looking for volunteering opportunities.

Ampersand
The Ampersand Network has been developed to assist students find volunteer positions in Australia and overseas.  Prospective volunteers can join Ampersand's mailing list to be kept up to speed with emerging opportunities for student volunteers and news of upcoming social events.

Volunteer Match
Volunteer Match is a free service that matches skilled professionals with Not for Profit organisations online. Professionals can search and apply for volunteering opportunities, and representatives from Not for Profit organisations can post their needs for skilled professional volunteers and edit existing opportunities online.

goodcompany
goodcompany's purpose is to facilitate the involvement of young professionals in philanthropy. The site includes a list of volunteering opportunities recommended by the goodcompany board.

GoVolunteer
GoVolunteer is an initiative of Volunteering Australia and is intended to make it easier for Australians to volunteer. The site includes a search facility for volunteers to find local opportunities as well as information about the listed organisations and about volunteering in general.

Volunteering Australia
Volunteering Australia is the national peak body for volunteering in Australia. Its mission is to represent the diverse views and needs of the volunteering movement, as well as to promote volunteering as an activity of social, cultural and economic value.