Mission

Volunteering Australia is the national peak body working to advance volunteering in the Australian community. Its role is to represent the diverse views and needs of the volunteer sector while promoting the activity of volunteering as one of enduring social, cultural and economic value.

How Volunteering Australia fulfils its peak body role

-- providing sound policy advice on matters relating to volunteering;

-- providing a national focus for the promotion of volunteering and its principles;

-- establishing co-operative relationships with key national and international volunteering organisations;

-- encouraging the pursuit of excellence in volunteer management;

-- consulting with stakeholders to ensure proper representation of the volunteering sector.

Objective

Volunteering Australia is currently working to a Strategic Plan for the period 2005-2008. The plan was developed following an environmental scan and a major consultation with key stakeholders, and using information on trends and influences on volunteering.

The 5 key results that we are working to achieve are:

1. To ensure the role that volunteering plays in the creation of social capital, building community and citizenship is recognised, understood and facilitated.

2. To ensure that volunteers are afforded legal status, protected in their work, recognised for their contribution and provided with the opportunities for participation.

3. To ensure volunteer-involving organisations have access to the support, resources and knowledge they require to effectively involve volunteers.

4. To ensure that the volunteer infrastructure organisations have access to the skill development, resources and opportunities for improvement in order to better support the development of volunteering.

5. To ensure that Volunteering Australia is a robust, well-managed and well-governed accountable organisation that maintains best practice in every area of its operations.