Volunteering Australia CEO highlights the power of giving back to communities

Over half of the Australian population has dedicated some of their time to informal or formal volunteering, with the aged care sector one of many to embrace the contributions of everyday people.

As Australia marks National Volunteer Week (19-25 May), Mark Pearce, CEO of Volunteering Australia, has delivered a passionate call to action, encouraging the public to reflect on the vital role of volunteers in shaping stronger, more connected communities.

“Volunteering takes place everywhere and all the time. It’s a daily thing, in fact, it’s an hourly thing,” Mr Pearce emphasised to Hello Leaders.

“Very rarely do we have the opportunity to take a breath, step back and think about not only the role that volunteers play, but also about our own aspirations around how we can participate in building better tomorrows for our communities.”

This year’s National Volunteer Week, Connecting Communities, underscores the diverse and deeply personal ways people come together — whether through shared values, geography, or a common cause.

“Connection is an individual thing. It could be one-on-one or with a larger group. Communities also vary with each person. It might be a physical community or a group of like-minded individuals,” Mr Pearce added.

“Connecting communities is both intangible and profoundly tangible. If people can stop for a moment and think about that theme of connecting communities and how that relates to them through volunteering, the days look bright ahead.”

While volunteers are often seen as the ones giving, Mr Pearce highlighted the powerful, reciprocal nature of volunteering.

“What we don’t speak about frequently enough is the profound benefits that volunteers feel and garner from volunteering themselves,” he said, citing mental health improvements, enhanced well-being, reduced loneliness, and stronger pathways to employment.

Yet despite these benefits, formal volunteering has been in long-term decline since 2011.

“Organisations are finding it harder,” Mr Pearce acknowledged, particularly in sectors like aged care.

“There is a huge cohort of people keen to contribute, but they want to do it in different ways. We need to find ways to make it meaningful to them.”

With challenges such as limited time and a cost of living crisis, he said individuals want an experience that will ‘make sense to them’. That’s both a challenge and a huge opportunity for aged care.

Organisations that adapt and prioritise the volunteer experience — offering flexibility, listening to volunteer feedback, and integrating them into the heart of their workforce — are reaping the rewards.

“They’re finding it easier to recruit and to maintain their volunteers because people are happier doing the volunteering they put their hand up to do in the first place,” Mr Pearce added.

He urged organisations to support volunteers with the same care and structure as paid staff.

“It is very different managing paid employees and volunteers, but when we look at the resources applied to both, it should be the same. Integrating people management functions is really important because volunteers need to feel like they belong,” he said.

“Organisations that do the volunteer experience well keep their volunteers abreast of what their contribution is, how their time has contributed to supporting the community they’re passionate about.”

As National Volunteer Week unfolds, Australians are encouraged to reflect on how they can help connect communities and be part of the solution, one act of kindness at a time.

“We can choose to be spectators or we can choose to be active participants in developing solutions,” Mr Pearce said.