Photo by Salty Dingo, 2023, created for Department of Communities & Justice.
When one person volunteers, many more benefit. Volunteers feel happier, healthier and more connected to people while communities become stronger, more resilient and inclusive.
The NSW Volunteering Strategy 2020-2030 has been developed with the volunteering sector and NSW Government agencies to create a vision to grow, value and invest in volunteers.
This strategy has been developed in collaboration with:
Please read the summary of consultations that helped develop the strategy.
The strategy supports the sector to attract and retain volunteers, including people of all ages, people with disability and people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Volunteering is changing. The NSW Volunteering Sector told us more volunteers are needed and you need support to deliver best-practice volunteer management, including recruitment and retention.
We understand you have a need for tools and resources, training, a wide variety of volunteering opportunities that are flexible, and utilise technology.
This is why we are investing in initiatives that help to grow participation in volunteering and make it easier.
This will ensure people in NSW can contribute to their local communities through volunteering.
The strategy is improving our understanding of volunteering in NSW.
Understanding the nature of volunteering in NSW, its impact, the benefits, the value and cost are key for a healthy future. Improving our knowledge of volunteering is helping us to understand emerging trends, identify approaches to expanding participation, and identify local solutions to local issues.
We need to know more about the nature of volunteering if informed decisions are to be made, solutions designed, lessons learnt, and a culture of excellence is achieved. Investing in research helps us to be agile and vibrant, and the value of our collective efforts are understood.
The strategy is focused on enhancing the recognition of the value of volunteering and the contributions made by volunteers in NSW.
NSW volunteers contribute valuable skills, time and energy to the NSW economy. They help to deliver important services, programs and activities that address community needs and the government’s priorities.
Everyone benefits from a strong and vibrant volunteering sector.
Valuing the impact of volunteering, as well as the contributions made by volunteers and organisations is vital. Meaningful recognition is an important way to inspire, motivate, recruit and retain volunteers.
The strategy articulates a vision for the NSW volunteering sector, and the initiatives implemented so far.
Every 2 years, a new report card detailing action and progress will be released.
The first report card spanning 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 (PDF 419.46KB) has been prepared to give a concise status update on the 3 focus areas of the strategy.
The second report card spanning 2022-23 and 2023-2024 (PDF 351.87KB) has been prepared to give a concise status update on the 3 focus areas of the strategy.
Update the dates/reporting years in the following sentence
The next report card update will be due in July 2026 and will cover the period 2024-25 and 2025-2026.
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