Tassie volunteers too good to lose
Tasmanians give billions of dollars worth of volunteer hours — but as pressures grow, their numbers are falling. We want to stem the decline, explains Lisa Schimanski
TASMANIANS are generous volunteers. About 297,000 of us give more than 68 million hours a year of their time, knowledge, passion and energy to helping others and supporting our communities. This is according to the State of Volunteering Report 2019, launched by Premier Will Hodgman last night. Volunteering Tasmania releases this research on the economic, social and cultural value of volunteering every five years.
In every location and every realm of life’s activities there are volunteers. We are either volunteers ourselves, or our friends and family are. And every Tasmanian benefits. Volunteering connects us to ourselves, it connects us to others, and it connects us to our communities.
The value of volunteering to Tasmania is a staggering $4 billion a year. This includes the $3 billion it would cost to replace the labour that volunteers give, and $1 billion in commercial and civic benefits contributed through volunteering.
As a workforce, volunteering is nearly three times larger than the Tasmanian government sector and 14 per cent larger than the private sector — Tasmania really does rely on its volunteers.
It is hard to imagine a Tasmania where most people did not give their time to supporting each other and looking after the places where we live. But this could be our future if we do not address the emerging challenges for volunteering in Tasmania.
The research is not only telling us the numbers, it is also giving us some warning signs about the future of volunteering.
The State of Volunteering Report 2019 tells us Tasmanians are volunteering less. There has been an 11.2 per cent drop in volunteering participation over the past five years, from 79.8 per cent in 2014 to 68.6 per cent in 2019.
There is also a 3.9 per cent decrease in the number of hours people are volunteering. While Tasmania’s volunteers contribute on average 4.4 hours every week to their fellow Tasmanians, the total hours per year has declined from 71 million in 2014 to about 68 million in 2019.
Research participants say the main barriers are limited time and work and family commitments that get in the way of volunteering.
We also know younger generations of volunteers want more flexible arrangements, shorter time commitments and ways to use technology. Meeting their needs will require a change in the way organisations engage their volunteers.
The report also tells us that Tasmanians are not as positive about their volunteering. Although for many Tasmanians volunteering is still a very positive experience, their satisfaction is declining. There are also more volunteers experiencing negative impacts , including lost days or productivity at work.
It is vital that we understand in more detail the reasons for these changes so Volunteering Tasmania, governments, volunteer organisations and our communities can take action to stem this worrying trend.
The financial cost of volunteering is also a challenge. It is costing volunteers nearly $1000 a year in expenses like fuel, food, transport and accommodation, and on average, they are reimbursed only 7 per cent of these costs.
While sometimes volunteers do not want to be reimbursed, it is also the case that many organisations can’t afford to reimburse their volunteers. Volunteer organisations need to be supported so they can remove financial barriers and ensure they are including those who may not be able to afford to volunteer.
The expectations on the act of volunteering and volunteers themselves are higher than ever before.
We expect them to be available, reliable and professional as they navigate more stringent regulations and management procedures.
As a society we are increasingly reliant on volunteering as a way to reduce inequality, tackle the epidemic of loneliness and build community resilience. Volunteering is also becoming a way for people to become job-ready by giving them new skills, training opportunities, networks and confidence. Volunteering builds social, human and cultural capital, and this makes volunteering a highly valuable and necessary activity.
The need for volunteers will also grow as Tasmania takes on more activities through increased visitor engagement, arts and culture, tourism and hospitality, active ageing and sport and recreation, but the expectations on the act of volunteering and volunteers themselves are higher than ever.
Tasmanians need more support to be able to volunteer in the way they choose to do it.
Organisations need more support to engage volunteers in a meaningful way that creates positive experiences for everyone.
Our state needs to invest in volunteering to ensure that the sector can continue to make its vital contribution to our economy, society and cultural wellbeing into the future.
As the peak body for volunteering in Tasmania, Volunteering Tasmania aims to better support the volunteers, volunteer organisations, and the Tasmanian Government as we work together to ensure a vibrant and active volunteer sector for all of us.