The volunteering sector continues to suffer even as COVID-19 restrictions ease. Volunteering Australia’s “Re-Engaging Volunteers and COVID-19” survey found that over half of the 600 respondents reported that their organisations need more volunteers. Four out of ten respondents have found it difficult to re-engage or recruit more volunteers.
It was reported that the volunteering gap that emerged during the pandemic in 2020 resulted in an estimated loss of 12.2 million hours per week, as two out of three volunteers stopped volunteering.
Recent Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data has shown that the decline began pre-COVID. In 2019, there was a 7% decline in people volunteering for an organisation in comparison to 2010. In parallel, there was also a 20% decrease in volunteer contribution to organisations when compared to 2014 figures.
On this, Leep’s Manager – Volunteering, Lauren Miles states: “It has been a challenging time for everyone. Volunteers play such an important role in our society, it is a good time to reflect and acknowledge the work they do. I hope that as a broader community we can support all volunteers to re-engage in their work. At Leep, we are working hard to provide a variety of ways where volunteers can work with us.”