PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PAGE IS UNDER DEVELOPMENT AND REVIEW.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Volunteer Management
- Skills for Volunteer Leaders
- Skills for Volunteers
- Organisational Management and Governance
- Compliance
Overview
Micro Volunteer Organisations and Groups have been identified as volunteer involving organisations and groups who have a volunteer workforce that is at or exceeds 40% of all workers; and/or who have an annual income below $500 000.
This toolkit was developed in response to consultations with 56 micro VIOs/groups as part of the 2025/26 GROUND Project, funded by the National VMA (Volunteer Management Activity). Consultations were conducted by all Volunteering Peak Bodies in all jurisdictions, representing a true cross-section of perspectives from micro VIOs/groups nationwide.
The articles and resources contained here have been curated to support micro organisations and groups, in the management of their volunteer programs. The information contained is not exclusive to micro organisations and can be relevant to organisations and programs of all sizes.
Volunteer Management
Volunteer Roles
Adheres to National Standard 3 and the Prepare Stages of the Volunteer Involvement Cycle
A volunteer role should reflect the values and objectives of your organisation. It should never be a role to replace paid staff and is generally undertaken for 16 hours or less per week.
It may be that all roles in your organisation are volunteer roles or that some parts of your organisation run volunteer programs with volunteers involved.
People want to gain valid and valuable experiences, by volunteering with organisations that match their values. Clearly demonstrate how the role will support the organisation’s values.
Developing a volunteer role shouldn’t be a generic approach, but an opportunity to be creative and look at different approaches to volunteering.
The motivations and barriers of volunteers have also changed. How someone volunteers, when they volunteer and what types of activities are on offer all need to be considered when developing meaningful and worthwhile roles.
Supporting Resources
Article - Developing Volunteer Roles
Template - Volunteer Role Description
Additional Reading - Staff vs Intern vs Volunteer
Volunteer Recruitment
Adheres to National Standard 5 and the Recruit Stage of the Volunteer Involvement Cycle
Recruiting the right volunteers for your volunteer program is important for the success of the program and for developing team cohesion. Factoring in volunteer motivations and passions, and recruiting volunteers from diverse backgrounds while using a wide variety of recruitment techniques will all help you to build a solid volunteer base.
Supporting Resources
Article - Recruiting Volunteers
Article - Navigating Background Checks
Template - Volunteer Registration Template
Volunteer Induction/OnBoarding
Adheres to National Standard 5 and the Recruit Stage of the Volunteer Involvement Cycle.
Onboarding is the process of integrating a new staff member into an organisation. A robust onboarding program will consist of any pre-boarding activities, the induction and any additional essential and ongoing training required for the role.
Structured onboarding programs should be provided for all staff, including volunteers, to ensure they can become independent, productive and confident team members. Without a clear and structured onboarding process your volunteers, like staff, may never integrate properly into the team and can feel unprepared and ineffective.
There are 4 core components of onboarding
Pre-boarding - occurs between a volunteer accepting a role and starting in that role.
Induction - usually done face-to-face starting on the first day and includes information on location of things like fire exits, bathrooms and first aid kits, meeting staff, policies etc.
Training - covers the practical parts of a role.
Socialisation - includes familiarising new staff with your organisation’s culture and values and helping them to foster new relationships in the workplace.
At the end of the on-boarding review the process with the volunteer and confirm that they understand their role, the organisation and their part in building to the success of what your team does.
Supporting Resources
Article - Recruiting Volunteers (in particular the attacment "Induction and Onboarding for New Volunteers"
Article - Volunteer Training
Template - Volunteer Induction Checklist
Volunteer Recognition and Retention
Adheres to National Standard 7 and the Support Stage of the Volunteer Involvement Cycle.
The value of volunteering is immense and irreplaceable.
One of the best ways to demonstrate the importance of volunteering to the Australian community is to ensure volunteers’ contributions are recognised, valued and accounted for.
Valuing the time and efforts of volunteers is crucial to retain them. Recognising and Rewarding volunteers is an essential part of best practise for volunteer management.
Supporting Resources
Article - Volunteer Recognition
Article - Volunteer Motivations and Barriers
Article - Volunteer Training
Skills for Volunteer Leaders
For many Volunteer-Involving Organisations, a Volunteer Manager or Coordinator role will be implemented to provide management and support for the organisation's volunteer team. If it is not feasible for such a position to be implemented an assigned member of staff or a senior volunteer may be appointed as a primary person for volunteers to liaise with, take instruction from and raise any concerns or issues.
If you have found yourself in such a role, you have been identified as someone who possesses the leadership skills and qualities to bring the volunteer team together to work towards the organisation's mission.
Volunteer Leaders understand volunteer motivations, trends and issues and how these relate to volunteering.
Supporting Resources
Article - Engaging and Leading Volunteers
Foundations of Volunteer Management eLearning Suite
To assist in developing these skills, the Foundations of Volunteer Management eLearning suite has been developed.
Consiting of seven units that can be completed in any order and accessed at any time. Learners may complete all units or pick units that suit their needs.
Manage and Promote Diversity - Manage and Promote Diversity has been designed to give you a thorough understanding of workplace diversity and inclusion, covering essential aspects for creating a respectful, inclusive, and productive work environment. The unit consists of various modules, each focusing on different aspects of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIBs). Starting with the basics of why diversity, belonging and inclusion are crucial for achieving organisational goals and how to collect and analyse diversity data, you'll develop the skills to evaluate and improve diversity initiatives.
Use Communication to Build Relationships - Use Communication to Build Relationships will take you on a journey to master the art of using communication to build and strengthen relationships in the professional sphere. The unit underscores the importance of clear, empathetic, and culturally aware communication as a cornerstone for fostering successful professional relationships and teamwork. You'll gain practical guidance in tailoring dialogue to meet diverse needs, crafting effective meetings, and ensuring every interaction contributes to constructive relationship building.
Lead Team Effectiveness - The Lead Team Effectiveness unit is designed to enhance your leadership skills, focusing on building cohesive teams, effective communication, and resolving issues within your volunteer organisation. These skills are vital for those aiming to foster a positive, productive team environment, ensuring alignment with organisational goals.
Maintain Work Health and Safety - Maintain Work Health and Safety is a unit designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to enhance workplace safety and team efficiency. This unit underscores the significance of Work Health and Safety (WHS) policies, hazard identification, risk assessment, and the implementation of control measures, stressing the crucial role these elements play in maintaining a secure working environment.
Work Legally and Ethically - This unit, Work Legally and Ethically, provides an exploration of the Australian legal system and ethical frameworks, aimed at enhancing your understanding and application of legal and ethical principles in a professional setting. You'll start by delving into the structure and operation of the Australian legal system, understanding different types of law and their implications on various work roles. This foundation will enable you to confidently navigate and apply key workplace policies and legislation.
Recruit, Induct and Support Volunteers - This unit, Work Legally and Ethically, provides an exploration of the Australian legal system and ethical frameworks, aimed at enhancing your understanding and application of legal and ethical principles in a professional setting. You'll start by delving into the structure and operation of the Australian legal system, understanding different types of law and their implications on various work roles. This foundation will enable you to confidently navigate and apply key workplace policies and legislation.
Manage Volunteer Workforce Development - These units provides an overview of volunteer management within Australia. It is designed to enhance your understanding and skills across several key areas. Starting with the basics of Australia's volunteer landscape, you'll explore the roles volunteers play, demographic trends affecting volunteering, and the challenges faced by different types of volunteers.
Volunteer Leader Guide
In addition to the Foundations of Volunteer Management eLearning suite, the Volunteer Leader Guide: Foundations of Volunteer Leadership is a fantatic resource that can become you go to guide for all things volunteer leadership.
The Volunteer Leader has been designed to support new, existing and aspiring Volunteer Managers and Coordinators in their role. The guide contains best practice resources, materials, and customisable templates, aligned to the National Standards for Volunteer involvement, which can be used to support your day-to-day operations.
Skills for Volunteers
Whilst Volunteers will learn much of what they need to know during their volunteering experience, their are some core skills and fundamentals that are transferrable across programs and organisations. Developing these skills will not only help you in being an effective volunteer, but many of these skills can assist you outside of your volunteering endeavours.
Volunteer Guide
The Volunteer Guide: Foundations of Volunteering has been designed to support new and existing Volunteers as they embark on their volunteering journey. The guide can be used as a once off training resource or accessed repeatedly as a reference tool.
Digital Literacy
Volunteers may need to use a range of digital platforms, apps and programs in the course of volunteering. The Digital Literacy suite of explainer videos and guides have been designed to help users understand and complete common activities.
Digital Marketing and Communication
Digital Marketing Fundamentals - Digital marketing is any sort of advertising or promotion communicated through digital platforms, including but not limited to, social media to blogs, search engines and websites, to email campaigns and paid online advertisements.
Online Meetings and Webinars - As a volunteer or volunteer leader you may need to run a meeting or deliver a presentation/training over a digital platform. Not only can this be cost effective but it can make communication with the braoder team and clients far more accessible.
Guide to Online Meetings - Provides overviews on using Zoom, Teams and Google Meet to conduct online Meetings. In addition, Guide to Delivering Webinars provides an overview of common webinar functions within these platforms.
Volunteer Wellbeing
Adheres to National Standard 6 and the Support Stage of the Volunteer Involvement Cycle
The health, safety and wellbeing of volunteers is of prime importance to volunteering involving organisations & groups. Micro organisations & groups will often have stretched resources and multiple competing demands that could detrimentally impact the mental health of volunteers and volunteer leaders. Being aware of WHS obligations and practising psychologically safe behaviours will help create and support a positive volunteering experience for all.
Supporting Resources
Article - WHS (Workplace Health & Safety)
Article - Volunteer Self Care
Article - General Health & Wellbeing Resources
Article - Other Health & Wellbeing Information
Article - Mental Health & Wellbeing Resources for Leaders
Organisational Management and Governance
Governance is about the way an organisation is run and how decisions are made. It is about ensuring there is a group of people that work together on behalf of the organisation. They decide on the rules and structures the organisation operates by and the ways everyone involved in the organisation will be held accountable to those rules. Governance is also important in setting the culture of an organisation and the values and behaviours that are expected of anyone involved in the organisation.
Key issues for people involved in Governance include making sure the organisation’s practices are safe and comply with appropriate standards and laws and that the organisation’s resources are managed well and in the best interests of the organisation.
Common roles or terms relating to an organisation’s governance are:
- Presidents,
- Secretaries,
- Treasurers,
- Office Bearers,
- Committee members or Board members,
- Director,
- Trustees,
- Councilors,
- Governors and,
- Responsible Persons.
Supporting Resources
Article - Governance
Article - Organisation and Management Structures
Governance for Boards and Committees
The Governance for Boards and Committees eLearning suite has been designed to support and develop the skills and knowledge of the board members of Australian not-for-profit volunteer-involving organisation's boards and committees, their CEOs and the other senior staff who work alongside them. Governance is about how your organisation is run and understanding the systems and structures will enable the right decisions to be made to set the organisation up for success and to achieve it's purpose and mission.
There are nine module within this suite and they be completed in any order at any time. These modules cover the most common tasks required by board and committee members and can be completed by anyone sitting on or planning to sit on a board or committtee. Whilst not specifically designed for volunteer leaders, these modules may offer volunteer leaders additional insights that may assist in their work as well.
Role of the Board
Governing Documents
Organisation Finances
Strategic Planning
Policies and Procedures
Grievances
Fundraising and Grants
Sponsoring Change
Social Impact Measurement
Compliance
ACNC Governance
Organisations must meet the ACNC Governance Standards in order to be registered as charities with the ACNC. Then, once an organisation is registered as a charity, it must continue to comply with the standards in order to retain its registration.
The ACNC Governance Standards are a set of core, minimum standards relating to charity governance and how a charity is run – including its processes, activities and relationships.
Starting and Registering as a Charity
The ACNC provides a checklist to review when you are considering starting a charity. This checklist will help you to define your purpose, consider your requirements, identify your managment and legal structures, provide guidance on obligations and prepare you for registration.
The Charity Registration Self-Assessment Tool is also provided by the ACNC to assist in deciding if charity registration is viable.
Deductible gift recipients (DGR)
Organisations that are endorsed as deductible gift recipients (DGRs) are entitled to receive donations that are deductible from the donor's income tax. This means when a donor makes a gift or contribution to a DGR endorsed charity, they may be able to claim a tax deduction. The amount of the claim will depend on the type of gift or contribution they make.
The ACNC is responsible for registering organisations as charities, and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is responsible for endorsing organisations as DGRs.
The Deductible gift recipients (DGR) and the ACNC provides an overview of what is required and how to apply for DGR status.
Insurance
When considering insurance needs, it is always recommended that you seek professional advice to determine the type of cover you require.
It is also important to review your policies regularly and inform your insurance broker of any new or unusual activities your organisation or your volunteers are participating in to ensure appropriate insurance coverage. Examples of such variations include, but are not limited to, volunteers working:
- In a different location.
- In a new role.
- From home or a remote location.
- With different equipment.
- With a different client group.
- In a new program area.
- In large numbers - such as a big event
If your insurance policy has age limitations, you should also contact your insurance broker if you wish to engage volunteers under the minimum stated age, or if volunteers reach your maximum age and you wish them to continue volunteering with your organisation.
In the event of an insurable incident, you should inform your insurance provider as soon as possible.
Supporting Resources
Article - Insurance
Additional Reading - AON Community & Not-for-Profit (Including Puzzle Helper)
Legal
When considering the legislative and regulatory requirements of managing a volunteer program, Justice Connect's Not-for-profit Law is a highly reccomended resource to consult. Here you will find free legal resources and be able to access support on a range of legal problems and concerns.
The Working with Volunteers Tool provides an overview of the key legal obligations that not-for-profit organisations have towards volunteers. It is a useful tool for committee members (or directors), volunteer managers, as well as those who work with not-for-profit organisations that engage volunteers
Supporting Resources
Video - Key Legal Obligations for Volunteers
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