Inclusive Volunteering Resources

What is inclusive volunteering?

Inclusive volunteering is about ensuring everyone can participate and contribute to their community.

For organisations, this means looking closely at how volunteer roles are designed, how support is offered, and the kind of culture people experience from day one. When everyone feels welcome and valued, both organisations and our communities are strengthened.

Background

Funded by the Australian Department of Social Services, the Volunteer Management Activity 2022-2026 program (VMA) is designed to increase opportunities for people to participate in volunteering activities and to build capacity of volunteer-involving organisations.

Volunteering Victoria has partnered with organisations across the state to progress the goals of this program. To learn more about the program history and our Consortium partners, see our VMA page below:

About the VMA program

About the resources

We firmly believe in sharing the lessons, knowledge, and expertise that have been learned through undertaking this work.

Whether you’re passionate about contributing to a more diverse, accessible, and inclusive volunteer sector or an organisation dedicated to enhancing best-practice strategies, we have collated resources here to help support your journey.

Browse by topic Browse by format Browse by region

Browse by topic

General diversity & inclusion

Case study: Asylum Seeker Resource Centre – Inclusive Volunteering Award Recipient
Case study: Baptcare – Inclusive Volunteering Award Recipient
Case study: Becoming a Community Compass for Volunteering ^*NEW*
Case study: Conference Activity – Identifying Barriers and Solutions
Fact sheet: Growing Your Volunteer Base – How Local and Big Data Can Drive Success
Case study: Inclusive Volunteering VIO Awards
Fact sheet: Local Lessons – Breaking Down Barriers to Volunteering
Fact sheet: Local Lessons – Solutions for Inclusive Volunteering
Fact sheet: Making Your Monitoring & Evaluation Framework More Inclusive
Case study: Promoting Volunteering in an Area of Population Growth
Case study: Saturday Vollie Club
Case study: Streamlining the Volunteer Onboarding Experience
Fact sheet: Tips to Increase Online Accessibility for Volunteer Involving Organisations

Engaging people with disability

Fact sheet: Barriers to Volunteering Snapshot – People with Disability
Fact sheet: Benefits of Engaging Volunteers with Disabilities ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Breaking Barriers for People with Disability
Case study: Building Inclusive Volunteering Opportunities
Case study: Co-Design to Support Inclusive Volunteering
Case study: Cohealth’s Early Intervention Psychosocial Support Response Program
Case study: Empowering Young Women and Girls with Disability ^*NEW*
Case study: Eva Tilley Memorial Home
Video: Engaging Volunteers with a Disability
Fact sheet: Engaging Volunteers with Disabilities – Volunteer Involvement Cycle
Case study: Inverloch Winter Soup Café
Case study: Manningham Volunteer Resource Service
Case study: Mary and Andrew

Template: Meaningful & Able – Co-Planning Conversation Template ^*NEW*
Template: Meaningful & Able – Co-Planning Conversation Template (editable version) ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Meaningful & Able – How to Get Co-Planning Conversations Right ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Meaningful & Able – Volunteer Planning Guide for People with Disabilities ^*NEW*
Case study: Pinarc Volunteer From Home Program
Case study: Special Education Schools – Community Integration through Volunteering
Case study: Springvale Service for Children – Disability Inclusion
Case study: The Role of the Support Worker
Fact sheet: Top Tips for Supporting Volunteers with Disabilities
Case study: Valorous Place – Inclusive Disability Volunteering

Engaging new migrants

Case study: Amina (Wellsprings for Women) – Volunteering for New Migrants
Fact sheet: Barriers to Volunteering Snapshot – Newly Arrived Migrants
Case study: Beyond Translation – Rethinking Inclusive Volunteering ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Breaking Barriers for Newly Arrived Migrants
Case study: Building Committee Capacity – Navigating Cultural Bridges in Volunteer Leadership ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Common Misconceptions for Newly Arrived Migrant Volunteers
Case study: Cultural Luncheon and Presentations
Case study: Cultural Storytime
Work sheet: Engaging New Migrants – Reflections & Actions for Leaders of Volunteers ^*NEW*
Video: Engaging New Migrant Volunteers
Case study: From Good Intentions to Good Governance – Building a Sustainable CALD Volunteer Framework ^*NEW*
Presentation: From Informal to Formal Volunteering in Migrant Communities
Fact sheet: Getting It Right – Improving Co-Design Practice with Multicultural Young People ^*NEW*
Work sheet: Getting Started with Volunteering – A Guide for New Migrants ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Inclusive Volunteering Practices – An Approach for Organisations – Newly Arrived Migrant Volunteers ^*NEW*
Case study: Karen Community Working Bee
Case study: Success Story – National Volunteer Week Celebration

Engaging First Nations peoples

Fact sheet: Barriers to Volunteering Snapshot – First Nations People
Fact sheet: Creating a Culturally Safe Workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Volunteers
Case study: Cultural Awareness and Yarning Session
Video: Engaging Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Volunteers
Document: Recommended Indigenous Viewing, Reading & Podcasts

Engaging young people

Fact sheet: Breaking Barriers for Regional Youth
Case study: Engaging Schools for Community Participation
Fact sheet: Engaging Young People in Volunteering – Tips & Activities for Volunteer Managers
Fact sheet: Getting It Right – Improving Co-Design Practice with Multicultural Young People ^*NEW*
Case study: Manningham Volunteer Resource Service
Case study: Project Pitch – School Program Encouraging Youth Volunteering
Case study: Special Education Schools – Community Integration through Volunteering
Video: Things We Leave Behind – Leongatha Student Garden Project ^*NEW*
Case study: Youth Volunteer Forum

Vulnerable women

Case study: Empowering Vulnerable Women through Volunteering ^*NEW*

Browse by format

Case studies

Case study: Amina (Wellsprings for Women) – Volunteering for New Migrants
Case study: Asylum Seeker Resource Centre – Inclusive Volunteering Award Recipient
Case study: Baptcare – Inclusive Volunteering Award Recipient
Case study: Becoming a Community Compass for Volunteering ^*NEW*
Case study: Beyond Translation – Rethinking Inclusive Volunteering ^*NEW*
Case study: Building Committee Capacity – Navigating Cultural Bridges in Volunteer Leadership ^*NEW*
Case study: Building Inclusive Volunteering Opportunities
Case study: Co-Design to Support Inclusive Volunteering
Case study: Cohealth’s Early Intervention Psychosocial Support Response Program
Case study: Conference Activity – Identifying Barriers and Solutions
Case study: Cultural Awareness and Yarning Session
Case study: Cultural Luncheon and Presentations
Case study: Cultural Storytime

Case study: Engaging Schools for Community Participation ^*NEW*
Case study: Empowering Young Women and Girls with Disability ^*NEW*
Case study: Empowering Vulnerable Women through Volunteering ^*NEW*
Case study: Eva Tilley Memorial Home
Case study: From Good Intentions to Good Governance – Building a Sustainable CALD Volunteer Framework ^*NEW*
Case study: Impacting a Pathway to Employment Program
Case study: Inclusive Volunteering VIO Awards
Case study: Inverloch Winter Soup Café
Case study: Karen Community Working Bee
Case study: Manningham Volunteer Resource Service
Case study: Mary and Andrew
Case study: Pinarc Volunteer From Home Program

Case study: Project Pitch – School Program Encouraging Youth Volunteering
Case study: Promoting Volunteering in an Area of Population Growth
Case study: Saturday Vollie Club
Case study: Special Education Schools – Community Integration through Volunteering
Case study: Springvale Service for Children – Disability Inclusion
Case study: Streamlining the Volunteer Onboarding Experience
Case study: Success Story – National Volunteer Week Celebration
Case study: The Role of the Support Worker
Case study: Valorous Place – Inclusive Disability Volunteering
Case study: Youth Volunteer Forum

Videos

Video: Engaging Volunteers with a Disability

Video: Engaging New Migrant Volunteers

Video: Engaging Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Volunteers

Video: Things We Leave Behind – Leongatha Student Garden Project ^*NEW*

Fact sheets

Fact sheet: Barriers to Volunteering Snapshot – First Nations People
Fact sheet: Barriers to Volunteering Snapshot – Newly Arrived Migrants
Fact sheet: Barriers to Volunteering Snapshot – People with Disability
Fact sheet: Benefits of Engaging Volunteers with Disabilities ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Breaking Barriers for Newly Arrived Migrants
Fact sheet: Breaking Barriers for People with Disability
Fact sheet: Breaking Barriers for Regional Youth
Fact sheet: Common Misconceptions for Newly Arrived Migrant Volunteers
Fact sheet: Creating a Culturally Safe Workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Volunteers
Work sheet: Engaging New Migrants – Reflections & Actions for Leaders of Volunteers ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Engaging Volunteers with Disabilities – Volunteer Involvement Cycle
Fact sheet: Engaging Young People in Volunteering – Tips & Activities for Volunteer Managers
Fact sheet: Getting It Right – Improving Co-Design Practice with Multicultural Young People ^*NEW*
Work sheet: Getting Started with Volunteering – A Guide for New Migrants ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Growing Your Volunteer Base – How Local and Big Data Can Drive Success
Fact sheet: Inclusive Volunteering Practices – An Approach for Organisations – Newly Arrived Migrant Volunteers ^*NEW*

Fact sheet: Local Lessons – Breaking Down Barriers to Volunteering
Fact sheet: Local Lessons – Solutions for Inclusive Volunteering
Fact sheet: Making Your Monitoring & Evaluation Framework More Inclusive
Template: Meaningful & Able – Co-Planning Conversation Template ^*NEW*
Template: Meaningful & Able – Co-Planning Conversation Template (editable version) ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Meaningful & Able – How to Get Co-Planning Conversations Right ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Meaningful & Able – Volunteer Planning Guide for People with Disabilities ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Tips to Increase Online Accessibility for Volunteer Involving Organisations
Fact sheet: Top Tips for Supporting Volunteers with Disabilities

Presentations

Presentation: From Informal to Formal Volunteering in Migrant Communities

Browse by region

Barwon South West

Case study: Impacting a Pathway to Employment Program
Case study: Special Education Schools – Community Integration through Volunteering

Eastern Metro

Case study: Asylum Seeker Resource Centre – Inclusive Volunteering Award Recipient
Case study: Baptcare – Inclusive Volunteering Award Recipient
Case study: Eva Tilley Memorial Home
Case study: Inclusive Volunteering VIO Awards
Case study: Manningham Volunteer Resource Service
Case study: Mary and Andrew
Case study: Saturday Vollie Club
Case study: The Role of the Support Worker
Fact sheet: Engaging Young People in Volunteering – Tips & Activities for Volunteer Managers
Video: Engaging Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Volunteers
Video: Engaging New Migrant Volunteers
Video: Engaging Volunteers with a Disability

Gippsland

Case study: Conference Activity – Identifying Barriers and Solutions
Case study: Engaging Schools for Community Participation
Case study: Inverloch Winter Soup Café
Video: Things We Leave Behind – Leongatha Student Garden Project ^*NEW*

Grampians

Case study: Beyond Translation – Rethinking Inclusive Volunteering ^*NEW*
Case study: Cultural Awareness and Yarning Session
Case study: Pinarc Volunteer From Home Program
Case study: Project Pitch – School Program Encouraging Youth Volunteering
Case study: Youth Volunteer Forum
Fact sheet: Breaking Barriers for Newly Arrived Migrants
Fact sheet: Breaking Barriers for People with Disability
Fact sheet: Breaking Barriers for Regional Youth
Fact sheet: Growing Your Volunteer Base – How Local and Big Data Can Drive Success
Fact sheet: Making Your Monitoring & Evaluation Framework More Inclusive

Hume

Case study: Building Inclusive Volunteering Opportunities
Case study: Empowering Young Women and Girls with Disability ^*NEW*
Case study: Empowering Vulnerable Women through Volunteering ^*NEW*

Loddon Mallee

Case study: Becoming a Community Compass for Volunteering ^*NEW*
Case study: Building Committee Capacity – Navigating Cultural Bridges in Volunteer Leadership ^*NEW*
Case study: Cultural Luncheon and Presentations
Case study: Cultural Storytime
Case study: From Good Intentions to Good Governance – Building a Sustainable CALD Volunteer Framework ^*NEW*
Case study: Karen Community Working Bee
Presentation: From Informal to Formal Volunteering in Migrant Communities

North West Metro

Case study: Co-Design to Support Inclusive Volunteering
Case study: Cohealth’s Early Intervention Psychosocial Support Response Program
Template: Meaningful & Able – Co-Planning Conversation Template ^*NEW*
Template: Meaningful & Able – Co-Planning Conversation Template (editable version) ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Meaningful & Able – How to Get Co-Planning Conversations Right ^*NEW*
Fact sheet: Meaningful & Able – Volunteer Planning Guide for People with Disabilities ^*NEW*
Case study: Promoting Volunteering in an Area of Population Growth
Case study: Streamlining the Volunteer Onboarding Experience
Case study: Success Story – National Volunteer Week Celebration
Fact sheet: Inclusive Volunteering Practices – An Approach for Organisations – Newly Arrived Migrant Volunteers ^*NEW*

Southern Metro

Case study: Amina (Wellsprings for Women) – Volunteering for New Migrants
Case study: Springvale Service for Children – Disability Inclusion
Case study: Valorous Place – Inclusive Disability Volunteering