About Us

Volunteering Queensland's Fact Sheet

Volunteering Queensland (VQ), is a community organisation funded by state and federal grants, and serves as the peak body for volunteer activities in Queensland. Its role is to facilitate the placement of volunteers in non-profit community organisations around the state and to serve the interests of volunteers and community organisations. Since its inception in 1982, it has placed approximately 50,000 volunteers in nonprofit community organisations and promotes best practice standards in volunteer management.

Volunteering Queensland (VQ) promotes community building through individuals participating in their local communities, community leadership and building on community partnerships to sustain a healthy society.

In 2001, more than 10,000 people were placed with over 800 organisations throughout Queensland. This huge task was completed through the efforts of the organisation's 12 paid and 130 volunteer staff.

Volunteering Queensland (VQ) is a quality improved registered training organisation that offers courses to volunteers and staff of community organisations. More than 2,000 people per year benefit from VQ's training programs.

VQ runs a number of specific programs as well. These include a regional referral service where people from throughout Queensland can learn about jobs in their area for the price of a local phone call through the DSS funded program Volunteer Work Initiative (VWI). The VWI allows individuals on income support to volunteer with nonprofit agencies in order to enhance their skills and contribute to the community.

The face of volunteering in Queensland is changing. While recently retired individuals continue to represent a significant proportion of volunteers, increasingly young people are becoming involved. Click here for Volunteering Queensland's statewide referral services statistics.

The range of jobs completed by our volunteers is extensive and expanding. The volunteer jobs range from working in hospitals to the arts, the environment to emergency services, and a host of other positions.

Some key facts about VQ:

Statewide organisation that is partly funded by the state and federal governments.
10,000 referrals annually (50,000 in its history) to 800 community organisations.
Nearly 1/3 (32%) of volunteers are under 25 years of age and 65% are under 35 years of age. The ratio of male/female is 40/60.
More than 2,000 people per year take part in training run by VQ.
VQ supports a network of regional Volunteer Resource Centres in Cairns, Townsville, Bundaberg and Gold Coast.

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Volunteering Queensland's Organisational Roles and Services

Volunteering Queensland Inc (formerly Volunteer Centre of Queensland) is a State and Federal Government funded organisation, which serves as a peak body for volunteering in Queensland.

REFERRAL SERVICE

The role of the state centre is to promote and advocate volunteer excellence within community organisations, which involve volunteers. Volunteering Queensland provides a statewide referral service linking over 6,000 people a year in the Brisbane area alone to community organisations. In 1998 Volunteering Queensland expanded the referral service to people in the remote and regional areas of Queensland via a 1300 phone number and in 1999 continued this expansion of service with the establishment of regionally based referral agencies. Since its inception in 1982 it has referred around 40,000 volunteers to community organisations. This huge task is carried out through the efforts of a team of 22 paid staff and 130 Volunteers.

EDUCATION UNIT

Volunteering Queensland is a quality improved registered training organisation offering both accredited and non-accredited courses to volunteers and paid staff of community organisations. More than 2000 people per year benefit from Volunteering Queensland's education and training.

MEMBERSHIP

Volunteering Queensland promotes volunteering to all sectors of the community including Emergency Services, Conservation and Environment, Health and Social Services, Arts and Heritage, Tourism, Sports and Recreation, Social Justice, Multicultural, Religious and Educational Institutions. Member organisations are represented in all those sectors.

They include hospitals, schools and large welfare organisations such as Lifeline, St Vincent De Paul, Salvation Army, Queensland sporting groups, Rural Fire Services and SES, community support groups and neighbourhood centres, community radio stations, museums, and welfare rights groups. Of these community organisations, 750 are registered members of Volunteering Queensland.
This statewide coverage is replicated in each state and territory, with similar organisations forming the membership of the national peak body, Volunteering Australia.

PROGRAMS

Volunteering Queensland provides opportunities for volunteer involvement through many innovative programs. These programs link people from specific target groups and community organisations. They include: -
· Voluntary Work Initiative (VWI)- A volunteer referral program for job seekers.
· Retired and Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP).
· Community access program for people with support needs.
· Employee Volunteer program for corporate staff.
· Student Community Involvement program.
· Special Events / Functions.

PEAK BODY

Volunteering Queensland's Peak body activities include:

To monitor and provide advice to government on the development of policies and practices relevant to volunteers and volunteering;
To engage via the media in public promotion and discussion of issues on volunteers and volunteering;
To act as an advocate for volunteers and volunteering, and to ensure that government, business corporations and other institutions are made aware of the importance and contribution of volunteers and voluntary effort to society;
To identify areas in which research concerned with volunteers, volunteering and voluntary efforts is needed, and to engage in the development of research partnerships to under take such research;
To ensure the distribution of relevant information and advice to volunteers and organisational members on any matters affecting their interest;
To develop and promote volunteer management standards;
To develop a resource library, and resource material for community organisations to assist them with volunteer management issues;
To promote and expand a volunteer insurance scheme which includes disability and liability issues;
To promote volunteering through such events as International Volunteer Day and National Volunteer Week, and;
To promote and facilitate activities which will celebrate the International Year of Volunteers in 2001.