National Volunteer Week: Why Welcoming New Volunteers Matters More Than Ever

Let’s Celebrate Our Volunteers This Year… And Every Year

Across Australia, more than 14.1 million people volunteer their time, contributing an extraordinary 3.2 billion hours of volunteer effort to communities, organisations and causes across the nation, according to Volunteering Australia Snapshot. Without these volunteers, many community groups, associations and not-for-profits simply would not exist. Essential services would disappear, events and programs would not run, and the strong sense of connection and belonging that holds communities together would be significantly diminished.

From major cities to regional, rural and remote communities, volunteers truly are the backbone of Australian society, which is why National Volunteer Week (18–24 May 2026) is such an important opportunity to recognise and celebrate the people who generously give their time to support clubs, charities, associations and community organisations across the country.

While National Volunteer Week is an important time to celebrate volunteers, it should also encourage organisations to reflect on how they welcome, support and retain the people who choose to give their time so generously.

Some community organisations don’t have a volunteer shortage problem - they have a culture problem

One of the most uncomfortable conversations many community groups avoid is asking why good volunteers leave.

In many cases, it’s not because people are too busy. It’s because they no longer feel valued, included or genuinely able to contribute. People volunteer because they care and they want to give back to their communities, share their skills and make a difference. When new ideas are dismissed, communication breaks down, or committees (or Presidents) become resistant to change, even the most motivated volunteers can disengage and go elsewhere.

If organisations want to attract and retain good people, creating a welcoming and inclusive culture matters just as much as recruitment (just like any good workplace).

First impressions matter

A new volunteer often decides very quickly whether they feel welcome within an organisation.

Do they feel included in conversations? Has anyone taken the time to understand why they joined, what skills they bring, or what they hope to contribute? Too often, new volunteers walk into environments where long-standing members already have established ways of doing things, and without even realising it, committees and boards can become closed circles.

A welcoming culture starts with curiosity.

Ask people (by talking to them directly) what motivated them to get involved. Find out what skills and experience they bring. Some volunteers may have backgrounds in governance, marketing, finance, grants, technology or strategic planning that could significantly benefit the organisation, that you’re not going to know about, unless you ask them.

From my experience, organisations that fail to understand the value sitting around the table often miss enormous opportunities.

Strong committees work like strong teams

The best volunteer committees and boards operate much like high-performing workplace teams. They communicate clearly, trust each other, respect boundaries, share responsibility and workload while working towards a common purpose and shared impact.

Being volunteers does not remove the need for professionalism. In fact, when people are giving their time freely, communication and respect become even more important.

Healthy committees create environments where people feel psychologically safe enough to contribute ideas without being dismissed or shut down. That doesn’t mean every idea needs to be adopted, but people should feel heard, respected and included in the conversation.

Resistance to change is driving volunteers away

One of the biggest frustrations for many volunteers is resistance to change. Too often, capable new volunteers join organisations ready to contribute, only to be met with defensiveness or a mindset of “this is how we’ve always done it”. Community organisations need to be willing to leave ego at the door. New volunteers are not there to take over. In most cases, they simply want to help organisations grow, improve and remain sustainable into the future. I can appreciate both sides here, as some volunteer’s ideas are sometimes way out of reach, and they have been tried before, but this is where context is so important, rather than just a simple, no and dismissal.

I’ve seen incredibly capable people walk away from organisations they genuinely cared about because they became emotionally exhausted from trying to contribute.

One colleague joined a board with valuable experience in marketing, website development and membership growth. She could clearly see opportunities to modernise the organisation and improve its long-term sustainability. But over time, her ideas were dismissed, conversations stalled, and decisions were continually pushed to “the next meeting”.

Eventually, she resigned.

Not because she didn’t care.
Because she was tired.

What started as excitement and optimism became emotionally draining because her skills were never truly embraced.

I’ve experienced similar situations myself. I’ve offered support to committees around grant opportunities and funding strategies, only to hear, “No, we can handle it.” Yet twelve months later, they still hadn’t submitted a single grant application, it can be super frustrating and also detrimental to my reputation as people make assumptions that I am helping with grants.

Sometimes organisations become so focused on protecting old ways of operating that they unintentionally reject the very support they need most.

Welcoming volunteers is everyone’s responsibility

Community organisations don’t need to be perfect, but they do need to be intentional about the culture they create.

Welcoming new volunteers means listening properly, communicating clearly, respecting people’s time and encouraging fresh perspectives. It means being open to new ideas instead of feeling threatened by them.

In many ways, volunteer management is a role in itself. People need to feel supported, valued and connected to purpose if organisations want them to stay involved long term.

As community organisations celebrate National Volunteer Week, perhaps the most important question is not whether we appreciate our volunteers, but whether we are creating environments where they genuinely feel welcome, respected and able to contribute.

Because at the end of the day, volunteers don’t just strengthen organisations, they help shape their future.

Get sorted with grants and funding

At The Grants Club, we’re passionate about helping committees, clubs and community organisations become stronger, more sustainable and better connected to their communities. While much of our work focuses on grants and funding opportunities, we know that successful organisations are built on more than funding alone. Strong leadership, positive culture and welcoming volunteers all play a vital role in long-term success.

If you’d like to explore how grants, funding opportunities or strategic support could help your community organisation grow and thrive

Get in touch with Liz to start the conversation.