Each year, 2.6 million Australians donate over 434 million hours of their time in voluntary work. The motivations and skills of these volunteers, and the individual time commitments they are able to make, are changing as Australian society changes. Non-profit organisations reliant on volunteers need to reassess their ways of operating if they are to continue to work effectively for their clients. Volunteers and Volunteering examines current roles of volunteers and the contribution of volunteering to contemporary Australian society. It discusses the changes in community values and government policy that shape volunteering and the inclination and capacity of people to volunteer. This book draws on a wide range of expertise including volunteer Joy Noble, economist Michael Pusey and social scientist Eva Cox, in order to arm volunteer organisations and policy makers with the information necessary to meet the challenges of these changes. A valuable resource for those working in non-profit organisations, government and academia considering the changing contribution of volunteers and the non-profit sector to Australian society.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Jill Roe - Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Introduction Jeni Warburton & Melanie Oppenheimer An Overview of the Voluntary Principle in Australia Melanie Oppenheimer 'Middle Australians in the Grip of Economic "Reform" ... Will They Volunteer Michael Pusey Volunteer Resources Jeni Warburton and Allyson Mutch Australia's Highly Committed Volunteers Mark Lyons and Susan Hocking Measuring Volunteering in Economic Terms Duncan Ironmonger The Definition and Principles of Volunteering Sha Cordingley Governing the Senior Volunteer in Australia, the USA and the Netherlands Cora Vellekoop Baldock Invisible Support Michael Bittman and Cathy Thomson Women, Volunteering and Social Capital Jenny Onyx and Rosemary Leonard The Future of Volunteering as Institutionalising Practice Catherine McDonald and Allyson Mutch The "Light and Dark" of Volunteering Eva Cox The Future of Volunteering Joy Noble Contributors/ Bibliography/ Index

Reviews

"...this collection of essays represent a starting point for more meaningful dialogue on volunteerism in Australia. Hopefully it will enable us to get over the 'silent barriers' that have been built in the past based on ignorance of both the importance and impacts of volunteering. It may raise awkward questions relating to equity and volition, but it has to be done. Any volunteers?" - Michael Wright, NSW Fire Brigade Employees' Union, Worksite October 2002