Scott Miller joined Volunteering Victoria in July 2018 as the organisation’s new CEO. In his previous role, Scott was Chief Executive of Volunteering New Zealand’s for 3.5 years. Scott yarns with Gman on 3KND's Big Brekkie. His extensive cross-sector experience in public, private and NGO roles ensures the organisation’s people, purpose and priorities are both sustainable and sector-leading. Scott is active internationally, consulting on democracy, civil society and volunteering.
The decline in volunteering during COVID-19 has been substantial, with 65.9 per cent of volunteers estimated to have stopped volunteering between February and April 2020. Reduction in volunteering is equivalent to 12.2 million hours per week. Volunteers over the age of 65 most likely to have stopped volunteering. Virtual volunteering is a great thing to do while in lockdown. You may register your interest in emergency volunteering here. Other regular volunteer roles are advertised on GoVolunteer. Check with the individual organisations what their procedures are for remote recruitment and whether the volunteer role is still operational under Stage 4.
Supplementary Volunteer Grants Program, involves State/Territory peak bodies administering a grants program to support the vital role that volunteers play in building resilient communities. Grants of $1,000 - $5,000 will be provided to volunteer involving organisations across Australia. In Victoria, the funding available is $620,500. Not-for-profit organisations which have a high proportion of volunteers (min 40%) can apply for grants to encourage and increase participation in volunteering and also help transition their existing volunteer based programs back into operation following the disruption caused by COVID-19.
Funding can be used for: Small equipment items; Transport costs of volunteers with disability; Fuel costs; Training for volunteers; Background screening checks and documentation requirements; Cost associated with the recruitment or re-engagement activities for volunteers; Adapting practices to support volunteers’ safety in relation to COVID-19; and other activities to increase volunteer participation. The guidelines are different in the sense that this year it is a competitive round of funding, whereas the previous years, when the grants were run by the government, they were non-competitive. Head to there website, volunteeringvictoria.org.au and go through the guidelines and you can simply apply from the page – it is a pretty straight forward process.