Volunteering Doesn’t Just Happen. Communities Build It. And Right Now, It Is At Risk.

Every day, millions of Australians benefit from the work of volunteers. They support older people, mentor young people, run sporting clubs, care for the environment, strengthen local communities and help vulnerable Australians access vital services.

But there is something most people never see.

Behind every thriving volunteer program is a local Volunteer Resource Centre helping recruit, train, support and connect volunteers with the organisations that need them most. These centres are the essential infrastructure that keeps volunteering working. Without them, fewer people volunteer, community organisations struggle to find and retain volunteers, and local knowledge and relationships built over decades can be lost.

Across Australia, around 40 place-based Volunteer Resource Centres provide this critical support. Yet dedicated funding for these centres is uncertain beyond 2027. If funding is reduced or replaced by a centralised model, communities risk losing the local expertise, trusted relationships and hands-on support that make volunteering accessible, effective and sustainable.

We cannot afford to weaken the foundations of Australia’s volunteer sector.

Please sign this petition to help keep volunteering support local and protect the infrastructure that helps communities thrive.