November 23rd, 2022Volunteering reimagined: a Clunes case study

SINCE Covid changed the way we live our lives, getting involved in your community through volunteering is no longer as straight forward as it once was.
With so many people no longer volunteering, communities could be forgiven for
surrendering to the downward trend. But in Clunes, this threat to the town’s capacity
has provided a blue-sky opportunity to reimagine volunteering in their tiny, rural
town.
Clunes in Victoria (Dja Dja Wurrung Country) has a long history of building
capacity and social cohesion through volunteering. Prior to the pandemic Clunes
boasted a volunteering rate of 30.2% (well above the state average of 19%). So
perhaps it was no surprise in August 2022 Clunes was selected to receive just one
of 19 grants awarded to support local partnership and innovation projects to reengage volunteers, broaden the volunteer base, and strengthen volunteering in local
communities.
Called Volunteering Local, this six-month project is funded by the State
Government of Victoria, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. The project
takes a uniquely place-based approach to volunteering, focusing on reducing barriers
to volunteering in Clunes, working collaboratively to make it easier for people to
volunteer and finding new ways of volunteering here, as well as showcasing the
different contributions volunteers make to the town.
“In Clunes there are more than 40 community and social groups active at
different times,” said Lana de Kort, manager of Clunes Neighbourhood House,
pictured left, with coordinator Deb Bright at Christmas in Clunes, who is the lead for
this town project, “Often these groups are completely volunteer-led and involving.”
The Volunteering Local project will start with five of these community
organisations; Clunes Tourist & Development Association, Clunes Football and
Netball Club, Clunes Museum, Creative Clunes and Clunes Neighbourhood House.
“This diverse group have volunteer opportunities that appeal to different target
markets (so are representative of a broad cross-section of our population) and are
some of the more formally structured organisations where people volunteer in town.
“Working together with this pilot group, our goal is to develop practical (and easy to use) volunteering tools to help recruit and retain volunteers in town, as well as learning and promotional opportunities that will also be inclusive of the more informal groups,” said Lana.
Volunteering Local (www.volunteeringlocal.org) will provide a single entry point for anyone in town wishing to find a way to connect through volunteering.
“The website is a handy ‘volunteer bank’ for all our community groups to use to advertise opportunities,” said Lana,
“As well as a space where we can join forces to ensure people can give of their time and skills in a safe and welcoming way. Behind the scenes, the functionality of the site will help groups induct volunteers, share resources across the town when we have big events or crises to respond to, as well as ensure people know about the different (and more flexible) ways of being an active part of our town.”
In October 2022 this project was further boosted by support from the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal, Strengthening Rural Communities Program, allowing Clunes to add an innovative training and development component to the project.
“This was an incredibly exciting boost because it means Volunteering Local is not
only about developing and sharing tools to assist volunteering, but that we can step
outside our usual day to day pressures and reimagine what volunteering can look like
for us all going forward,” said Lana.
The pilot groups involved with Volunteering Local will be working with Australian volunteering expert, Mark Creyton through a series of workshops and one on one sessions.
“We are excited to share our learnings as we go through this process,” said Lana,
“Because we know that we are not the only place working hard to rebuild momentum – and reimagine a stronger future – since Covid.”
For more information about this project visit www.volunteeringlocal.org.