Volunteering Australia has recently launched new National Standards for Volunteer Involvement.

The new Standards incorporate significant changes to the original standards in order to reflect best practice in volunteer management in Australia’s current work environment.

The Standards provide a sound framework for supporting the volunteer sector in Australia. The Standards are much easier to follow and are adaptable to different organisation types and different forms of volunteering which reflect the diversity of this growing sector.

There are 8 standards addressing the key areas of volunteer involvement:

1. Leadership and management

2. Commitment to volunteer involvement

3. Volunteer roles

4. Recruitment and selection

5. Support and development

6. Workplace safety and wellbeing

7. Volunteer recognition

8. Quality management and continuous improvement

They also provide a guide to the types of practices and evidence that will demonstrate that an organisation meets a standard. They note that not all evidence would apply to every situation or organisation, and the specific requirements for a formal recognition of meeting the standards will depend on an organisation’s size, resources, complexity and types of volunteer involvement.

The National Standards are available for free download here.

We encourage you to download a copy and ensure that your NFP is meeting the new standards.