Volunteering in Dubbo has fallen over 20 per cent during the past 10 years, keeping pace with drops across Australia, so what are people doing with their time instead?
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Dubbo resident Jason Dearmer began volunteering at boarding school, so it became a habit when he was young.
Now, he volunteers with multiple organisations.
"[The thing I like about volunteering] is that community connection and meeting a range of people from the community who have different knowledge and experience," Mr Dearmer told the Daily Liberal.
For many who volunteer, contributing to the community is the main reason, and for those who can't give money, giving their time is sometimes a more meaningful gift.
![Jason Dearmer volunteering for Cancer Council NSW. Picture by Belinda Soole Jason Dearmer volunteering for Cancer Council NSW. Picture by Belinda Soole](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/QQwHRnUv9qYdvjDNLdqaup/d5982e43-60c7-4f57-b990-7586e380dc10.jpg/r0_184_3600_2216_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mr Dearmer volunteers with the Dubbo Chamber of Commerce, the Dubbo Kangaroos rugby club, Dubbo Triathlon Club, Hear Our Heart Ear Bus project, and in the past has given his time to Macquarie Home Stay.
He said finding balance between volunteering and one's personal life was the most important thing to avoid "burnout".
"If you're considering volunteering, make sure it's something you're passionate about and it has a positive impact on your life," he said.
He admitted volunteering could sometimes be "a lot of work" and there was often "a lot asked of volunteers" so being able to "say no" was important.
"If you're not getting out of it what you used to, maybe it's time to move on to something else," he said.
Numbers down across the board
Volunteering in Dubbo dropped from 18 per cent in 2011 to 16 per cent in 2021, according to Census data.
But people in Dubbo are still doing more volunteer work with an organisation or group than in NSW (13 per cent) and Australia (14 per cent).
Gemma Rygate, CEO of the Centre for Volunteering, said formal volunteering was dropping across the board, particularly since Covid.
![Gemma Rygate, CEO of The Centre for Volunteering. Picture supplied Gemma Rygate, CEO of The Centre for Volunteering. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/QQwHRnUv9qYdvjDNLdqaup/f9eb9407-d2bb-4f9f-b27c-f5b216b7e9e6.jpg/r0_613_6000_4000_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The cost of living was also affecting the volunteer work people did, with some having to take on more hours or a second job to make ends meet.
The NSW State of Volunteering Report 2023 showed while formal volunteering had dropped, informal volunteering was on the rise.
Ms Rygate explained ad-hoc volunteering such as mowing a neighbour's lawn, carrying someone's groceries to their car, or helping someone across the road, were all examples of informal volunteering.
Though she said volunteering was "not in crisis", it had "changed".
The benefits of volunteering were many, not just for the community, but for the individual donating their time and energy.
"There are lots of benefits to the community that we see, particularly in regional areas. Volunteers are the backbone of the community and they make things happen," Ms Rygate said.
"Volunteers live longer than those who don't volunteer," she said, citing satisfaction and a general feeling of well-being after contributing to a cause beyond oneself.
Conference calls volunteer managers
More than 4.3 million people volunteer in NSW each year, contributing $178 billion in social and economic benefits, according to The Centre for Volunteering.
"The volunteering workforce is larger than any other across the state," Ms Rygate said.
Volunteer managers from across the Central West are invited to participate in the 2024 Volunteering NSW State Conference, which will be hosted in Sydney and will offer a satellite conference in Orange, on Thursday, June 6.
Conference delegates will discuss how to get more people into formal volunteering roles, as well as leadership and stewardship of volunteering; innovation, diversity and inclusion; valuing and repositioning volunteering; and health, safety and dispute resolution.
Go to www.volunteering.com.au for conference details.
National Volunteer Week runs from May 20 to 26, 2024.