Sports Volunteering
The National Standards for Volunteer Involvement
In 2015 Volunteering Australia announced the launch of the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement coinciding with the annual National Volunteer Week held in May. These 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.
Direct benefits to organisations:
- They provide good practical guidance and benchmarks to help organisations attract, manage and retain volunteers, and,
- Help manage risk and safety in their work with volunteers.
Direct benefits to volunteers:
- They help improve the volunteer experience.
The National Standards for Volunteer Involvement are available here for free download.
Guidance on applying the Standards will be provided via comprehensive implementation resources.
Additionally, Volunteering Australia will be developing a flexible, tiered voluntary certification, or ‘Quality Mark’ system to enable organisations to check how they are tracking in implementing the Standards.
For more information, visit www.volunteeringaustralia.org.
Statement of Principles for the Recognition of Volunteers
Sports organisations are invited to sign up to the Statement of Principles for the Recognition of Volunteers to show their commitment to respect, dignity and fairness for volunteers.
Register to receive a certificate and logo that can be used to recommend your sports organisation’s volunteer program.
Adopting the principles for your organisation signals the value placed on the volunteering contribution of individuals who support the grassroots sporting movement. In this way sports organisations can show appreciation for their members and recognise the contribution they make in strengthening local communities.
The Statement of Principles for the Recognition of Volunteers is a voluntary code that conveys an expectation of mutual respect. Registering your support sends a clear signal to all volunteers and staff that their roles are respected and their contributions valued.
Information on how to collect the Statement of Principles certificate is available through the NSW Volunteering website.
Sport NSW endorses the Statement of Principles for the Recognition of Volunteers as a companion to its volunteer recognition program: the NSW Community Sports Awards.