Volunteering

For some Vinnies volunteers, this is a chance to use their skills and experience to give back to the community. For others, volunteering provides a chance to develop new skills and gain experience in a supportive environment.

As a volunteer, you'll benefit from:

• The satisfaction of helping others
• Sharing your skills and teaching others
• Learning new skills
• The sense of community and friendship.

There are a variety of volunteering opportunities to get involved with. Depending on location, these might include:

• Working in a Vinnies shop or depot
• Working in a call centre or support centre
• Helping one of our soup vans
• Tutoring refugee families
• Working in a family support, aged care or youth program
• Taking disadvantaged children out on outings
• Helping with day-to-day admin
• Befriend a person living with mental illness.

With such a wide range of services and programs to be involved in, there is something to suit all commitment levels from weekly, monthly, quarterly or ad-hoc volunteering.

The Society recognises that the level of involvement volunteers can commit to will vary depending on their personal circumstances such as study, work, and family commitments.

Members and volunteers are also supported to adjust their commitment as their personal circumstances change.

To ensure the safety and support of our volunteers, we provide training in

• Society programs
• Workplace Health and Safety
• Child protection
• Social and formation opportunities, including retreats and Festival days.

You do not need to be Catholic to volunteer. While the Society is a Catholic lay organisation, we welcome people of all backgrounds and beliefs who support our mission to help people who are disadvantaged and living in poverty.