Volunteer Referral Service

We can help you find volunteers.

Our Volunteer Referral Service (VRS) assists not-for-profits to find the right volunteer for the right volunteer job. Last year we placed thousands of volunteers – and hundreds of not-for-profit members use our VRS.

Our Volunteer Referral Service (VRS) is staffed by highly experienced interviewers and we will undertake the first stage of volunteer referral process for your organisation.

The most time consuming issues that members encounter when conducting internal volunteer recruitment are the number of unsuitable and unqualified people who apply, and the time needed to review applications and perform first-round interviews. This is where we can help.

Let us know what volunteer jobs you need filled by completing the online Volunteer Job Advertisement Form. Please fill out a new form for each new job, make sure that your organisations insurances are up to date and that you have good processes in place to respond to potential volunteer enquiries.

Read what Pieta Thornton, President & Coordinator, VWCCS Inc says about working with The Centre's VRS:

"I am more than impressed with the quality of volunteers who have come to VWCCS Inc through The Centre for Volunteering. We have over the last two years accrued marvellous volunteers who are mainly professional women (plus two males). Their commitment to the work they are doing is outstanding. Through our 9 week Induction Programme early this year there was a 100% retention rate. It is now six months later and there is a 98% retention rate. Two volunteers have left owing to health issues. 

I commend what The Centre for Volunteering is doing both for volunteers seeking work and the organisations such as VWCCS Inc who are utilising your services.

We look forward to another round of recruiting volunteers for our Induction Programme in February 2009."

Please find below further information about the VRS – volunteer referral process:

1. Where The Centre advertises

We advertise your volunteer job/s in our jobs database and on GoVolunteer and Seek Volunteer to ensure maximum exposure of your volunteer jobs.

2. Referring volunteers

We interview people when they express interest in your volunteer job/s and refer suitable volunteers for each volunteer position listed with the VRS, please note the more information that you provide on your job description the better our referrals will be. We then refer individuals to your organisation via an email to the contact person for each volunteer role and the email provides brief contact details (full name, phone number and email address) and the position that they are interested in.

3. Your organisation is responsible for following up and contacting prospective volunteers

It is the organisations responsibility to make Contact with the potential volunteer/s in order to confirm the volunteer's interest and provide extra details about the volunteer job. Please respond to all enquiries you receive from potential volunteers, even if the position is filled please let them know of the current status – perhaps you may have another position that they may want to volunteer for.

4. When a volunteer position has been filled

As soon as each of your volunteer jobs has been filled, you need to let us know so we can suspend the job from our system. (Otherwise, we will keep referring volunteers to you, this will often disappoint the potential volunteer – let them know that they can contact the VRS again for another interview).

5. Changes to your volunteer manager's contact details

You need to advise us of any change to your contact details, such as phone/fax number, email, address and names of any new contact staff. Then we can update this information in our database and give the right information to the prospective volunteers.

6. Visiting The Centre

You are welcome to visit The Centre where we can demonstrate how the volunteer referral service operates.

7. Sending us feedback

We will monitor any suggestions you have to help us improve our services.

If you have any questions, please phone The Centre for Volunteering on 02 9261 3600 or email info@volunteering.com.au

If you are interested in using The Centre for Volunteering to help fill your volunteer roles and are not currently a member, please find out how to become a member.