Wellbeing 

The Power of Volunteering

It has been wonderful to welcome back our Rotary volunteers to our (COVID-safe) Breakfast Club. One of life’s pleasures is working together with others to help others – creating connected communities. 

A recent State of Volunteering Report revealed: 

1. In 2019, 2.3 million Victorians aged 15 and over – 42.1% of the adult population volunteered.  
2. Victorian volunteers contributed $58.1 billion dollars of value to our economy last year, including:  
3. $19.4 billion in costs to replace the labour volunteers contribute to Victoria   
4. $8.2 billion contribution to Victoria’s Gross State Product (GSP).  
5. Collectively, our findings show investing in volunteering provides a net return of approximately $3.70 on every dollar invested.   

How wonderful! But sadly, the report showed a recent decline: 

The initial COVID-19 impact in April-May 2020 saw a 50.2% decline in the volunteering participation rate, from 42.1% (2.3 million) to 21.0% (1.1 million). There was a net decline in volunteering hours of almost two-thirds (64.1%) during this period.  

Numurkah’s wonderful volunteers help create connections and greater sense of community; let’s encourage those who work for others and get involved if we can! Especially in these times when we need each other more than ever. 

Tam Joyce 

https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/advocacy-policy-research/stateofvolunteering/