The National Definition of Volunteering & The Multicultural Perspective
‘Volunteering is time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain.’
The above definition of volunteering is the industry standard for VIOs in Australia. It was developed by Volunteering Australia to reflect the way Australians choose to volunteer and provides the sector with a common reference point.
However, this meaning may not necessarily align with the perspectives and experiences of multicultural communities. How they define the concept may be completely different. In a recent survey of multicultural volunteers conducted by The Centre for Volunteering as part of their NSW Multicultural Volunteering Report, around 40% of participants agreed with the statement, ‘In my language or culture, volunteering is different from how it is understood in Australia’. This is a significant amount and shows the potential for misconception between the expectations of VIOs and multicultural volunteers.
Therefore, it is important to recognise that perspectives on volunteering can vary and you can’t make assumptions on why people volunteer. Take the time to find out what these perspectives are so you can engage multicultural volunteers meaningfully.
Refer to the Practicing Cultural Inclusion section to help you approach this respectfully.
Learning about a volunteer’s perspectives will also help you to understand their motivations. Be aware that these can vary greatly, even between volunteers from the same culture so it is important to approach each one as an individual. Examples of motivating factors include:
a commitment to the organisation and its mission
a desire to help others
wanting to use their expertise and skills to help others
wanting to learn and develop
wanting to gain experience that may help with future employment
an interest in the activity for enjoyment or as a hobby
a desire for social contact and new friends
wanting to give back to the community
an expectation that volunteering will be enjoyable, rewarding or fulfilling
Knowing what motivates a volunteer means that you can tailor your approach to managing them and give them the best possible experience while they are at your organisation.