The social and economic sustainability of WA’s rural volunteer workforce
External PersonnelKirsten Holmes, Amanda Davies
Project StatusComplete
Project Summary
Volunteering is critical to the survival and success of rural communities in WA. The past two decades have seen an increase in the community services delivered by volunteers and demand on the volunteer workforce has intensified. Yet, over the same period there has been a decline in volunteer participation across Australia resulting in a shortage of volunteer labour. This study uses sequential mixed methods to investigate the role of volunteering in creating a sense of community wellbeing and delivering essential services in rural areas, and identifies the strategies volunteers and voluntary organisations are using to sustain the rural volunteer workforce.
Project Outputs
The social and economic sustainability of WA’s rural volunteer workforce
Volunteering is critical to the survival and success of rural communities in Western Australia (WA). The past two decades have seen an increase in the community services delivered by volunteers and demand on the volunteer workforce has intensified. Yet, according to data collected... Read article
More than 50% of rural West Australians are volunteers
— Shortage of volunteers in rural WA and further decline to come — — Volunteer burnout a real risk to regional organisations relying on volunteers — Western Australia’s rural communities are more actively engaged in volunteering than their city counterparts,... Read article
The Social and Economic Sustainability of WA’s Rural Volunteer Workforce
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre and Volunteering WA invite you to the launch of a new report in the BCEC Feature report series, The Social and Economic Sustainability of WA’s Rural Volunteer Workforce. The report will be launched at a... Read article
Who are the future volunteers in rural places?
This paper examines the demographic characteristics of the current pool of volunteers for rural areas and how volunteering relates to individuals’ rural background, sense of connection to the community and future intentions to remain in the community. The paper uses... Read article
Why rural Australia is facing a volunteer crisis
The small town of Coorow is located in the wheat-belt region of Western Australia, about a three hours drive north of Perth. With a population of 400 people, the town funds many of its essential services and community facilities with... Read article
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre team acknowledges the Wadjuk Nyungar people as the traditional owners of the land on which the Centre is situated.