Volunteering in Australia Research Early Insights Launch – The Volunteer Perspective

Date: Thursday 19 May 2022
Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm (AEST)
Location: Microsoft Teams (online)

The Volunteering in Australia Research Early Insights Launch

In National Volunteer Week, Volunteering Australia and the Australian National University Centre for Social Research and Methods are launching an Early Insights report on new data collected on volunteering in Australia.

The Report is the first release of data from the Volunteering in Australia research, a robust, new evidence-base that will inform the development of the National Strategy for Volunteering. The Report includes new data on:

Changes in the rate of volunteering in Australia
The demographics of volunteers
Reasons for volunteering and not volunteering
Volunteer satisfaction and expectations about the future
Informal volunteering

The launch event will include a presentation by lead researcher Professor Nicholas Biddle from the Australian National University Centre for Social Research and Methods, an overview of how the research fits into the National Strategy for Volunteering project by Volunteering Australia’s National Strategy Director Sarah Wilson, and a Q&A session facilitated by Volunteering Australia CEO, Mark Pearce.

If you need support to access this event or have a suggestion for how it could be more inclusive, please contact us at nationalstrategy@volunteeringaustralia.org

About the speakers

Professor Nicholas Biddle

Professor Nicholas Biddle is Associate Director of the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, head of the methods and survey program in the centre and lead researcher for the Policy Experiments Lab.

He has a Bachelor of Economics (Hons.) from the University of Sydney and a Master of Education from Monash University. He also has a PhD in Public Policy from the ANU where he wrote his thesis on the benefits of and participation in education of Indigenous Australians.

He previously held a Senior Research Officer and Assistant Director position in the Methodology Division of the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

He is currently a Fellow of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson is the National Strategy Director at Volunteering Australia. She is an alumna of the Australian National University, holding a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws, and recently completed a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences at Swinburne University of Technology.

Sarah is an expert in volunteer involvement and volunteer management, formerly serving as Policy Manager for VolunteeringACT for nearly a decade. Throughout her time with VolunteeringACT Sarah played an instrumental role in delivering projects of local and national significance. Sarah is a passionate volunteer, as the President of the Youth Coalition of the ACT, a Board Director for Animals Australia, a Telephone Crisis Supporter for Lifeline Canberra, and as a Research and Policy Volunteer for the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds.

Mark Pearce

Mark Pearce is CEO of Volunteering Australia. Mark draws on his extensive experience in the social purpose and commercial sectors to lead Volunteering Australia to build a stronger, more connected and resilient Australian community through volunteering.

Prior to joining Volunteering Australia, Mark was a senior executive at National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples and held senior investment banking and institutional funds management roles with Goldman Sachs, JBWere, nab, and Macquarie Bank.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Science (Politics and International Relations (Hons.)) from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Graduate Diploma in Human Rights from School of Advanced Studies at the University of London and is currently studying for a Master of Public Policy at the Australian National University.

Driven by a strong belief in the transformative power of compassion, Mark applies his skills and expertise as a Non-Executive Director of Community Council for Australia, a member of the Emergency Relief National Coordination Group, and sustainable food company, Growrs Ltd. In addition to a passion for human rights, Mark is active in fighting for animal rights and is Deputy Chair of Australia’s leading animal protection organisation, Animals Australia.