I have been volunteering since I was a teenager. I’ve done tech for community theatre, read to cats in an animal shelter, and sorted donations in an op shop. I’ve helped run community events with North-West Pride, pulped books at the Burnie library, and facilitated LGBTIQA+ youth groups.
This year I’ve had the pleasure and privilege to manage a group of volunteers for the Working It Out Together project. I often say this is a dream job, but truly I could never have even imagined this job existing.
I support a wonderful group of people who are committed to making Tasmania’s LGBTIQA+ community more accessible, inclusive, and safe for each other. They share their time, expertise, and experience with us; they extend their hands to welcome our most isolated and vulnerable community members in; they are doors in the walls that systemic oppression and a history of homophobia in this state has convinced us are impenetrable.
For those of you who are volunteers or are thinking about becoming volunteers, I wanted to share two things I’ve learned from being a volunteer and a volunteer manager, and from the amazing volunteers I’ve managed.
- Volunteering is not just about giving – you should be receiving something.
There are many reasons why people volunteer and knowing your reason is the first step to knowing what you should be getting from volunteering. For me, and many of the volunteers I’ve managed, the reason is building and being connected to community. I often volunteer when I move to new cities to make connections in environments that feel safe and interesting to me. Other people may volunteer to build experience in a particular field or to support a cause. Whatever your reason, make sure you check in with yourself and ask: are you getting what you wanted from the experience? Volunteering is not just about giving – you should be getting something too.
- You are the expert on your own experience.
Your interests, skills, and time commitments are yours to explore and decide in any role, but particularly as a volunteer. If you feel that something isn’t working or could be better, if you want to give more or less time, or if you feel you could contribute better or have a better experience doing something else, trust that and trust yourself. Move around, try things, suggest things or give feedback to the organisation(s) you are working with. Improving your experience will help improve everyone else’s, and you are the expert on your experience.
If you are interested in volunteering with Working It Out (Tasmania’s LGBTIQA+ support, education and advocacy service), current opportunities and contact details can be found here: https://www.workingitout.org.au/members-and-allies/#volunteer
If you are interested in other volunteering opportunities, reach out to your local community groups or check out the Volunteering Tasmania website: https://volunteeringtas.org.au/
