There is an old adage – ‘where society goes, organisations must follow to stay relevant’. It’s certainly no different for Rotary.

Article by RI Director Jessie Harman

Recent research commissioned by Volunteering Australia confirms that the patterns of volunteering are changing across the country[i]. Driven by changing demographics, lifestyles and motivations, these new patterns are creating pressures for volunteer- involving and volunteer-led organisations like Rotary.

Some of the research findings are particularly interesting:

• Both men and women identify ‘lack of time’ as the most important reason for not volunteering. However more women than men feel ‘rushed for time’.
• People are becoming more discerning about how they volunteer their time and more interested in the benefits that volunteering can bring for them
• There has been a surge of interest in spontaneous volunteering, i.e. volunteering immediately after a disaster (e.g. bushfires, floods)
• Information technology is providing new opportunities for people to find volunteering opportunities that suit their time and circumstances, and to volunteer in different ways
• Competition for volunteers is increasing; a consequence of growing demand for services which traditionally rely heavily on volunteers (such as community, aged care and disability support services).

These changes have given rise to the term ‘new volunteering’ – to recognise that volunteering is becoming more episodic, more self-oriented in volunteer motivations and taking place with weaker organisational attachments.

So what does this mean for Rotary? In short, it means we need to continue to adapt to stay relevant – to ensure Rotary membership is meeting the changing needs of current and future members.

There are a range of things clubs can do that respond directly to these patterns of new volunteering. You can:

• Share the impact of volunteering to existing and prospective members
• Ensure your club and your service projects can be found on digital platforms
• Leverage social media to spread your message
• Find ways to make membership easier for members (e.g. payment plans, hybrid participation approaches, more flexibility)
• Focus on finding volunteering opportunities that enable people to use their skills (to keep those skills sharp) or to develop skills (for personal/professional development)
• Find the ‘causes’ that resonate with your members and/or are the pressing needs in your communities
• Consider including virtual volunteering in your suite of service projects
• Develop paths that enable individuals to progress from episodic/spontaneous involvement to sustained involvement (i.e. membership)

I encourage club and district leaders to consider the things they can do to respond to changing volunteer needs and expectations. The future of Rotary depends on it.

[i] VA-Key-Volunteering-Statistics-2022-Update.pdf (volunteeringaustralia.org)