Inclusive Role Design | Case Study

This project by Volunteer South West was supported through Volunteering WA’s Volunteer Management Activity, funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.

Breaking down barriers to volunteering

To support volunteer-involving organisations reduce barriers to recruiting volunteers from identified priority groups, Volunteer South West extended targeted support to organisations across the five surrounding local government associations outside Bunbury — the Shires of Capel, Collie, Dardanup, Donnybrook Balingup, and Harvey.

Alongside this support, Volunteer South West delivered outreach activities within these communities to engage potential volunteers from priority groups who may otherwise miss out on meaningful opportunities.

This dual approach ensured both organisations and community members were equipped, informed, and better connected, strengthening inclusive volunteering pathways across the region.

How to attract the most suitable candidate

Volunteer South West connected with the Managers of the Collie River Valley Visitor Centre at a Collie Chamber of Commerce event. Following Volunteer South West’s presentation on inclusive and flexible volunteer management, the Visitor Centre Manager approached them for support.

The biggest challenge for this little team with a huge workload was initially how to attract the appropriate type of candidate for a non-paid position. After a couple of face-to-face visits and in-depth conversations, Volunteer South West identified tasks that could be handled by volunteers, in both the front and back end of the centre, which hadn’t been previously identified. This could also remove much of the burden from the centre Manager’s shoulders.

The idea of micro-volunteering opportunities was introduced to attract community members who weren’t considered previously e.g. youth or people living with a disability.

Three new positions were developed, engaging position descriptions were created and promoted on social media: Fill-It-Up Champ, Meet & Greet Volunteer and All-Round Awesome Assistant. There was something for everyone – catering for different needs of volunteers.

Outcomes

Building Trust: Face-to-face engagement helped build trust and awareness quickly. Because relationship building takes time, meeting in person created an important foothold for strengthening connections and demonstrating how Volunteer South West can support.
Getting Creative: The Manager was inspired to think creatively, revisiting their procedures and volunteer roles to make them more inclusive and appealing to a broader range of volunteers.
Expanded Volunteer Opportunities: Identification of new tasks that could be safely and meaningfully delegated to volunteers, increasing organisational capacity.
Greater Accessibility and Diversity: Introduction of micro volunteering options opened the door to community members with limited time, different abilities, or less traditional volunteering backgrounds.
Enhanced Community Connection: The Visitor Centre became more approachable and volunteer friendly, strengthening its relationship with the local community.

The team at Volunteer South West supported my already busy workload, going over and above to support our business in every aspect of seeking volunteers. I cannot recommend this team enough! Great work Volunteer South West!

Key takeaways for organisations

Flexible role design expands the volunteer base. Breaking larger roles into smaller, manageable tasks can reduce workload pressures and make volunteering more accessible. This approach also attracts a wider range of volunteers, including young people, or those with limited time or varying abilities.
Role clarity reduces barriers for both volunteers and managers. Developing clear, strengths based position descriptions helps potential volunteers understand what is expected of them, and allows the Volunteer Manager to confidently and clearly delegate tasks.
Small teams benefit significantly from task mapping. Through collaborative conversations, it became clear that many incidental tasks front and back of house could be safely handed over to volunteers. This process highlighted how important it is for small teams to regularly review their workload and identify opportunities for volunteer involvement.

Explore the Volunteer Management Activity

Working together, we can help you foster an inclusive and accessible organisation so anyone can thrive as a volunteer.

Volunteer Management Activity (VMA) VMA Project-Based Grants