With the cost of living high and fuel prices even higher, volunteers are still giving up their time to help others and in more ways than one.
Volunteering WA chief executive Tina Williams said numbers across the state are still going strong with more people opting to donate their time thanks to social media.
“On average 1.5 million people from across Western Australia give back through volunteering,” she said.
WIlliams said there are two types of volunteering, formal and informal, with the latter seeing an uptick in recent times.
“Formal volunteering is when you volunteer through an organisation, whereas informal volunteering is more when people just step up individually to help out … they do that off their own back,” she said.
“But what we’re seeing now if we’re looking at trends in volunteering within Western Australia and more broadly across Australia, is that we are seeing an increase in informal volunteering.”
“There are a number of factors that drive that, and social media is one of them.”
Social media allows people to post online asking for help with tasks and people can donate however much time they have available.
“For example, with the cyclone, people put posts up on social media to ask local people for help to come and give a hand to do a certain task,” Williams said.
“That type of volunteering is what we call informal volunteering and it is growing, but it’s also growing because it allows people to step in and out as they wish, as opposed to signing up to something on a more regular basis.”
Williams said formal volunteering for groups like paramedics, firefighters and state emergency services are what keeps the world running.
“The important fact is that without volunteers and without the giving and participation our communities would come to a halt. There’s just no way that they can function,” she said.
“Communities don’t just benefit from volunteering, they rely on them, they are the backbone of services that support people every day.
“If you’re out in the regions, those volunteers will be saving your life. They’re the ones that come to you if you have an accident on the road or if there’s a fire.”
Recognition
Twenty-one volunteers from across the state were announced at the end of March as finalists for the WA Volunteer of the Year awards.
From Derby to Dalyellup, the finalists represented volunteers from all sectors including health, emergency response, aged care, law, human rights, mental health and domestic violence services.
On the list for the lifetime contribution to volunteering award is Tina Baldwin who has spent 41 years providing support to people through Lifeline WA.
“I’m volunteering there and I’m continuing to do so because I truly believe in the service. It’s very, very important, especially in today’s day and age,” Baldwin said.
“It’s just being there and being available for someone who is going through a very tough time and I guess if the volunteers weren’t available, it would make it even more difficult.”
Heading into the Easter long weekend, Williams said she believes volunteering for Lifeline is even more necessary.
“I do find every time that there’s an important day like Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, those days in the community where people get together to celebrate, you find people who are on their own, they’ve got nobody,” she said.
“So they pick up the phone, which is really great, and they do reach out and, you know, not just on the phone but to other organisations who are out there supporting people.
“I think those [services] are being promoted much better now than they were 20 years ago. So it’s really fantastic to see.”
The 2026 winners will be announced at the WA Volunteer of the Year Awards on May 14, ahead of National Volunteer Week.
