Being a volunteer means helping others by providing your time and resources. It's also about caring for others, sharing and lending a hand.

Why volunteer?

Volunteering can offer many benefits to older people, including opportunities to:

• feel needed and valued
• learn new skills
• keep active
• meet new people
• make a difference in someone's life
• support your favourite cause
• give back to your community.

Where can I find out about volunteer opportunities?

If you would like to become an older volunteer in your community there are many ways to get involved. You can:

• approach an organisation whose work you find interesting
• contact your local council
• use the national volunteer matching website Go Volunteer
• search opportunities on websites including Seek Volunteer and Volunteering Australia

Community consultation on volunteering

One of the aims of the NSW Government’s ageing strategy is to promote volunteering at all ages and increase the participation of older people as volunteers. These commitments build on targets set out in NSW 2021.

Two community consultations on volunteering were held by the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ageing (MACA) to help form the strategies in the NSW Government's Ageing Strategy.

The ideas and issues raised at the consultations were drawn together in the report called Volunteering – it’s never too late! (PDF)

Participants recognised that a range of social, economic and demographic factors impact on voluntary community activity.

The consultations provided a range of suggestions for engaging younger and older people in volunteering. Key issues raised included:

• governance and people management in volunteer organisations
• diversity
• training
• promotions and information.