Volunteering Australia welcomes new nonprofit leadership body
Volunteering Australia CEO, Cary Pedicini, has welcomed the initiative to create a new nonprofit sector leadership body following a meeting of 50 sector leaders in Canberra.
“Volunteering Australia has agreed to work in collaboration with other nonprofit sector agencies to take a leading role in this initiative”.
“Nonprofit organisations are governed by volunteer directors and engage three volunteers for every paid employee in their workforce. The contribution of volunteer directors, managers and workers is therefore vital in this process. We can bring the volunteer voice with that broad representation to the table ensuring one of Australia’s largest groups is represented,” Cary said.
“It is also important to remember that the voluntary sector reaches beyond the formal boundaries of organisations listed on the ABS Not-for-Profit Business Register with volunteers playing vital roles in government and quasi government agencies such as fire and emergency services”.
“An enormous amount of informal volunteer effort also takes place in communities and this effort needs to be stimulated if we are to address the critical challenges before us. The global financial crisis, climate change, taxation reform and workforce issues all present significant challenges to our nation and our 5.4 million volunteers need to be part of the solution,” Cary said.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of our society and volunteer engagement has the potential to have a significant impact on how we best address these challenges. This is an unprecedented opportunity for the sector to work with government with a single, united voice to address these critical issues.”
“This is a critical time that requires urgent action and Volunteering Australia is ready to accept the challenges and be a part of a new initiative to better represent the nonprofit sector, which for the first time has the opportunity to provide a united voice to government. We must accept the challenges and make sure that the volunteering in all its forms is represented.”
