29 April 2020
Dear Friends, Colleagues, Stakeholders,
I have informed the Board and staff of Volunteering Australia of my resignation from the organisation, effective 12 June 2020. I leave VA with mixed feelings, confident that I have given my all to an organisation that I am so passionate about, but mindful of the work we still need to do to ensure that the unpaid workforce is as much a part of the productivity agenda as the paid workforce.
I have been at VA for 3 and a half years, but my volunteering journey started in 2007 at Volunteering Tasmania. I have had so many opportunities to represent and advance volunteering in the past 13 years, and to connect with so many others that share my belief in the power of volunteering. To this day, meeting volunteers and leaders of volunteers and hearing their stories is what keeps the fire burning in my belly, and drives me to want to create change. Volunteering is so much more that a simple act of giving – it is what connects us as humans, makes us feel that we belong somewhere, are important, have hope and that our life has meaning. If ever we doubted the power of volunteering, the recent crises show us that volunteering is more than just a group of dispirit individuals, it is a movement, a workforce that addresses some of the most pressing issues of our time.
Any leader is only as good as the team they work in. VA’s team – past and present – is made up of some of the most exceptional humans that I have encountered in my career. I am sure that I will have cause to mention them again over the coming weeks, but I will genuinely miss their intelligence, humour, support, and commitment to volunteering.
Rather than go to market to appoint a successor in these uncertain times, the Board will be appointing an interim CEO for the short term. This will allow time for the current situation to settle, and for them to determine what the organisation needs as it moves forward. They will be announcing details of this in the coming days.
I will be leaving VA and returning to Hobart to take up the position as the CEO of TasCOSS. I am pleased to be able to continue my work in the community sector, and do my bit to influence change.
The current restrictions won’t allow for the usual farewells, but I hope I have the opportunity to connect with many of you virtually over the next few weeks.
Wishing you all well.
Adrienne
