Volunteering and wellbeing

April, 2026

Volunteering is beneficial for both individual and community wellbeing.

For individuals, volunteering is associated with better life satisfaction, happiness, self-esteem, and mental health. Research suggests that social interaction and giving people a sense of purpose are the key mechanisms linking volunteering activity to better mental health and wellbeing.

Volunteering empowers people to make a positive impact and leads to more inclusive and flourishing communities by offering people opportunities for civic engagement and social, economic, and cultural inclusion. It is a uniquely good indicator of community wellbeing as it captures social connectedness, physical and mental health, sense of purpose, and connection to place.

Volunteering contributes to progress on many national priorities that support the nation’s wellbeing, including tackling mental health issues, reducing social isolation, responding to crises (such as national disasters and health emergencies), and addressing climate change.

Volunteering contributes positively to mental health and suicide prevention in three key ways: the protective value of volunteering in sustaining good mental health, the role of volunteering in mental health recovery and the contribution of volunteers to the mental health workforce. However, the valuable role of volunteering in mental health needs greater recognition in the policies and plans guiding government action on mental health issues.

Volunteering is included as an indicator in Measuring What Matters, the national wellbeing framework used by the Federal Government to track progress towards a more healthy, secure, sustainable, cohesive and prosperous Australia.

The proportion of people who undertake voluntary work is one of the metrics for social connection, which contributes to community cohesion.

Our advocacy aims to ensure the role of volunteering in mental health prevention and recovery is recognised and supported.

We also continue to advocate for the important role that volunteering plays in addressing loneliness and social isolation, building social connections and creating a sense of community. Volunteering is strongest when it is inclusive, creating connections between people of different ages, cultures and backgrounds and drawing on that diversity to support community.

For more information, see the research report Volunteering and Mental Health or visit our page on cultural communities and inclusion in volunteering.

You can access submissions we have published on this topic, as well as all of our other submissions and position statements on our website.