Volunteer

Donate your time to make a real difference in the lives of people who are disadvantaged or living in poverty.

A photo of 2 people packing bread and tinned food into boxes on a bench.

Volunteering with Vinnies

Volunteering with Vinnies is a rich and rewarding experience. By donating your time to help deliver our services and projects, you can be sure you’re making a difference in people’s lives.

Our volunteers help anyone in need, regardless of their background, culture, religion or political opinion. We meet people where they are, be it in their home, in hospital, in detention or on the street.

People who volunteer with us respect the ethos, mission, aims and objects of the Society and give their time freely to support our good works.

For some Vinnies volunteers, this is a chance to use their skills and experience to give back to the community. For others, volunteering provides a chance to develop new skills and gain experience in a supportive environment.

As a volunteer, you'll benefit from:

The satisfaction of helping others
Sharing your skills and teaching others
Learning new skills
The sense of community and friendship.

There are a variety of volunteering opportunities to get involved with. Depending on location, these might include:

Working in a Vinnies shop or depot
Working in a call centre or support centre
Helping one of our soup vans
Tutoring refugee families
Working in a family support, aged care or youth program
Taking disadvantaged children out on outings
Helping with day-to-day admin
Befriend a person living with mental illness.

With such a wide range of services and programs to be involved in, there is something to suit all commitment levels from weekly, monthly, quarterly or ad-hoc volunteering.

The Society recognises that the level of involvement volunteers can commit to will vary depending on their personal circumstances such as study, work, and family commitments.

Members and volunteers are also supported to adjust their commitment as their personal circumstances change.

To ensure the safety and support of our volunteers, we provide training in

Society programs
Workplace Health and Safety
Child protection
Social and formation opportunities, including retreats and Festival days.

You do not need to be Catholic to volunteer. While the Society is a Catholic lay organisation, we welcome people of all backgrounds and beliefs who support our mission to help people who are disadvantaged and living in poverty.