Finding purpose through volunteering

Sarah Wilson has let her passion for volunteering lead her through multiple roles in the sector, culminating in her latest, leading the development of the National Strategy for Volunteering. She is this week’s Changemaker.

In February, Australia was introduced to its new National Strategy for Volunteering at the 2023 National Volunteering Conference.

It was the culmination of an intense period of collaboration with Australia’s volunteering ecosystem.

And over that time, the sector was introduced to Sarah Wilson, national strategy director at Volunteering Australia.

Her impassioned, emotional speech at the conference earned her applause and praise.

Now with some space to breathe, Wilson is this week’s Changemaker.

She describes her career in the for-purpose sector as “more of a happy accident than a deliberate decision”, driven by a desire to give back.

“I was midway through my Bachelor of Arts/Laws when I had this sudden realisation that I didn’t know what I wanted to do, except that I definitely didn’t want to be a lawyer. I spontaneously applied for a volunteering role with VolunteeringACT and the following year they offered me a job,” she recalled.

She spent eight years there, moving through “nearly every role imaginable”, and discovered a passion for policy and advocacy that she continued to pursue.

When Wilson heard that Volunteering Australia had been given funding to develop a new National Strategy for Volunteering, she knew it was the role for her.

“I’d spent years advocating for the importance of volunteering at a local level, I had first-hand experience working for a volunteering peak body and volunteering support service, and I was a serial volunteer. This experience gave me a really good grasp of the complexity and nuance that a National Strategy for Volunteering would need to consider, so I applied for the role and here we are!” she said.

Volunteering also led her to discover another passion, for supporting people through mental ill-health. In 2019, Wilson went back to university to study psychology. She’s just embarked on her Honours year and plans to study a combined PhD/Master of Clinical Psychology from 2024.

You’ve just led a major project for the volunteering ecosystem. How did you find that role, bringing together such a diverse set of stakeholders to gather a unified voice and vision?

Honestly, it was the job of a lifetime. It’s hard to think anything could beat it (although hopefully I haven’t peaked in my thirties!). The volunteering ecosystem is highly diverse and one of the considerations that was front of mind for the entirety of the project was making sure we captured as many different views as possible. We wanted to deliver a National Strategy that people saw themselves reflected in, whilst acknowledging that the challenges and opportunities differ by stakeholder type, geography, and a myriad of other factors. Being at the centre of the whole process was exhilarating in a way that words can’t describe. There is something singularly rewarding about connecting with people over a shared passion and working together towards a mutual outcome.

Would you say it’s been your biggest career challenge to date?

I often joke that I tend to underestimate complicated things. Looking back now I don’t think it was until the Build Phase (October – 10 months in) that I truly grasped the magnitude of what we were trying to achieve. 

I often highlighted in our Visioning Workshops that “tension” had emerged as the unofficial word of the project. The biggest challenge was trying to find equilibrium when people shared completely opposite experiences of the same issue. We wanted to make sure we captured these tensions to demonstrate just how complex and multifaceted volunteering is. It often felt like we could have done more – held more consultations, spoken to more people, reviewed more research. But seeing the vision, focus areas, and strategic objectives come to life really demonstrated how the richness of information and feedback received during the co-design process coalesced into one unifying agenda.

Someone described the project as a marathon of sprints, and that’s exactly what it felt like.

Unquestionably though, the highlight was all the people I got to meet along the way. Those working in the volunteering ecosystem, whether paid or unpaid, are the kindest, most passionate, and most generous people I have ever known. I consider it a great privilege to have been able to learn from everyone who participated and to have carried their aspirations forward into what is now our National Strategy for Volunteering.

And how does it feel to be complete?

Honestly, it still feels really surreal. On one hand, the project is “over”, but, conversely, the work hasn’t even begun. We set an incredibly ambitious 10-year agenda that is going to require a deliberate, strategic, collaborative effort involving millions of stakeholders. Some of what we’ve set out to achieve requires fundamentally dismantling systems that are problematic or no longer serve us, and we will need to completely redesign ways of working together to achieve real progress.

A couple of weeks ago my CEO Mark asked me if I’m proud of the National Strategy. My immediate response was to rattle off all the things I wish we had done differently, but in reflecting on that question, my answer today is that I am proud. Because we proved it’s possible to bring together the entire volunteering ecosystem and genuinely co-design a future for volunteering that we want for our communities. And that makes me feel excited and optimistic about what might come next.

You’re a volunteer yourself. What do you love about volunteering? Are there any particular causes you gravitate to?

Volunteering is the love of my life. It is unequivocally the most rewarding and meaningful thing I do with my time. I volunteer in the mental health and animal welfare spaces both because they’re causes I care deeply about and because I think my skills add value to the roles I undertake. At the heart of it, volunteering is about doing something for others, but I don’t know a single volunteer who wouldn’t tell you that they feel like they get more out of volunteering than they give. The thought that my actions, however small, can make a difference to my small patch of grass on this big and beautiful earth still never fails to amaze me. And the power of that collective effort cannot be understated. Volunteers will save the world, you watch.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into volunteering, but not sure how they would balance it with work?

There’s a common misconception that volunteering requires a huge time commitment. Additionally, a lot of people self-screen out of volunteering because they don’t think they have anything valuable to contribute. But the possibilities really are endless. I do one of my volunteering roles on site every week, but another is completely flexible, done remotely, and I choose my assignments. 

For those who don’t know where to start I always encourage them to think about activities they enjoy doing (e.g. being outdoors) or to identify a skill they have that they want to contribute (e.g. web design) and then try to connect them with a role or organisation that can meet their motivations.

It’s also becoming much more commonplace for employers to encourage and enable their employees to volunteer. The National Strategy identifies employee volunteering as an untapped source of potential. So, if you’re worried about fitting volunteering in outside work, why not do it through work? And for any employers reading this, if you don’t have a Workplace Giving Strategy or provisions for paid volunteering leave, 2023 is the year.

What was the best piece of advice you received when you entered the ecosystem, and conversely, what do you wish you had known when you started?

I’ve been absolutely blessed to have worked under and alongside some of the most knowledgeable and wise leaders, mentors, and peers, whose advice has held me in good stead throughout my career. The first thing that comes to mind is “always err on the side of grace”. A colleague-turned-dear-friend shared this sentiment with me, which has become a value I live by. Operating from a default position that assumes the most charitable explanation in any situation allows me to respond with kindness and compassion.

The second thing that comes to mind is a reflection from a project participant who said, “I need to remember to stop rejecting myself on behalf of others. My inclusion needs matter.” As someone who is neurodivergent and also an introvert I have often been unsure of my place in the world. Being the “face” of the National Strategy project came with a lot of (usually self-imposed) pressure. Both my national strategy director role and my recent experience as the National Volunteering Conference MC made me feel seen and celebrated for who I am, eccentricities and all. This is not something I will soon forget, and I am so grateful to Volunteering Australia and the volunteering ecosystem for welcoming me to “come as I am”.

And what do I wish I’d known? For starters, that I could have a career in the for-purpose sector. No one tells you in high school that charities and not for profits also employ marketing coordinators and finance officers and project managers. We aren’t pitching this space to young people as a career opportunity, yet every generation is more socially conscious than the last. We are missing a huge opportunity to attract talent into the ecosystem.

I also wish I’d known that cause-based advocacy can be a doozy, and that some days it absolutely ruins you. Because it can be demoralising beyond belief to continuously progress evidence-based solutions for an issue or cause and routinely feel like it’s one step forward and two steps back. But then you go home and your rescue greyhound George has collected all your shoes and put them on your bed and is asleep upside down on the couch and you remember why we do it and that the small wins matter.

What keeps you motivated, especially in the face of ongoing crises impacting the ecosystem?

Honestly, it’s the people. My colleagues, my peers, and the volunteers. I am very lucky to work with an exceptionally talented team, who are also kind and caring beyond measure, and are wholeheartedly committed to the work we do. Every day I’m surrounded by people who believe a different world is possible.

I think we’re finally seeing the ripple effect of the seemingly never-ending “once in a generation” crises we’ve experienced over the past few years. Every time it is volunteers and volunteer involving organisations that do the lion’s share of responding. I do wonder if one positive of recent events is that the volunteering ecosystem is finally being recognised (and hopefully soon will be properly valued and resourced) for our critical and irreplaceable role in not just responding to crises, but in building safe, connected, resilient, and joyful communities.

My advice to anyone who is short on motivation is to ask someone why they choose to volunteer. I guarantee it will put a smile on your face. And if all the above fails, Mark brings donuts to the office most days.

How do you wind down at the end of a busy week (or month, or year!)

Week: I’m a voracious reader and I love to re-centre by getting lost in a good book. Recent favourites are Tell Me Again by Dr Amy Thunig and The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams.

Month: Quality time with people who make me laugh.

Year: Shark diving. Absolutely nothing turns off the noise like being 20 metres below the surface surrounded by marine life. One of my 2023 goals is to upgrade this to at least quarterly, though living in a landlocked city doesn’t exactly help my cause.