Formal volunteering number have been dropping since 2019, but this small coastal lifesaving club found their own solution

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Formal volunteering numbers have been declining over the past few years, but small lifesaving club on the far north coast found a way to buck that trend. A change in how they roster volunteers has had profound effects. And now others are following suit.

Transcript

00:00 Six years ago, this small town surf life-saving club was dangerously understaffed.

00:07 We were having a lot of trouble meeting our patrol obligations here on the beach.

00:13 But a simple roster change has almost quadrupled their volunteer numbers.

00:18 We were so surprised at how successful it was. It essentially left us with no gaps.

00:25 The Burma Kiwi Club now lets members choose when they patrol.

00:30 With the roster I got to choose my dates that I preferred.

00:34 So I made sure that most of my patrols were during the school breaks.

00:39 The retention is much higher too because if people have been given a choice about the times that work for them,

00:44 then they're far more likely to like to be there as well.

00:48 Formal volunteering numbers have been on a downward trend Australia-wide since 2019.

00:54 Between 2020 and 2023, rates across NSW declined by more than 5%.

01:00 Burma Kiwi was the first surf life-saving club in the state to let volunteers choose when they patrol.

01:09 Other clubs have since adopted the change.

01:12 Organisations that are successful are the ones that are willing to be flexible with what they expect from their volunteers.

01:19 Advocates are certain that the motivation to volunteer is as strong as ever.

01:24 Our research shows us that the number one reason people want to be involved is to help.

01:29 So people are out there, they want to help.

01:32 It's just a matter of finding a way to utilise them and keep everyone happy.

01:37 And this little surf life-saving club has found a way to do just that.

01:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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