Harnessing the skills of people with disability in the volunteering sector

Monday 19 May 2025

The Minns Labor Government is working to make the volunteering sector even more inclusive, today launching a set of guidelines to harness the skills of volunteers with disability.

The new NSW Disability Inclusion Volunteering Guidelines will help business, government, and community groups to be more disability confident and boost the participation of people with disability in volunteering roles.

The new resource provides a wide range of ideas on how organisations can improve volunteering for people with disability, through better recruitment, retention and recognition. This is based on best practice principles that focus on accessibility, creating supportive relationships, and ongoing improvement.

The guidelines are a key new initiative under the NSW Volunteering Strategy 2020-2030 and have been developed in response to NSW Volunteering Taskforce recommendations.

They also align with the NSW Disability Inclusion Plan 2021-2025, which sets out the state’s whole-of-government strategy to improve the lives of people with disability.

The guidelines will be launched at an event today to kick off celebrations for National Volunteer Week, which runs from 19 to 25 May.

To learn more about the guidelines and how to get involved, visit the NSW Volunteering website.

Minister for Disability Inclusion Kate Washington said:

“There’s a role for everyone in volunteer organisations, including the one in five people in NSW who have a disability.

“We want to ensure people with disability can share their skills, expertise and dedication for making a difference in workplaces and volunteer organisations.

“These guidelines are a free and flexible resource that will help organisations improve the volunteer experience for everyone, especially people with disability.

Minister with responsibility for Volunteering Jodie Harrison said:

“New South Wales has an incredible volunteering sector, with 4.3 million volunteers each year making an enormous contribution to communities across our state. 

“Volunteers are diverse, of all ages and abilities, skills and backgrounds, and we know that when our volunteering sector’s diversity increases, so does innovation and creativity - and our communities thrive.

“These new guidelines help organisations deliver best practice when it comes to being inclusive, providing ideas on good communication and how to build positive relationships. In doing this, they will encourage more people with disability to take up volunteering and find meaningful ways to give back to their communities.

“Our differences are our greatest strength. Improvements in sector diversity leads to better problem solving, greater productivity and vibrancy.”

Centre for Volunteering CEO Gemma Rygate said:

“We are proud to support the release of the NSW Disability Inclusion Volunteering Guidelines.

“These guidelines represent an important step toward empowering Volunteer Involving Organisations to build more inclusive, accessible, and equitable volunteering environments—ensuring people with disability are fully supported and recognised as active, valued contributors to our communities.”