Volunteering

Volunteers at Doutta Galla work in many different roles across the organisation. Volunteers drive clients to appointments and activity programs; lead exercise groups; give out health information; help run activities and outings; work as Committee or Board members; offer administrative help, and lend their professional skills to many projects at Doutta Galla. Whatever their role, all volunteers contribute their skills to help improve the health and well-being of our clients.

Our volunteers come from all walks of life and include retired people, students, workers, parents, grandparents and many other community members. We value the involvement of members of the community in our work.

All volunteers at Doutta Galla are appointed to a particular position and allocated a staff supervisor. Most volunteer positions are ongoing, but some involve working on short-term projects or on an occasional basis. Volunteer hours vary widely, but most volunteers contribute between two and four hours a week to Doutta Galla.

Rachel and Andrea are volunteers at Doutta Galla's Moonee Ponds site. They assist in the communications and publications department two days a week.

Rachel has been a volunteer since July 2012. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Minnesota and is interested in the health care sector.

Andrea has been a volunteer since September 2012 and is currently studying a Master of Communication degree at RMIT University.

Their tasks include photography, writing media releases, designing newsletters and updating the website.

Rachel enjoys the design and marketing aspects. She says, "I appreciate the opportunity to volunteer in a position that lets me use my degree and gain experience. Doutta Galla is a great place to volunteer because the staff put in a huge effort to make sure I am learning as I work. Promoting the service helps me understand Doutta Galla and their unique ways of reaching into the community to help people. The staff always include me as part of the team."

Andrea prefers the editorial tasks. "Volunteering at Doutta Galla is my first professional experience in Australia. I am very happy to finally find a position where I can apply what I have learned from my study while helping the community. It is a great learning process with many interesting tasks. I can definitely develop my skills and confidence here", says Andrea.

After graduating from university with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology and having satisfied the travel bug, Charmaine returned to Australia to start working and volunteering.

“I wanted to get back into volunteering to gain experience. I have been volunteering at Doutta Galla for 18 months now and really enjoy it.

I am also in the unique position of seeing both sides – organising volunteers while being a volunteer myself. I know first hand what volunteers go through and what challenges they meet, as well as working with other volunteers in different areas.”

Charmaine volunteers in the Human Resources department, helping Doutta Galla find new volunteers and performing administrative tasks. Her role includes writing position descriptions, drafting letters of appointment, and organising volunteer functions.

“Everyone is nice and Doutta Galla is a good organisation to work for because they treat volunteers very well.”

Helen has been an outing volunteer at Doutta Galla since 2011. She accepted her friend’s offer, Annie, to help with the outing program, which is free for people in the Kensington community.

“I really enjoy my volunteering tasks – picking a great place, sending out invites and bringing the group together for a fun day once a month. So far, the group has visited Werribee Park, Tulip Farm, Preston Market, Queen Victoria Market and Sydney Road op-shops.”

Helen, who studied teaching at the University of Melbourne, enjoys giving back to the community. “I love to be a part of people’s lives, even for just a short time. This group of people always love to share their stories. They’re just wonderful people. It’s fascinating to see how similar and how diverse we are as people,” says Helen. “I’m very spoiled. Every time I go home after an outing I know I have had so much fun,” she laughs.

Helen believes that volunteering is a win-win situation. “Volunteering really gives me so much more than what I give. I feel that I have done something worthwhile."

Are you interested in becoming a volunteer? We welcome the involvement of community members in our volunteer program.