What Is Workplace Volunteering and Why Every Australian Business Should Have a Program
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Workplace volunteering is one of the most effective tools available to Australian businesses looking to strengthen their team culture, engage their people and create genuine social impact. Yet for many organisations, it remains an untapped opportunity, either because they are unsure where to start or because they underestimate the value it can deliver.
This guide covers everything you need to know about workplace volunteering in Australia, including what it is, why it matters and how to build a program that works for your business and your community.
What Is Workplace Volunteering?
Workplace volunteering, sometimes called employee volunteering or corporate volunteering, is when a business creates structured opportunities for its employees to contribute their time, skills or resources to a charitable cause during work hours or as part of a company-organised program.
Unlike individual volunteering, workplace volunteering is coordinated at an organisational level. Typically aligned with the company’s broader strategy, values and commitments such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting frameworks. This means the business takes responsibility for identifying suitable opportunities, partnering with the right charities, managing logistics and measuring outcomes, so employees can participate meaningfully without having to organise it themselves.
Workplace volunteering can take many forms, including:
- Hands-on charity team building experiences
- Skills-based volunteering using employee expertise
- Environmental and conservation projects
- Fundraising campaigns and charity challenges
- Ongoing community partnerships
Why Workplace Volunteering Matters for Australian Businesses
The business case for workplace volunteering is well established and growing stronger. According to the Deloitte Volunteerism Survey (2024), 91% of employees say volunteering improves engagement and overall work experience. The same research found that 87% of employees say workplace volunteer opportunities are crucial in deciding whether to stay with their current employer or pursue a new role, a compelling figure for any business leader focused on retention.
The momentum behind workplace volunteering is also accelerating globally. Benevity’s 2024 State of Corporate Volunteering report analysed data from 473 companies across 18 countries and found a 57% year-over-year increase in employee volunteering participation and a 41% increase in total volunteer hours.
According to the 2023 Snapshot of Volunteering in Australia, 14.1 million Australians volunteer each year, contributing 3.2 billion hours of effort to their communities, underscoring the deep cultural appetite for giving back that smart workplace programs can harness and channel.
For Australian businesses navigating a competitive talent landscape, workplace volunteering has shifted from a nice-to-have to a genuine strategic advantage.
The Benefits of Workplace Volunteering
Stronger Employee Engagement
While 77% of employees are not engaged at work (Gallup, 2023), innovative companies are discovering that corporate volunteering programs can bridge the crucial gap between employee experience and engagement. A 2024 Deloitte survey found that employees who participate in workplace volunteer programs are 2.5 times more likely to feel engaged at work.
Improved Retention
Employees who participate in corporate purpose programs through volunteering, giving or taking positive actions are 52% less likely to leave their company, according to Benevity’s research. For Australian businesses facing the ongoing challenge of staff turnover, this is a significant finding.
Stronger Team Cohesion
Workplace volunteering gives teams a shared purpose outside of their day-to-day roles. Working together toward a meaningful goal builds trust, improves communication and strengthens relationships in ways that traditional team building activities often cannot replicate. According to the Deloitte Volunteerism Survey (2024), 49% of employees report building stronger connections with colleagues through volunteering.
A More Positive Workplace Culture
According to a 2024 study exploring employee wellbeing outcomes, volunteering emerged as the single most effective method for improving employee wellness, outperforming other initiatives like mindfulness programs and financial wellbeing services.
With ESG reporting becoming increasingly important for Australian businesses, workplace volunteering provides measurable social impact data that supports reporting requirements and strengthens stakeholder relationships.
Brand Reputation and Community Trust
75% of millennials expect companies to support causes they care about, according to Forbes research. Businesses that invest in workplace volunteering build authentic stories of impact that resonate with customers, partners and prospective employees alike.
How to Build a Workplace Volunteering Program
1. Define Your Goals
Start by clarifying what you want to achieve. Are you focused on improving employee engagement, meeting ESG commitments, strengthening team connections or contributing to a specific cause? Clear goals will guide every decision that follows.
2. Choose the Right Format
Workplace volunteering programs come in many shapes and sizes. Consider whether a one-off team event, a recurring program or a long-term charity partnership best suits your organisation’s size, culture and capacity.
3. Partner With the Right Organisation
Working with an experienced workplace volunteering partner like CVA removes the complexity from the process. From identifying the right charity partner to managing on-the-day facilitation, a good partner ensures your program delivers genuine impact without placing a heavy burden on your internal team.
4. Engage Your People
The most successful workplace volunteering programs are those that connect with what employees genuinely care about. Involve your team in choosing causes and activities to maximise participation and enthusiasm. Research shows that when company-supported volunteer opportunities are part of a company’s strategy, employee participation rates increase to an average of 7.6 times compared to those without these opportunities. Benevity
5. Measure and Share Your Impact
Track participation rates, volunteer hours and outcomes for your charity partner. Share stories of impact internally and externally to reinforce the value of your program and inspire ongoing engagement.
Workplace Volunteering Ideas for Australian Teams
Looking for inspiration? CVA’s workplace volunteering experiences are designed to do two things at once: bring your team together in a meaningful way and create real, lasting impact for communities in need. Every experience combines structured team challenges, hands-on collaboration and a shared sense of purpose, making them as powerful for your people as they are for the charities they support.
Here are some of our most popular experiences:
Homelessness Care Box Creation Teams work together through engaging challenges to earn items before assembling beautifully presented care boxes for people experiencing homelessness. The experience builds collaboration, communication and empathy, while delivering tangible support through The Good Box.
SolarBuddy Hour of Power Teams assemble solar lights for children living in energy poverty across developing communities. Fast-paced, purpose-driven and deeply rewarding, this experience unites teams around a shared mission with a measurable outcome they can feel proud of.
Prosthetic Hand Building Workshop In one of CVA’s most powerful experiences, teams construct functional prosthetic hands using only one hand, building profound empathy alongside collaboration and problem-solving skills. Each completed device is distributed through the LN4 Hand Project to someone living with limb loss.
Backpacks for School Kids Beginning with STEM-based team challenges that build energy and connection, teams then personalise and pack backpacks filled with essential school supplies for students facing disadvantage. A warm, uplifting experience that strengthens team bonds while making a direct difference to a child’s education.
Water Works Filtration Workshop Teams construct emergency water filtration units through a unique blindfolded challenge that builds communication, trust and empathy, then personalise each unit with artwork for the families who will rely on them. Structured, practical and profoundly impactful.
Every CVA experience is fully managed end-to-end, so your team arrives ready to participate and leaves with a genuine sense of achievement. We take care of all the logistics and planning, leaving you to enjoy the day.
Getting Started With Workplace Volunteering in Australia
Workplace volunteering is one of the most rewarding investments you can make in your people, your culture and your community. Whether you are building your first program or looking to elevate an existing one, the right partner and the right experience can make all the difference.
CVA delivers fully managed workplace volunteering experiences across Australia, from major capitals to regional centres. Every program is purpose-designed to engage your team, deliver measurable outcomes for charity partners and create genuine social impact.
Browse our corporate volunteering experiences and take the first step towards building a more purposeful workplace.
Sources:
- Deloitte Volunteerism Survey (2024) — https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/our-impact/societal-impact/volunteerism.html
- Benevity State of Corporate Volunteering (2024) — https://benevity.com/press-releases/2024-state-of-corporate-volunteering
- Snapshot of Volunteering in Australia (2023) — https://www.volunteering.com.au/snapshot-of-volunteering-in-australia/
- Gallup State of the Global Workplace (2023) — https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
- Volunteering Australia Key Statistics (2024) — https://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/research/
