Five Forces that are Changing Volunteering in Queensland

This discussion paper was commissioned by Volunteering Queensland in response to declining volunteer rates evidenced in the State of Volunteering in Queensland 2024 report. The paper analyses the external driving forces contributing to the recent decline in volunteering that is not only occurring in our State, but across the world.

The author posits that if nothing changes, Queensland could lose up to 18% of its volunteer workforce over the next 20 years – that’s $4.8 billion a year in lost social and economic value.

Worryingly, these figures are based on a more conservative decline than the 10% recorded in the 2024 State of Volunteering report.

The paper identifies the five changes influencing the global decline in volunteering:

• Demographic changes with ageing populations, increased diversity and new work patterns
• Economic factors and cost-of-living as well as cost-of-volunteering
• Reduced sources of support and decreasing funding and other revenue
• Declining trust in institutions eroding community support
• Environmental change increasing natural disasters