When Volunteers Lead: The Power of Community-Centred Engagement

At the heart of community-centred volunteer engagement is a simple yet powerful idea: the community must define the problems and be part of creating the solutions. Too often, organisations set their missions, strategies, and processes without deeply engaging the people they aim to serve. 

Shifting to a more community-led approach requires intentional change - but where can leaders of volunteer engagement start?

One starting point is sharing information with volunteers - beyond just their immediate roles. When volunteers understand the broader context of an organisation’s work, they can bring fresh ideas and insights that drive meaningful change. Another step is strengthening relationships with volunteers by creating multiple ways for them to share their perspectives, fostering a culture where their voices shape solutions.

Here are two real examples:

• A volunteer with our online bookstore warehouse noticed large volumes of children’s books being discarded. She proposed redirecting them to a local playgroup serving refugee and migrant families. Now, those books support early childhood learning while reducing waste.

• A volunteer in our Digital Literacy program learned that participants lacked devices for training. Leveraging a corporate contact, they secured surplus laptops from their workplace, which are now donated to program participants, removing a key barrier to learning.

When volunteers are invited into open conversations and trusted to contribute beyond their tasks, they become changemakers.

How is your organisation making space for volunteers to shape solutions?