Volunteer

We are always on the lookout for new volunteers to join Our Village.

Whether you can spare a few hours or you’re ready to make a bigger commitment, you will be making a difference to the lives of babies and children across Victoria.

Our volunteers are the heart and soul of Our Village and we couldn’t do what we do without them. By volunteering with us you are joining a joyous community where people feel like they belong and can have a real impact.

Also, we don’t want to brag, but our morning teas are legendary!

You can volunteer at one of our warehouses, from your own home or with a team from your workplace. However you choose to help out, we can guarantee Our Village is a special place to be.

Our Village is a member of Volunteering Victoria.

WHAT’S ON THIS PAGE

Volunteering as an individual

Volunteers are involved in every aspect of our operation – accepting donations, sorting and cleaning items, safety checking nursery equipment, processing orders and administrative and IT tasks. To put it simply, our volunteers make Our Village.

No qualifications are necessary. We make sure all our volunteers receive training for specific tasks. You just need a can-do attitude, an interest in learning new things and a willingness to help babies and children in need.

WHO WILL BE HELPING YOU?

Our Village staff supervise all our volunteers and are on hand every day to provide training, support and advice.

SOME OF THE WAYS YOU MIGHT HELP

Giver

Serving social workers, preparing orders ready for collection, recording information and helping to pack cars/vans etc.

Greeter

Greeting donors, recording information, collecting donations and storing them safely.

Quality Controller

Quality control and sorting donated goods.

Bundler

Making up packs of clothing, linen, toys and books.

Tinker

Cleaning, fixing and safety checking prams, cots, car seats, highchairs, bassinets, bouncers, safety gates.

Pamper Packers

Making up toiletries, nappies and bottle packs, putting together breast pump kits, safety kits and first feeding kits.

Home bundler and sorter

Packing and sorting clothing at home or a workplace.

Staging post volunteer

Accepting donations at your home on behalf of our organisation to deliver to one of our warehouses.

Have questions about volunteering? Please don’t hesitate to email us:
Melbourne warehouse (in Clayton): volunteer.melbourne@ourvillage.org.au
Geelong warehouse: volunteer.geelong@ourvillage.org.au

BACKGROUND CHECKS

We are committed to providing a safe working environment for all volunteers and staff. We are a child safe organisation. We are committed to recruiting dedicated and professional volunteers to represent our organisation.

If you are interested in volunteering, all volunteers over the age of 18 years will need to provide a copy of your current Victorian Working With Children Check (WWCC). You can supply a current Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) in lieu of a WWCC. If you do not have one you can apply for one here – they are free for volunteers.

We will ask you to sign our Volunteer Agreement after you complete your induction.

We treat all personal information as sensitive and handle it in accordance with privacy laws and as per our privacy policy.

Corporate Volunteering with your workplace or as a team

Welcome to our Corporate Volunteering Program where you help Victoria’s most vulnerable babies and children.

Looking for the ultimate team-building experience with more purpose than a scavenger hunt and better rewards than an escape room? You and your team can enjoy a break from your day-to-day to roll up your sleeves and help out in our welcoming Clayton or Geelong warehouses.

Our Corporate Volunteering days are a great way to connect with your colleagues and work together to create real change for vulnerable families.

Here are just some of the tasks you can dive into:

Fixing and cleaning essential items, such as prams, car seats and high chairs. Sorting and packing clothing, toys and books. Preparing special toiletries packs for carers and babies.

How to get your team involved

Melbourne Warehouse (in Clayton)

We welcome teams of 5 – 30 people on weekdays.

Volunteer Hours
Monday – Friday (9.30am to 4pm)

Get directions

Geelong Warehouse

We welcome teams of up to 15 people on weekdays.

Volunteer Hours

Monday – Friday (9.30am to 2.30pm)

Get directions

We charge $110 (plus GST) per person to help cover our costs with a minimum spend of $1100 (plus GST) per workplace team.

This enables us to provide trained staff to guide your team throughout the day, helping you get the most out of your volunteering experience. The rest goes directly to our work to rehome essentials to thousands of babies and children each year.

If you would like more information, to discuss tailoring a volunteering experience to your requirements or to make a booking please complete the enquiry form below and we will be in touch.

Corporate Volunteer Enquiry Form




Example: 0400111333







Please note: Some volunteers bring their children to Our Village's premises. In the interests of creating a family-friendly environment, Our Village does not allow persons who are classified as a prohibited person under The Commission for Children and Young People Act 1998 to register as a volunteer. A prohibited person is a person convicted of a serious sex offence, the murder of a child or a child-related personal violence offence, as well as a Registrable person under the Child Protection (Offenders Registration) Act 2000. Our Village also reserves the right to ask volunteers to undertake a CrimCheck (criminal record check). Please do not apply if you are a prohibited person or if you will not agree to proceed with a CrimCheck if it is requested.

Volunteering with your school

Learn more about our charity and make a real difference.

Our Schools Volunteering Program offers a great opportunity for students to get involved in their community while building their knowledge, skills and confidence. Your students will learn about the essential items needed to care for babies and children in the critical early years and hear about some of the causes of disadvantage that can lead people to seek our help.

Most importantly, they will know they are helping provide critical support to Victoria’s most vulnerable families.

Here are just some of the activities your students may do:

Fixing and cleaning essential items, such as prams, car seats and high chairs. Sorting and packing clothing, toys and books. Preparing special toiletries packs for carers and babies.

HOW TO GET YOUR SCHOOL INVOLVED

Melbourne Warehouse (in Clayton)

$750 (plus GST) per group of 15 students.

School Group Session Times

Monday – Friday (9.30am to 12.30pm)

Get directions

Geelong Warehouse

$500 (plus GST) per group of 15 students.

School Group Session Times
Monday – Friday (9.30am to 11.30am or 12.30pm – 2.30pm)

Get directions

Students must be in Year 9 or above. Maximum 15 students with one teacher to every 10 students. Booking requests to be made by school staff.

We charge a small fee to help cover our costs. This enables us to provide trained staff to guide your students throughout the day, helping them get the most out of their volunteering experience. The rest goes directly to our work to rehome essentials to thousands of babies and children each year.

If you would like more information, to discuss tailoring a volunteering experience to your requirements or to make a booking please email: hello@ourvillage.org.au

Individual Student Volunteering – Geelong Only
If you are a student wishing to volunteer at our Geelong warehouse as an individual to complete hours for a school project then please email: volunteer.geelong@ourvillage.org.au
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