Published works

The Enabling sustainable emergency volunteering project is being jointly undertaken by researchers at RMIT University, the University of Western Australia, and Curtin University for the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre (BNHCRC). It is the only core project in the BNHCRC’s research cluster on Sustainable Volunteering that is in active research phase. The goal of this cluster is to improve the long-term sustainability of the volunteer workforce, and better engage the potential of volunteering to build disaster resilience in Australian communities.

The Enabling sustainable emergency volunteering project has two broad aims, each of which is addressed by a targeted package of work:

• Work package 1, Emergency volunteering 2030 - Adapting the sector, is based at RMIT University. It aims to support the emergency management sector to adapt to the transformation of volunteering and put itself in the best position possible to enable and enhance the value of volunteering for communities - before, during and after emergencies - into the future.
• Work package 2, Changing management practices, is based at the University of Western Australia and Curtin University. It aims to support EMOs to improve volunteer retention through effective on-boarding, and potentially through adapting volunteer roles and pathways, and to measure progress towards building a culture of inclusion amongst their volunteer base that supports effective on-boarding.

The project complements other active BNHCRC research projects, especially in the Emergency management capability cluster (e.g. Diversity and inclusion: building strength and capability and Catastrophic and cascading events: planning and capability projects). It also draws from work in two completed projects: the Bushfire CRC Volunteerism project (2003-2010) undertaken by researchers at La Trobe University and the BNHCRC Out of uniform: building community resilience through non-traditional volunteering project (2015-2017), which was a precursor to the Enabling sustainable emergency volunteering project based at RMIT University. 

This Annual Report communicates the key activities and achievements of the Enabling sustainable emergency volunteering project in the 2018-2019 financial year. This was the second year of the project. The research phase of the project is due to end in June 2020.