Volunteer FAQs

All prospective volunteers are required to undergo an initial suitability interview as well as the Society screening and suitability check including National Criminal History Check. You will also need to be eligible to hold a Blue Card and be able attend an induction. All checks and inductions are provided to you at no cost.

If you are under 18, you are not required to undergo a National Criminal History check or hold a Blue Card. However, if you turn 18 while volunteering, you will be required to complete these.

We understand that you may have had a police check through work, studies or other volunteering organisations. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the work we do, all prospective volunteers are required to do a National Criminal History Check through us. This will be at no cost to you.

Great, we will have you complete a ‘link to organisation’ form as well as check the details of your card to ensure it is valid.

This is a good opportunity for both yourself and us to get to know each other,  and for you to ask any questions and learn more about the organisation. The interview typically happens face to face, however it can happen over the phone if necessary.

If you are 16 and over, you can start volunteering with us. We do have a minimum age restriction of 18 years for volunteer members wishing to join our Youth Mentoring and Companion Connect engagements.

There are lots of other ways you can get involved. Every year we have several Appeals to help raise awareness of issues such as homelessness, social isolation and natural disaster relief. You can partner with us to help raise awareness by doing something through your school, parish, youth group or family and friends. This may include hosting a School Sleepout or a Dressed by Vinnies Day, or collecting essential items like toiletries. Another meaningful way to get involved is to donate to Vinnies any items in good condition that  you are no longer using.

You will need a reliable mode of transportation to travel to and from designated meeting locations. However, not having a driver’s licence is not a barrier to your involvement.

If you do have a licence and are willing to assist,  you may be asked to support with transportation, typically using a Society vehicle.

Sharing your time to develop a positive mentoring relationship is one of the most powerful ways you can support a young person. Time commitments vary across each engagement, however, we do ask that all volunteer members are able commit to the time frames and frequency of their chosen community engagement for a minimum of 12 months. We ask this to ensure that what we do is sustainable. More importantly, it is for the overall benefit to the individuals we engage with, as consistency and stability are integral for children and young people.

Please view the position description of your chosen community engagement for specific information about frequency and duration.

Yes, as a large organisation there are many different opportunities that only require a short term or one-off commitment. These opportunities occur at various times throughout the year. Please keep checking our list of current vacancies for these.

Yes, in addition to your initial induction, volunteer members may have the opportunity to participate in training such as first aid, mental health first aid, suicide prevention, bronze medallion, leadership development and more.

No, the Society welcomes, respects and encourages people of all backgrounds and beliefs who are willing to adhere to the Society’s ethos, mission and values to participate.

As a lay Catholic organisation there will be opportunities for all members to share in and explore our spirituality and values.