Volunteering

About

Looking for a way to give back and connect with the community? One of the many volunteering groups in Cardinia Shire may be for you!

Whether you’re interested in gardening and the environment, sports and recreation, or just want to give back to the community, there is a volunteering opportunity for everyone. 

If you are looking to volunteer for a local not-for-profit or community group, you can search our volunteers directory. 

Search for a volunteer role

Hear from our volunteers

Hear from some of the volunteers at Emerald Museum about some of the benefits of volunteering in your community.

Council supports its many volunteers in many ways including:

  • workshops and information sessions
  • subsidised training
  • volunteering job opportunities.

Training calendar for volunteers and community organisations

Council offers a range of free or subsidised training for volunteers to support our volunteer community organisations such as sporting clubs, neighbourhood houses, community asset committees and many more.

Register now to attend an upcoming session:

Grant Writing

When: Wednesday 18th February
Time: 6:30- 8:30pm
Location: Council Chambers, Cardinia Shire Council Civic Centre, 20 Siding Ave, Officer 

Join us for a FREE grant writing workshop for local organisations and community groups whose work directly benefits those in Cardinia Shire. This workshop will provide the tools, strategies and confidence necessary for writing successful grant applications.

The workshop will also provide an opportunity to connect with other grant writers to discuss common challenges and share helpful strategies for success.

Book your place by clicking on this link: Volunteer Training Workshop: Grant Writing Workshop – Fill out form
 

Governance Training for Community Groups

When: Wednesday 25th March
Time: 6.30- 9.00pm
Location: Council Chambers, Cardinia Shire Council Civic Centre, 20 Siding Ave, Officer.  

Online option available, but in-person attendance strongly recommended.  

Good governance is the foundation of a strong not-for-profit organisation, providing the checks and balances needed to guide leadership and support long-term sustainability. For community groups run by volunteers, understanding this can be challenging within a complex legal and regulatory environment.

Book your place by clicking on this link: Volunteer Training Workshop: Governance for Community Groups – Fill out form

 

Recruitment and Management of Volunteers

When: Wednesday 15th April
Time: 6.30-9pm
Location: Council Chambers, Cardinia Shire Council Civic Centre, 20 Siding Ave, Officer

Online option available, but in-person attendance strongly recommended.  

Volunteers are often the heart of a community group, but keeping them motivated, supported, and aligned with the organisation’s purpose takes thoughtful planning and good communication. This session gives participants the tools to manage volunteers effectively and build a strong, engaged team.

Book your place by clicking on this link: Volunteer Training Workshop: Recruitment and Management of Volunteers – Fill out form

 

Volunteer Training Workshop: Advocacy 101

When: Tuesday May 5th, 2026
Time: 6.30pm - 8.00pm
Location: Council Chambers, Cardinia Shire Council Civic Centre, 20 Siding Ave, Officer

Online option available, but in-person attendance strongly recommended.  

Community organisations and individual residents play a key role in advocating for better infrastructure and services locally. To help equip you to speak to Members of Parliament and ministers about changes that you want to see locally, Council have prepared a Community Advocacy Toolkit. 

 Please join us for an Advocacy 101 training session that will outline how to contact your local members of parliament, best practices for planning an advocacy campaign and communicating your message. The Community Advocacy Toolkit will ensure that you have the tools and strategies that you need to achieve your goals.  

Book your place by clicking on this link: Volunteer Training Workshop: Advocacy 101 – Fill out form

 

Volunteer Training Workshop: Creating Promotional Materials with Canva

When: Wednesday 17th June, 2026 
Time: 6:30pm - 9pm 
Location: Council Chambers, Cardinia Shire Council Civic Centre, 20 Siding Ave, Officer

Online option available, but in-person attendance strongly recommended.  

Ever wondered how community groups make their flyers and social media posts look so good? It’s easy, with Canva everyone can create professional looking promotional materials! Canva is a design platform that can help you to create professional, eye-catching graphics, flyers, newsletters, videos, presentations, social media posts (plus much more) for your community group.

This session will walk you through the basics of using Canva and how not for profits can make the most of this online design tool. It will help your group to create, download and share beautiful designs that grab people’s attention, adding to the visibility of your group and the effectiveness of your communications. This is a hands-on course, so please bring a laptop or tablet/ iPad to use during the session. 

Topics include: 

  • Getting started with Canva
  • Unlocking Canva’s features for non-profit organisations
  • Setting up your group’s brand colours, fonts and logo on Canva 
  • How to use Canva's free templates, pictures, video, music and other design elements 
  • Creating a sample promotional item for your group 
  • Collaborating and designing with other volunteers 

Book your place by clicking on this link: Volunteer Training Workshop: Creating Promotional Materials with Canva – Fill out form

 

Volunteer Training Workshop: Strategic Planning

When: Wednesday 15th July, 2026
Time: 6:30pm - 9pm 
Location: Council Chambers, Cardinia Shire Council Civic Centre, 20 Siding Ave, Officer

Online option available, but in-person attendance strongly recommended.  

A clear and practical strategic plan acts as a roadmap, guiding an organisation from where it is now to where it wants to be. It helps set priorities, focus resources, and align the team around shared goals. 

This workshop supports community groups in understanding the planning process and the importance of thoughtful preparation to avoid distractions and mission drift. Participants will explore why strategic planning matters, when to revisit the vision, and how to engage members and stakeholders effectively. 

The session also covers gathering evidence to inform direction, linking strategy to action, and building a workable framework, including how to cost the plan for successful implementation. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to develop and implement a strategic plan that drives their organisation forward with clarity and purpose. 

Topics include: 

  • Understanding why a strategic plan is needed 
  • Knowing when it is time to ‘re-vision’ 
  • Appreciating the purpose for the members / clients 
  • Understanding stakeholder mapping 
  • Finding evidence to support direction 
  • Relating strategy to delivery; not leaving the plan on the shelf 
  • Preparing the framework for the plan 
  • Costing the plan 

Book your place by clicking on this link: Volunteer Training Workshop: Strategic Planning – Fill out form

Free training videos for volunteers

Non Profit Training produced a series of free educational volunteer training videos designed to educate and empower nonprofit organisations. 

These engaging resources provide essential skills and knowledge, helping volunteers maximise their impact and enhance their contributions to the community. 

Watch the training videos

Subsidised training for volunteers

We offer a volunteer training program each term, which is offered by local neighbourhood houses, community centres and Universities of the Third Age (U3A) at a subsidised rate (conditions apply).

The following courses will be available throughout the year:

  • Food handling
  • Basic bookkeeping
  • First aid and CPR
  • Various computer courses.

For details of available programs and fees and to apply for a subsidised place, please contact the relevant training provider directly.

Annual event for volunteer organisations

  • More than 500 volunteer organisations work to make Cardinia Shire a great place to live, so in May every year we celebrate our volunteers through a volunteer reception at Cardinia Cultural Centre.
  • Each year, invitations to attend the volunteer reception are sent to 2 representatives from not-for-profit groups. To ensure representatives from your organisation are invited, please confirm your organisation's contact details are correct in our community directory.
  • We hold the volunteer reception in May, to coincide with National Volunteer Week

Recruit volunteers for your organisation

  • If your not-for-profit organisation is looking for support from volunteers, please submit the role and we will post it in our volunteering opportunities directory. 
  • The directory is a free service to not-for-profit organisations based in Cardinia Shire, or that service Cardinia Shire residents.

Submit a volunteer opportunity

Related pages