Volunteer

We are a vibrant, diverse and inclusive organisation, and encourage volunteers of all backgrounds, skills and life experiences to get involved!

• Volunteers generally need to be 18 years or older
• The minimum age for event helpers is 16 years*
• The minimum age for work experience students is 15 years*

You'll also need an email address and ability to access our online Community platform for volunteer communications and training.

Make-A-Wish Australia is proud to be a child-safe organisation and we value community, integrity, innovation, impact and most importantly, we put wish children first. Our volunteer onboarding process includes background checks to ensure all volunteers share our commitment to child safety.

*Please note due to COVID-19, the event helper and student volunteer programs are currently not available.

Our volunteers can support Make-A-Wish in various ways including:

• Branch volunteers - getting active in your local community, working with local wish families, and participating in awareness and fundraising activities
• Event volunteers - getting involved in more of an ad-hoc way, often for a single shift or day, during a local Make-A-Wish event (ie. fun run)*
• Corporate volunteering - our program for businesses looking to inspire teams and give back, as part of their CSR agenda
• Office volunteers, work experience students and more*
  

See Volunteering Opportunities for more info about these roles and other ways you can get involved.

*Please note due to COVID-19, the event helper and student volunteer programs are currently not available.

No - there's no special skills required for most volunteer roles. All we ask is that you have a genuine commitment to making a difference, and empathy for wish children and their families.

You'll also need an email address and ability to access our online Community platform for volunteer communications and training.

Any prior administrative, event management, fundraising, PR or project management skills are a bonus - and you'll pick up lots of new skills along the way.

For volunteers involved with wish granting, it's important that you enjoy and can communicate well with children, young people and their families. Make-A-Wish provides training and support to help you do this.

The time you commit to volunteer with us is entirely up to you! Most of our volunteers balance their Make-A-Wish role around family, work and social commitments.

To get an idea of the effort involved with different volunteer role types, please check out our Volunteer stories.

Please note, we ask branch volunteers to commit for a minimum of 12 months and attend their monthly branch meetings, where possible. Any extra time you give through the year will depend on your individual interests, the branch fundraising calendar and local wish family requirements.

Whatever way you choose to help - we are grateful for your commitment and support in making wishes come true.

It's quick and easy to apply - from this page, simply hit 'Apply now' and complete the online Expression of Interest form. Let us know who you are and the types of volunteering opportunities you're interested in!

Our Volunteer Programmes team will be in touch to advise next steps for the type of opportunity you've expressed interest in.

Please note, for non-branch volunteers, it can take some time before an opportunity comes up that matches your profile.

Yes - as a charity committed to children's safety and wellbeing, we follow a rigorous recruitment process, ensuring we place the right people in the right roles.

For example, successful Branch volunteer applications can expect the following as part of our onboarding process:

• An interview (or conversation) with us
• Reference checks with two referees
• A National Police Check
• A state-based Working with Children Check
  

In short, yes! All new volunteers participate in local orientation activities, with additional online training and mentoring for branch volunteers as you get 'wish-ready'.

All branch volunteers have access to the Community, a dedicated online platform where you can find the latest news, training and support, and connect with other #WishForce volunteers around Australia.

Leadership training and face-to-face workshops are also offered annually for branch volunteers in key leadership positions (for example, Branch Presidents and Wish Granting Coordinators).

At Make-A-Wish, the large majority of our volunteers (around one thousand of them!) come on board as a branch volunteer.

Branch volunteers get together monthly to plan local fundraising campaigns and coordinate wishes for local families:

• Capturing a child’s unique wish and bringing it to life through all stages of the Wish Journey.
• Supporting local fundraising and events, from fun runs and sausage sizzles to gala balls and bake-offs.
• Raising awareness and support in the local community, helping drive our reach and impact to achieve our mission.

Each branch also has a range of elected leadership roles (for example, President and Vice President, Wish Granting Coordinator, Fundraising Coordinator and Volunteer Care Coordinator).

ACT

• Canberra

NSW

• Sydney (multiple branches)
• Coffs Harbour
• Dubbo
• Goulburn
• Newcastle
• Port Macquarie
• Wagga Wagga & Surrounds
• Wollongong

NT

• Alice Springs
• Darwin

QLD

• Brisbane (multiple branches)
• Bundaberg
• Cairns
• Fraser Coast
• Gladstone
• Gold Coast
• Mackay
• Rockhampton
• Sunshine Coast
• Toowoomba
• Townsville

SA

• Adelaide
• Barossa Valley
• Mt Gambier
• Naracoorte & Disctricts
• Port Lincoln
• Port Pirie
• Riverland
• Yorke Peninsula

TAS

• Burnie
• Devonport
• Hobart
• Launceston

VIC

• Albury-Wodonga
• Ballarat
• Bayside
• Bendigo
• Cardinia-Casey
• Gippsland (multiple branches)
• Geelong
• Goulburn Valley
• Melbourne (multiple branches)
• Mildura
• Mornington Peninsula
• Wangaratta

WA

• Albany
• Mandurah-Rockingham
• Perth