Frequently asked questions

Volunteer for Knox is located on the premises of Coonara Community House 22 Willow Road Upper Ferntree Gully Victoria.

The opening hours are 9.30am – 3pm Monday – Thursday.

Volunteering is a choice, and there is no set amount of hours you must do. Your choice could range from 2hrs per month – 16hrs per week.

We work with you to find volunteering opportunities that will fit with your needs, as we have many wonderful organizations who do provide a range of hours every week.

Most organisations will want to conduct a further interview. This gives you and the organisation the chance to assess each other. In addition, it gives you the chance to get a feel for the organisation, and sometimes the opportunity to meet the people you’ll be working with.

When volunteering for a not-for-profit organisation the usual minimum age is18 and a few have upper age limits (this depends on the not-for-profit organisation’s insurance policy). However, school groups often participate in voluntary activities too. Organisations must have appropriate volunteer insurance to accommodate the age of their volunteers.

Some organisations may choose to employ a volunteer if a suitable position comes up.

Some volunteering roles are advertised with certain days and times, although, Managers are generally quite flexible if you have other obligations.

A lot of volunteer roles do require a current police check (within 12mths), and the organization will advise you if this is to be organized by you, or if they will do it on your behalf.

We have monthly induction sessions that you will need to attend at one of the five Knox Community Houses but during Covid we are conducting all our sessions online. 

There is a wide variety of areas including administration, aged care, retail, environmental, disability services, events and much more. Our website Opportunities page is always a great starting point to get a good understanding of what is available.

Volunteers not only have rights, but also responsibilities. Refer to our Fact sheet on the 'Volunteer' page.

Absolutely. If you need to take some time off for holidays, if you are unwell or to care for loved ones, just advise your Manager of when you think you will be available to return, and keep in touch with them closer to your proposed return date if things change.

Volunteer for Knox are available anytime to support managers with training and bi-annual network meetings.

At times, volunteering roles are specialized, and do require some experience in those areas, but there is such a wide variety of roles to be filled, so there will always be something that will appeal to you.

It does not cost anything for individuals to volunteer. Out of pocket expenses must be agreed by the organisation and might include: travel, meals purchased while volunteering, special clothing etc. It is a good idea to enquire about expenses you may incur before committing to a volunteer role. Organisations providing volunteer opportunities may be able to reimburse minor expenses, such as travel.