Detailed Discussion

Models

• Volunteers: Some people volunteer for a one-off event, while others might be interested in something long-term and regular. People volunteer for many reasons, including to:

  • explore an interest or vocation

  • broaden social opportunities

  • keep active in retirement

  • contribute to a cause

  • do something worthwhile

  • donate existing skills and expertise

  • gain new skills

  • seek a challenge 

• Interns: Internship or student placement volunteers are generally seeking an experience that may connect them to future employment opportunities. Students will often need a short term placement with specific goals to be achieved such as learning new skills, refreshing skills they already have, professional networking or road testing a particular vocation. Internships may also provide a pathway for professional networking and experience for artsworkers excluded from formal study programs.

Key Issues

Fair Pay Issues

In the arts and cultural sector, unpaid internships and volunteer positions provide a huge amount of labour. NAVA research has found that volunteers contribute around $17 million annually to the Australian small-to-medium visual arts sector. This raises issues around fair remuneration.

Maintaining Privilege

Despite much discussion about representation, Australia’s creative industries do not reflect the diversity of the Australian community. Increasingly, unpaid work and internships are being identified as key ways that privilege is maintained within particular demographics. Often unpaid labour is offset by opportunities to network, learn skills and get ‘a foot in the door’ that leads to paid opportunities and this pathway represents one of the main routes into professional creative work. However volunteer and intern opportunities are often provided through social networks and family connections, rather than being offered through a fair and transparent recruitment process. In addition, people from low socio-economic backgrounds are usually unable to work for free, and therefore unable to access the networking opportunities and experience that comes with volunteering and internships.

For more information, see Arts Council England's A Best Practice Guide to Apprenticeships, Internships and Volunteering. 

When working with First Nations volunteers and interns:

• ensure that opportunities are advertised and promoted where First Nations people, early in their career, will see them

• do not engage volunteers or interns to do consultancy work, this is a paid position, see Payment Standards

• ensure that agreements you have with First Nations volunteers and interns include consideration of the Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) they may share with the organisation in their role and how it should be respected

All parties must ensure that ICIP principles are upheld for any use or adaptation of First Nations cultural heritage.

For more information on engaging and collaborating with First Nations communities see First Nations and Working with First Nations Art Centres.

Legal obligations in the areas of workplace health and safety, (see Workplace Health and Safety), insurance (see Insurance), intellectual property (see Intellectual Property) and anti-discrimination (Racial Equity and Representation) apply in this area.

According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, unpaid work arrangements, such as volunteering, may be unlawful if the person doing the work is considered an employee under the Fair Work Act 2009.

This depends on:

• whether an employment relationship exists

• whether the arrangement involves a vocational placement 

Key characteristics of a genuine volunteering arrangement include:

• the parties did not intend to create a legally binding employment relationship

• the volunteer is under no obligation to attend the workplace or perform work

• the volunteer doesn’t expect to be paid for their work 

A volunteering arrangement may be found to be an employment relationship if there are many formalised expectations, for example if the volunteer is expected to work according to a regular roster. 

An internship is lawful if:

• the intern is not doing ‘productive’ work (i.e. work essential to the running of the organisation)

• the main benefit goes to the intern

• the intern is receiving a meaningful learning experience, training or skill development

A good volunteer or internship program is one that is in line with organisational objectives, has a clear purpose and direction, presents the volunteer with learning opportunities, has attainable goals and is meaningful to the organisation. Volunteers should be able to claim ownership of their tasks and feel empowered to think about as well as perform the tasks. 

Volunteers and interns should be well integrated into an organisation and must not replace paid staff positions. Volunteer and intern tasks should not be viewed as tasks no one else is prepared to do.

Before taking on any volunteers or interns, an organisation should consider why they would like to involve them in their activities and how they can help the organisation meet its objectives. It is best practice to develop a volunteering and/or internship policy.

As well as meeting its own objectives, organisations have a responsibility to understand the personal motivations and expectations of volunteers and interns, to support them to meet their goals. For example, if a volunteer is interested in a social interaction and leisure experience, they should be matched to a role that will enable them to work as part of a team.  

Managing Volunteers and Interns

A volunteer and/or internship program should be handled professionally, with consideration given to how people are recruited, inducted, their ongoing mentoring, development and management. Volunteers and interns should be assigned a mentor or manager to monitor their progress and answer any questions. 

Volunteers and interns should undergo orientation and training in order to gain an understanding of the organisation, the expectations, responsibilities and benefits of the role, and any necessary safety information.  

Throughout the engagement, it is good practice to arrange for regular one on one feedback sessions. This ensures strong communication throughout the project and allows the organisation to give and receive feedback. 

Budgeting for Volunteers and Interns

Running a volunteer and/or internship program involves tangible and intangible costs. Tangible costs may include a desk, an office, a computer, protective clothing, access provisions, or social events as a thank you. 

If an organisation is thinking of running a large volunteer and/or internship program, hiring a volunteer coordinator may be the best way of ensuring that the program is well managed. It takes time, effort and skill to recruit and train volunteers. If an organisation is unable to hire a volunteer coordinator then the task should be delegated to one staff member to avoid confusion around responsibilities.

Ending the Engagement

It is good practice to offer volunteers, and especially interns, a reference or performance appraisal at the end and/or the midpoint of the engagement. 

It is good practice to credit and acknowledge the work of volunteers and interns in any project acknowledgements. 

Equity

The benefits of unpaid internships and volunteer positions favour members of privileged demographics. It is good practice to offset unpaid volunteer and internship positions with paid opportunities for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. An example in the United States are the internship programs offered by the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative. 

Opportunities in the arts should be offered via an equitable application and selection process, see Equitable Application Processes.

For more information, see NAVA’s Fair Pay Campaign.

People interested in volunteering should submit an expression of interest form in relation to the position so that the volunteer can be matched to the right tasks for them.

Volunteers and interns should ensure that any time commitments are reasonable and fit within their existing work, study or personal commitments. 

Volunteers and interns should communicate clearly with organisations if they are not able to meet any commitments they have made or need to discontinue the arrangement.

Volunteer and internship roles should be outlined with position descriptions and negotiated in a written agreement. This provides clarification not just for the volunteer but also paid staff to avoid any conflict of responsibilities.

A position description should include:

• an outline of outcomes for both the organisation and the volunteer

• clear description of activities

• clear description of the likely time commitment or working hours, and confirmation that volunteers and interns may discontinue the arrangement at any time

• lines of support and communication including a designated support person, and their contact details, who can answer any questions

• any safety requirements or training that will be provided

• accessibility provisions and supports that will be provided

• any payments associated with the role, such as per diem or travel compensation

• any in-kind payments associated with the role, such as free tickets or merchandise

• timeframe for the project or position, including a stage for each party to review the progress

• any other relevant information

It is good practice for organisations to develop a policy on volunteering.

This should outline:

• the circumstances when a volunteer or intern will be engaged

• benefits the volunteer or intern can expect to receive

• benefits the organisation expects to receive from the volunteer or intern

• recruitment process for engaging volunteers and interns

• management process for volunteers and interns, including arrangements for ending the engagement

An organisation’s volunteering policy should give consideration to equity provisions and how the organisation will ensure opportunities can be provided fairly, such as by ensuring the recruitment process is fair, transparent and accessible.

For more information, see Equitable Application Processes.

If an organisation is covered by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 it must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all its workers, including volunteers.

The organisation must provide the volunteer with:

• training, information and instructions on how to undertake their work safely

• personal protective equipment

• first aid facilities or training and information on emergency procedures

• training on how to report hazards and incidents 

Generally, volunteers are not covered by workers’ compensation laws, therefore it is important to check that the organisation has insurance that adequately covers volunteers and the activities that volunteers are carrying out.

For more information, see Workplace Health and Safety.