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Building Inclusive Bridges: A Guide to Facilitating Inclusive Referrals

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This guide supports organisations to facilitate inclusive volunteering by improving referral practices and reducing barriers to participation. It explores inclusive approaches to first contact, matching volunteers to roles, managing expectations and maintaining ongoing support.

The resource provides practical tools and tips to help volunteer involving organisations work more inclusively with people who may experience barriers to volunteering, including people with disability.

Benefits for volunteer managers

  • strengthens inclusive referral and recruitment practices
  • helps remove barriers to participation for volunteers with diverse needs
  • supports better matching and expectation setting for volunteers
  • encourages inclusive organisational culture and practices.

How to apply this resource

This guide is most useful when reviewing recruitment and referral processes, building inclusive volunteering pathways, or strengthening organisational approaches to inclusion and accessibility.

More about the author

VolunteeringACT is the peak body for volunteering and community information in the Canberra Region, as well as being a service provider of programs for people experiencing disadvantage and isolation, people with disability, and people needing support for mental wellness.

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