Volunteering

Volunteers make an enormous contribution to the work of Guide Dogs Victoria and are always appreciated and recognised. They help raise Guide Dogs Victoria’s profile and make an enormous difference through their support and involvement with many wonderful initiatives.

How you can help

Do you have some time to dedicate to assisting Guide Dogs Victoria? We would love to hear from you! A variety of work is available for volunteers between the hours of 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Some evening and weekend work is available for shopping centre displays, events and recreation programs. No minimum commitment is required, all we need is a little of your spare time.

Please note that the minimum age to volunteer is 18 years.

Volunteers have the opportunity to make a valuable contribution by assisting with the following activities:

Administration
We need regular assistance with mail outs, filing and other general administration duties to support the running of the Guide Dogs Victoria office.

Driving
Volunteers provide valuable assistance in transporting people with a vision impairment from their homes to our campus in Kew for assessment and training, as well as occasional speaking engagements.

Shopping Centre Displays
Throughout the year, displays are set up in various shopping centre locations to address the public about the work of Guide Dogs Victoria.

Gardening and maintenance
Guide Dogs Victoria is situated on 6 hectares of land in Kew, requiring regular maintenance and garden care.

Open Day and Special Events
Every March, Guide Dogs Victoria opens its doors and relies heavily on the support of our volunteers to provide an entertaining family day out for the public. Open Day is held on a Sunday and is an all-day event. Assistance may be required throughout the year on an evening or weekend to hold one-off special events or functions

Tours of Guide Dogs Victoria in Kew
Tours are regularly conducted for community groups to give an insight to the work done on site at our campus in Kew.

Adult Client Recreation Programs (evenings only)
During training programs, many clients choose to stay on-site at our residential training facility for up to four weeks. Volunteers help to provide respite from their daily activities by enjoying a recreational activity with them in the evening.

Corporate volunteering
Enquire about how your workplace can be involved in volunteering and assisting in projects for Guide Dogs Victoria.

Breeding Centre
Our most sought after volunteer positions, helping the breeding centre may involve puppy nurturing and recreation during their first stages of development, to exercising the breeding dogs. Due to popularity, positions in the breeding centre are limited.

Kennels
We have ongoing voulnteer positions in our kennels to assist Guide Dogs Victoria kennel staff. We run two volunteer shifts per day, 7 days a week in our kennels. Duties consist of general cleaning of the kennels, feeding, walking, and grroming the dogs.