WHERE CAN I GET HELP?

You can get help from the help text that is available for every page. Just click on the '?' in the top banner. Of course, the Frequently Asked Questions also answer many enquiries. But, if you still require further assistance, please contact us at volunteersearch@deewr.gov.au.

HOW DO I FIND AN OPPORTUNITY?

There are 4 ways to find opportunities in AVS. You can specify where you want to find the opportunities, and then tell the system what you want to do by entering the opportunity type. Otherwise, you can have a Quick Search by completing the 'Location / Postcode' field or the 'Opportunity' key word field or complete both of these fields. Your searches should conclude with a list of opportunities displayed.

A Volunteer Organisation 'means an association or other body (whether incorporated or unincorporated) the activities of which are not engaged in for the purpose of making a profit'.

WHAT IS A LOCATION SEARCH?

This is a way to find opportunities in your chosen location. In order to help you to define the location, a series of maps is available for you to narrow down to a preferred precise region.

WHAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY TYPE?

The 'opportunity type' helps you as a Volunteer find the right opportunity you are looking for. Also, they help organisations to define what kind of service they provide to the community. Therefore, for easy selection, you should first find an opportunity type that you have an interest in volunteering for and describe your intended opportunity, eg Emergency Services- First Aid officer.

WHAT ARE LATEST OPPORTUNITIES?

These are the opportunities available in AVS in the last 30 days. If you are a frequent user of AVS, this feature will be useful for you find the latest opportunities available.

WHAT IS THE "ADD YOUR PROFILE" FUNCTION?

This service allows Volunteers to place a Profile on our database. Registered organisations may search the database to find suitable Volunteers. Volunteers will be sent notification if selected by an organisation, and will be asked to contact that organisation directly.

After registration, Volunteers may use this service to create a profile of the opportunities they are interested in, and to view, amend and delete the profile.

WHAT DOES THE SERVICE COST?

This is a free service offered by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for all Volunteers.

HOW OLD DO YOU NEED TO BE TO USE "ADD YOUR PROFILE "?

Volunteers must be over the age of 15 years to use this service.

WHEN IS THIS SERVICE AVAILABLE?

This service is available for Volunteers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

WHERE DO I BEGIN?

To use "Add Your Profile", you need to be registered. You can begin by selecting "Add Your Profile" from the top navigation bar.

HOW DO I START IF I AM PREVIOUSLY REGISTERED AS A VOLUNTEER?

If you have already completed the registration process, simply enter your email address and previously chosen pin on the Volunteer login screen. Then click on the LOGIN button.

WHAT IF I HAVE FORGOTTEN MY PIN?

If you have forgotten your pin/password, please contact the site support team via email at volunteersearch@deewr.gov.au and they will email it to you.

DO I NEED TO HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS TO USE THIS SERVICE?

Yes. So that potential organisations will be able to contact you. Or, we can notify you if you selected the opportunity match function. If you want to have an email address - you can get one for free at various sites such as http://mail.yahoo.com or http://www.start.com.au

WHO WILL VIEW MY PROFILE AND WILL MY NAME BE CONFIDENTIAL?

Only registered organisations will have access to your profile details. You will be allocated an internal system number that replaces your name when viewed by an organisation. Therefore organisations will only have reference to your system number not your name, until you contact them directly if selected.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE CHANGES?

Yes. You may make changes at any time to your profile. In order to retain your profile on the system it must be viewed by you at least once every 90 days.

CAN I REMOVE MY PROFILE??

Yes. You can delete your profile by clicking the 'remove' link on your Personal page or at bottom of the View Profile page. It is important that you remove your profile when you are no longer looking for volunteer positions.

HOW DO I KNOW IF ORGANISATIONS HAVE VIEWED MY PROFILE?

Once you have lodged your profile, each time you login to AVS you can use 'view profile'. This will display your profile details and provide you with information on how many matches have been made to your profile, how many times it has been viewed, and how many organisations have asked that you contact them.

DOES AVS USE COOKIES?

Yes. Cookies are an integral part of AVS. A cookie is a small piece of text occupying only a few bytes on your hard drive that tells us that you have previously visited AVS. This enables the default values that you selected when last using the service to be maintained in your next visit, which makes the site more efficient for you to use. The use of cookies does not provide us with access to any of your personal information. If you do not have cookies switched on in your browser you may have problems logging into AVS. We recommend that all users have cookies switched on.

WHAT IF I HAVE SUGGESTIONS OR COMMENTS TO MAKE ABOUT AVS?

If you have comments or inquires regarding Profile Bank, please contact the site support team at volunteersearch@deewr.gov.au. We welcome any suggestions for improvement of the Australian Volunteer Search site.