Valuing volunteers

Mike Locke Director of Public Affairs, Volunteering England

Volunteering England…

charity

national development agency

strategic partner – Office of the Third Sector

membership organisation – 1300 members

improving policy and practice

representing volunteering

Good Practice Bank; information sheets

www.volunteering.org.uk

Local Volunteer Centres

300+

brokerage (matching people and opportunities) + marketing + good practice + developing opportunities + policy and campaigning + strategic development

supported and accredited by VE

members of VE

www.volunteering.org.uk/finder

“Volunteering” is …

rattling a collection tin … being a trustee … giving personal care … driving people to hospital … serving meals … giving advice … representing someone …. doing their shopping … looking after their pet

…every day … once a year … when asked … on-line

… free will … unpaid … for others (+ self & family?)

… involves: 40% + of adults once a year or more

20%+ once a month or more (England)

Valuing volunteers

Three perspectives:

social policy

organisations

volunteers

questions

Social policy values volunteers for:

running / helping run … welfare … care … education … sport … arts … health … advice … transport … hobbies … religion … & … & …

benefits to volunteers … skills/ employability … fulfilment

community cohesion … social capital …citizenship

“Big Society”

Organisations value volunteers for:

running, organising and supporting activities

incl. trustees / governing body

as service-users / participants: closeness, understanding, commitment

as others: community involvement: social purpose, roots

But ……..?

who / what do you really need? (… worth it?)

Volunteers value volunteering for:

social contacts … having time to give

cause … putting something back

skills ... using or gaining … employment

enjoyment … satisfaction

because they were asked!

How do volunteers want to be valued?

being useful

good use of their time

well organised

how can organisations use volunteers’ time well?

Being useful

ethos: congruence of volunteer and organisation

self-development? friends? social? career?

appreciation / recognition

thanks …

skills/ certificates …

right for the individual?

Using time

pressures … work-life balance … family economics … over-time … unemployment … commuting

different ways of using time … flexibility … roles / tasks … virtual / online …

consumerist / episodic

clear about time commitment

Managing time

managing volunteers

capabilities, skills, training, expertise and standards

resources, funding

Volunteering England campaign June + portal

Calling time

helping volunteers stop volunteering

burn out

succession planning

finding new people

networks

being accessible + extending contacts

Social policy: looking for evidence of value

how to demonstrate the value from volunteering

economic social added value

VIVA - VE

Social Return on Investment - NEF

Shared value!

most people volunteered before

… and / or are volunteering other places

we want them to volunteer again

volunteers are like a natural resource we share

“recycling”!

how to look after the volunteers who are with us now?

Further information

Citizenship Surveys – Dept for Communities and Local Government

Low, N, Butt, S, Ellis Paine, A and Davis Smith, J (2007) Helping out: a national survey of volunteering and charitable giving Cabinet Office

CONTACT: mike.locke@volunteeringengland.org

www.volunteeering.org.uk