Introduction
In 1998 the Institute for Volunteering Research carried out a survey
to identify key trends in the organisation of volunteering and to
see how the managers of volunteers view the future in terms of their
own organisation and volunteering in general. The survey covered
some of the same ground as an earlier survey by the National Centre
for Volunteering in 1993, which allows us to determine trends in
some areas.
Findings
The organisation of volunteers
There has been speculation that volunteering has become more formalised
in recent years, with an increasing array of management systems
and procedures. The survey examined some of the areas in which more
formal practices have occurred:
- Four out of five volunteer-involving organisations have a designated
volunteer co-ordinator/manager or equivalent post. This shows
little change from the 1993 survey in which 77 per cent had such
a person in place. The survey reveals that organisations that
had such a post are likely to have more volunteers than those
that do not. A half of organisations with a volunteer management
post have 50 or more volunteers, compared with just over a third
of organisations that have no such post.
- There has been an increase in the number of organisations that
have a written volunteer policy or practice and procedures handbook,
with 85 per cent of organisations now having such a policy, compared
with 65 per cent in 1993. The majority of organisations also have
equal opportunities and health and safety policies and make use
of application forms and interviews for selecting volunteers.
- Most organisations have systems in place for supporting (94%),
supervising (90%) and disciplining (74%) volunteers.
- A majority of organisations have procedures for evaluating volunteers’
work (59%), managing staff/volunteer relationships (55%) and moving
volunteers to new tasks (54%), while over a third of organisations
(36%) have procedures in place for counselling volunteers.
- Most volunteer-involving agencies provide training both on the
job (87%) and through training courses (66%). Almost a half of
organisations (47%) offer their volunteers some form of accreditation
or certification for their work or training accomplished.
- Almost a third (31%) of organisations use a method or formula
to value the contribution of their volunteers in terms of time
and money. Most organisations use figures based on the commercial
rate for the job or an unspecified flat rate, although a small
number use the Volunteer Investment and Value Audit equation.
- There are encouraging signs that most organisations accept the
fact that volunteers should be reimbursed for expenses with 93
per cent of organisations paying for or refunding travelling expenses
to and from the place of work and 70 per cent doing so for volunteer
drivers. Fewer organisations (54%) reimburse the cost of meals
whilst at the place of work.
- Volunteer organisations are also shown in a positive light when
it comes to offering practical help and advice to volunteers.
Most (77%) make insurance arrangements for volunteers and over
half (53%) give advice to unemployed volunteers on skills development.
Some agencies also provide advice on social security issues (42%),
Inland Revenue matters (23%) and general legal issues (17%).
- Despite the trend towards formalisation, the vast majority (95%)
of organisations still use word of mouth to recruit volunteers,
while 75 per cent made use of their local volunteer bureau and
65 per cent used direct advertising or the press.
Volunteering and diversity
Findings from the survey reinforce evidence from previous studies
in showing that many groups are under represented as volunteers:
- Just over a half (53%) of organisations believe they have volunteers
who represent a good cross-section of their local community. Groups
working in the housing and homelessness sector perceive themselves
to be the most representative with 71 per cent saying that they
have a good cross-section.
- Of the organisations that admit they do not reflect their local
community the group most commonly seen as being over represented
is retired or older people. This result is surprising as, although
The 1997 National Survey of Volunteering showed an increase in
volunteering by older people, it also found that it was people
between 45 and 54 who were the most likely to volunteer. Women
and white people are also seen as being over represented by respondents,
a finding that reflects the long held stereotype of the typical
volunteer.
- Young people and people from ethnic minorities are the two groups
most often seen as being under represented, followed by men and
people with disabilities.
- Young people also come out on top in terms of the group most
organisations would like to target in recruitment.
It would seem that volunteer-involving organisations are still
failing to attract significant sections of the community. The fact
that organisations are at least aware of the situation and that
many are thinking about targeting under represented groups is encouraging.
Not so encouraging is the fact that many organisations actually
implement policies that discriminate against volunteers on the grounds
of their age:
- One in five organisations have an upper age limit that is in
the majority of cases set at 70, 75 or 80. Several organisations
claim such limits apply specifically to drivers and are for insurance
purposes.
- Over a half of organisations have a lower age limit on volunteers
and of these organisations 40 per cent would not allow anyone
under 18 to volunteer. This pattern is reflected across all types
of organisation.
Employer-supported volunteering
Recent efforts to promote employer-supported volunteering appear
to have paid off with an increase in the proportion of volunteer-involving
organisations in such schemes:
- A quarter of organisations have been involved in an employer-supported
volunteering initiative compared with 16 per cent in the 1993
survey. Volunteer placement agencies and community development
organisations are the most likely to participate in an employer-supported
volunteering scheme.
- Opinion appears to be polarised on the issue of whether employer-supported
volunteering would have a major impact. Looking to the future,
42 per cent of respondents see the schemes as growing in importance
but a third believe they will remain on the margins of voluntary
work.
Looking to the future
Despite the fact that most organisations predict an increase in
the number of volunteers in the future, a large proportion (41%)
believe it will become harder to recruit volunteers over the next
five years. This is in marked contrast with the 1993 survey, in
which less than a quarter of respondents thought it would be more
difficult to recruit in the next five years with an equal number
believing it would be easier:
- One in five respondents quote the government’s New Deal/Welfare
to Work programme as being a reason why they will find it difficult
to recruit volunteers in the future. Much of this concern relates
to the fear that the New Deal may draw people away from voluntary
work and may get confused with real volunteering.
- Other reasons given were lack of time amongst potential volunteers,
difficulties in claiming benefits, increased competition amongst
volunteer-involving organisations and declining unemployment in
certain areas. Most organisations see a combination of such factors
contributing to difficulties in future recruitment.
In looking at more general concerns respondents raise a variety
of policy issues they would have to tackle during the next five
years:
- The top three issues are criminal record checks and vetting
procedures for volunteers, the New Deal and the perennial issue
of funding.
- Other issues raised by organisations are the impact of the contract
culture and legal issues as well as more practical concerns such
as recruitment and the role of management committees.
- Most organisations (76%) are optimistic about the future of
volunteering, a figure similar to that of the 1993 survey. This
optimism was consistent across all types of organisation.
Conclusion
The survey of volunteer-involving organisations identifies key
issues that need to be addressed by practitioners and policy makers
alike.
Volunteer management appears to be becoming increasingly formalised.
Against this background there is currently a debate about the possibility
of setting up a professional association of volunteer managers.
Despite a more professional approach being taken towards managing
volunteers many organisations are still failing to attract significant
sections of society into voluntary work and some are still adopting
policies that actively discriminate against people on the grounds
of age.
On the issue of employer-supported volunteering it is apparent
that there is growing interest in the idea although there is still
plenty of scope for development.
There is however concern over the current government’s Welfare
to Work and New Deal policies and their possible effect on volunteering.
In the minds of many people the distinction between government support
for volunteering and its desire to get people back to work is blurred.
Despite some of the issues and concerns raised here the survey
shows volunteer-involving organisations to be in a reasonably up-beat
state both in terms of their own future and that of volunteering.
Methodology
A questionnaire was sent out to 1,200 volunteer-involving organisations.
The majority of the sample was drawn from the databases of the National
Centre for Volunteering and from the top 200 UK charities (in terms
of income) as listed in the Charities Aid Foundation’s Dimensions.
The nature of the sample means that some of the findings have to
be qualified by the fact that the responding organisations are likely
to be more aware of current issues in volunteering.
Five hundred and forty-seven responses were received. The vast
majority of these (85%) were from organisations in the voluntary/not
for profit sector, with 14 per cent from the statutory sector and
1 per cent from private organisations. This breakdown mirrors that
of the earlier survey. The majority of respondents (62%) were independent
local organisations but there were also branches of national agencies
as well as national and regional bodies. Various activities were
covered by the organisations surveyed, the most common being: the
giving of advice and information, placement of volunteers, health
and community development.
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