Volunteering Victoria - Research Digest

Issue 5, August 2015

Research

Organisation / Item, source, keywords / Summary
National Council of Volunteer Organisations (NCVO)/UK Civil Society Almanac 2015, UK / Motivations and barriers to volunteering
Published 4 June, 2015
Access here
Keywords
motivations, barriers, volunteering / The Almanac, first published in 1996, provides facts and figures on the voluntary sector – particularly focusing on its economy and the volunteering workforce. The Almanac brings together data from charities’ accounts,administrative data and surveys. The 2015 edition (the 14th edition) uses the latest data available – which is mostly drawn from the 2012/13 financial year. It provides an interesting snapshot of some of the drivers and impediments to volunteer. For example, the most frequently cited reasons for volunteering were: to improve things/help people (59%) and the importance of the cause to the volunteer (40%). By far the greatest reason given to stop volunteering was lack of time due to changing home/work circumstances (48%).
Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR), National Council of Volunteer Organisations (NCVO) UK / Evaluation of the volunteering in care homes project: interim evaluation report
Matthew Hill, May 2015
Access here
Keywords
volunteer engagement, volunteer management, health and wellbeing, economic value of volunteering / This pilot project aims to improve quality of life and quality of care outcomes for residents by placing volunteers in befriending and activity-based roles in care homes. The interim evaluation contains compelling evidence of the positive impacts for residents – especially in terms of social and emotional wellbeing. It also draws out substantial good practice learning for those organisations aiming to involve volunteers in their work. It makes a number of recommendations for developing the involvement of volunteers in this specialist setting over the remaining project. Given that there are relatively fewer volunteers in these types of settings and a dearth of research it is an important piece of work. The final report is due in the first half of 2016.
Cabinet Office, UK / Community Life Survey: 2014-2015 statistical bulletin
July 2015
Access here
Keywords
data collection, citizen engagement, participation / The Community Life Survey is a major survey of adults in England and tracks measures that are key to understanding UK society and local communities, including: volunteering (formal, informal and employer supported) and charitable giving. The aim of the survey is to provide cost-effective data of value to government, external stakeholders and citizens. It is a household survey carried out via face-to-face interviews from July 2014 to April 2015. Comparison with previous surveys (first commissioned in 2012) shows that rates of volunteering in the UK are stable over time. All surveys can be accessed here In a blog post, Nick Ockenden, head of research, NCVO (Posted on 21 July 2015) provides some valuable commentary on the latest results. Access here

International volunteer organisations

Organisation / Item, source, keywords / Summary
Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, UK / Boom in ‘volunteerism’ sparks concerns over whether the industry is doing good
Gabriel Popham, online: reuters.com
29 June 2015
Access here
Keywords
International volunteering, volunteer work, volunteer management, volunteer organisations / Voluntourism, which allows socially conscious holidaymakers to pay thousands of dollars to work in poor communities across South America, Asia and Africa, has become a boom sector of the global travel industry. In this article Popham highlights some concerns. Chief among them is that with no industry regulator, campaigners within the sector are concerned about the rising numbers of companies involved, with no mechanism to hold them to account for the work that they do. Rapid growth in the multi-billion dollar volunteer tourism industry has prompted calls for tighter controls with concerns over exposing vulnerable communities to unskilled foreign labour and dodgy operators exploiting foreigners for profit. Critics warn the lack of oversight means volunteers can easily end up in parts of the world without the skills needed to help, take away local jobs, and form bonds with children in need that are short-lived as they quickly move on. The issues raised in this article add voice to those of Matthew Jenkin. See Research Digest, Issue 4, June 2015 Does volunteerism do more harm than good?
Curtain University commissioned by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, Australia / Australian charities involved overseas: a study supplementing the Australian charities 2013 report
David Gilchrist, Penny Knight, released July 2015
Access here
Keywords
international volunteering, charities, data collection / This report found that charities involved in overseas aid receive more support from volunteers than those that are not. Approximately 15 per cent of all Australian charities reported being involved overseas in some way attracting a third of the country’s two million volunteers. This report is based on the data provided by 38,341 charities that submitted a 2013 Annual Information Statement (AIS) - the same data source that resulted in the report Australian faith-based charities – see the previous edition of Research Digest (June 2015).

Commentary, articles, blogs, presentations on current volunteering issues

Organisation / Item, source, keywords / Summary
The Conversation, Australia [article] / Ten things you should know about volunteering’s immeasurable value
Melanie Oppenheimer
11 May 2015
Access here
Keywords
voluntary sector, volunteering, economic value of volunteering / Oppenheimer, the Chair of History at Flinders University, has written for over 25 years on volunteering from both a historical and contemporary perspective. In this article she presents a raft of interesting facts, figures and trends pertaining to Australia. Among them is that the government interest in volunteering is relatively new (15 years) - more evident after the Sydney 2000 Olympics and the 2001 UN International Year of the Volunteer. What Oppenheimer calls a “distinctive Australian way of volunteering” she also labels as invisible from social and economic structures that tend to focus exclusively on paid work. Oppenheimer advocates strongly for the proper recognition of volunteers (the “bedrock of the not-for-profit sector”). She points out that they often sit side by side paid workers doing exactly the same job. A thought provoking and well-argued opinion piece worthy of reading.
National Council of Volunteer Organisations (NCVO) UK [blog item] / Is training being overlooked for volunteer managers?
Jarina Choudhury
Access here
Keywords
volunteer managers, volunteer leadership, data collection / A survey on the learning and development priorities and preferences of volunteer managers was conducted by NCVO in June 2015. The survey canvassed NVCO members and organisations that engaged in Volunteers’ Week. In this blog, Choudhury, NCVO’s volunteering consultancy development officer, summarises some of the findings based on over 700 responses. Not surprisingly time and cost are the main factors preventing participation in learning and development for volunteer managers.NCVO is setting out to explore how developing online learning solutions might make training and development more time efficient and cost effective. A particularly useful survey when read in conjunction with Sharon Walsh’s opinion piece Volunteer managers – time to take us seriously (Research Digest Issue 4, June 2015)
Volunteering Australia / Volunteering Australia project: the review of the definition of volunteering
23 July 2015
Access here
Keywords
volunteering, definitions of volunteering, systematic review / A new definition of volunteering was released by Volunteering Australia after a 2-year review. The definition of volunteering: “time willingly given for the common good without financial gain” is considered a broader and more inclusive definition that reflects the diversity of volunteering activities being undertaken nationally. A set of explanatory notes delivered with the definition shows what is in and what is out, and says activism can now be considered volunteering. Also, for the first time, corporate volunteering by an entity, that is, a company that organises employee volunteers, is recognised under the new definition. Volunteering Tasmania led the review project on behalf of Volunteering Australia and the first review of the new definition will be undertaken in six months, then annually thereafter. A long awaited and important piece of work that is a must read. For some interesting commentary about the process read the opinion piece by Adrienne Picone, CEO of Volunteering Tasmania. Access here

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