New Insights
Do you take part in volunteering through the Students’ Union Volunteering Centre?
Less than 1 in 10 of the students already volunteers through the volunteer centre. It is interesting to see that the other two answers are almost equally split, and that almost half of students are interested in volunteering.
What barriers are preventing/concerning you with regards to taking on volunteering?
This question gave the option for students to say why they are not currently partaking in volunteering and if not what is preventing this.
· Not interested in volunteering
· The volunteering opportunities available aren’t relevant to me
· Lack of time
· I can’t regularly commit to volunteering activities
· Not sure to get involved
· The opportunities available aren’t beneficial to my chosen career path
· Volunteering opportunities are hard to access
· Don’t want to volunteer without friends
· I already volunteer enough
· I can’t afford to volunteer
· I don’t know where the volunteering locations are
· None of these reasons apply
University Park
The biggest barriers for students on University Park is the lack of time that they have to donate to doing a volunteering project and not being able to regularly commit to volunteering activities. 28% of students said that the barrier that was preventing them from getting into volunteering was that they were not sure of how to get involved.
Jubilee
The biggest barriers for students on Jubilee is the lack of time that they have to donate to doing a volunteering project and not being able to regularly commit to volunteering activities. 27% of students said that the barrier that was preventing them from getting into volunteering was that they were not sure of how to get involved. 18% of students do not know where the volunteering locations are, 13% think volunteering opportunities are hard to access and only 2% of students comment that they already volunteer enough; these two answers could show that students at Jubilee do not currently volunteer due to lack of knowledge of the volunteering locations and opportunities. It is important to note that roughly a quarter of the students state that they are not interested in volunteering.
Sutton Bonington
The biggest barriers for students on Sutton Bonington is the lack of time that they have to donate to doing a volunteering project and not being able to regularly commit to volunteering activities. Over 30% of students said that the barrier that was preventing them from getting into volunteering was that they were not sure of how to get involved. Over a quarter of students stated that they did not know where the volunteering locations were, 16% said there was a lack of volunteering opportunities and 7% thought that volunteering opportunities are hard to access ; these answers could show that students at Sutton Bonington do not currently volunteer due to lack of knowledge of the volunteering locations and opportunities. Only 17% said they were not interest in volunteering.
Considering the Segments in volunteering
To generate a clearer picture about the segments and who wants to volunteer, the segments need to be considered in isolation to see who is not currently volunteering but would like to. It is then interesting to consider what is preventing them from volunteering currently.
Pragmatic High Achievers
The number of students that currently volunteer through the student volunteering centre and the number of students that would like to are both higher than average. The biggest barriers for these students are the lack of free time and therefore not being able to commit to long-term volunteering projects. More students in this section are unsure of how to get involved than the average answer. It is interesting to note that a lot more students than average feel that there are irrelevant opportunities for them and that the opportunities to do not link to their career. It is suggested that for students in this segment they are given more information about one-off or short-term, low commitment opportunities that are linked to their studies and subject areas.
Comfortable and Courageous
The number of students that currently volunteer through the student volunteering centre and the number of students that would like to are both higher than average. Considerably more students than average, a third, believe that the opportunities are irrelevant to them and 7% more students than average believe that the opportunities are not linked to their career. Given that fewer students in this segment said that ‘no time’ was a barrier than the average, it is suggested that these students are targeted with information about a longer-term volunteer opportunity, with a wide range of choice so they can find one that relates to them, but that is not overly time intensive in terms of a weekly or monthly basis.
Reflective Thinkers
The number of students that currently volunteer through the student volunteering centre is higher than average however the number of students that would like to volunteer is lower than average. Almost double the average number of students in this segment said that they would not volunteer without friends, by far the most interesting finding in this segment. . It is suggested that for students in this segment they are given more information about group projects and opportunities, so that they can encourage friends to do the activities with them. Again, a larger number than average students felt that the opportunities were not related to their studies or career; whilst this is a good projection of the type of activities they would like to be involved in, it cannot be sure that their friendship group is also in the same school or faculty and therefore the main focus for this segment should be group projects.
Social Butterflies
The numbers of students that currently volunteer through the student volunteering centre in-line with the average however the number of students that would like to volunteer is considerably lower than average. With this segment being much lower in numbers of students that actually want to volunteer; this segment should just be given the general information. Due to the nature and personality of this segment, it is advised that if targeted information is to be sent, it is group projects that are ‘fun’ and involve a high degree of socialising.
Dedicated Detailers
The number of students that currently volunteer through the student volunteering centre is lower than average however the number of students that would like to volunteer is higher than average. This segment’s students feel that they have less time than the average student and cannot commit to volunteer opportunities; these students also feel that the opportunities are irrelevant to them. It is suggested that this segment would benefit from information about short-term and one-off opportunities and given a wide range of projects so that the students can find one that they feel is relevant to them.
Knowledge Seeking Specialists
The number of students that currently volunteer through the student volunteering centre is considerably lower than average, and the number of students that would like to volunteer is larger than average. This segment’s average score was lower than the overall population for free time. Scores for this segment were considerably higher than the general population for students who felt the opportunities were irrelevant. The data shows that this segment could be targeted by providing a wide range of opportunities, with a variety of short-term, one-off and long-term projects, so that students can find the activity which is the most applicable to them.
Work Hard, Play Hard
The number of students that currently volunteer through the student volunteering centre and the number of students that would like to are both higher than average. Considerably more students than average feel that they do not have enough time to volunteer – over 4 out of 5 students – felt that they did not have enough time to complete any volunteer, and almost 3 times the average number of students already volunteered. It is clear that this segment is in-line with the average student, with the exception of amount of free time, and therefore not as much targeting is needed as there are no clear disparities between Work Hard, Play Hard students and the overall population. Perhaps just sending these students opportunities that are less time intense than other projects.
Constructive Challengers
The number of students that currently volunteer through the student volunteering centre and the number of students that would like to volunteer are both lower than average. It is important to note that almost two thirds of students in this segment are not interested in volunteering so the portion of students that are is lower which should be considered when deciding how much targeting this segment needs. This segment fits with the general trends of the overall population, but scores higher on unsure how to get involved and opportunities hard to access; it can be seen that the students should be sent the information for this but the types of opportunities do not need to be tailored.
General findings applicable to all segments
Overall, for every segment students are unsure of how to access the opportunities or get involved with the student volunteering centre. The data shows that this information should be given to students and be made more accessible so that the students know exactly where to go and how to get involved with the SVC. This coupled with a lot of students across all segments feeling that the opportunities are hard to access show that there is a need for better information communication to the students. A number of students across numerous segments stated that they would not volunteer without friends, so more group projects could be sourced and advertised to encourage volunteers.
What would or does encourage you to want to volunteer whilst you are University?
This question gave students the option to explain in their own words what would encourage them to take part in volunteering activities during their time at University.
· A wide range of exciting opportunities at little to no cost.
· An opportunity that is relevant to my area of study.
· Gaining experience and meeting new people.
· Getting involved with the local community, enhancing my CV and world outlook, meeting new people.
· Link to med societies.
· Want to help others.
· Enhance CV.
· Graduate opportunities.
· Relevance to future employment.
· Causes I identify with and feel passionate about.
· More one off opportunities to try different things.
· More volunteering opportunities on campus.
· Fun opportunities.
· A form of reimbursement or payment.
· Volunteering for extra university credits.
· One-off volunteering opportunities that are relevant to chosen career and experiences that will be beneficial to chosen career paths.
· Local to each campus so not too much travel involved.
· Rewarding and enriching to give back.
· Advantage award.
· Gaining experience.
· Want to help out in, and give back to, the community.
· More free time /better time management to be able to volunteer.
· It is a great way to learn more about other people’s lives and the world around us and is hugely enriching.
· Helping others.
· Benefit other people and pass on knowledge that I have learnt at University Of Nottingham to encourage more people to attend.
· Improve employability and future employment prospects.
· Meet new people and make new friends.
· The number of opportunities that are advertised and the number of volunteering opportunities and the volunteers seen around campus.
· Knowing about students’ own personal experiences volunteering.
· More information on what is available and when.
· More opportunities for part-time students and those who do not live in Nottingham.
· More singular and one time activities as time commitment is difficult.
· Previously volunteered and enjoyed it.
· A good cause to volunteer for and good people to do it with.
· Chance to make a positive impact.
· Seeing the benefits and outcomes of what the work would produce – also having more information on it.
· Personal development.
· More charities involved with animals.
· Awareness and notification of the opportunities.
· Support those in need and builds a better future in which the next generation needs to live.
· Want to do something good other than just donate money.
· Feeling good.
· Physically being able to measure and see what has been done and how I have helped rather than just donating or raising money.
· Volunteering as part of a larger project, such as Duke of Edinburgh.
· More time built in to university timetable.
· If clubs regarding volunteering were on more than one day a week.
· Ease of access.
These are a number of different encouragers and reasons as to why students want to volunteer with the Student Volunteering Centre. As the phrases have been volunteered by the students themselves, some of the phrases could be included in the targeted communications as they may be more relatable.
Student Volunteering Week
Thought Forum Analysis
The question asked was: It was National Student Volunteering week a couple of weeks ago. Did you know?
This was followed by a description: 22nd – 26th February was all about volunteering. The Student Volunteer Centre hosted lots of opportunities for students to get more volunteering experience under their belts. Did you know about this week? If so, what did you think and how did you hear about it? If no, how can we help to spread the message wider around the uni?
The following points are summaries of the answers given over a one month period about student volunteering week:
· Knew about it but unable to take part, first heard about it from SU email and then saw about it on numerous occasions on different twitter accounts.
· Did hear about student volunteer week as there were tons of notifications prior to and during the week.