DRAFT

Volunteering Victoria - Research Digest

Issue 7, 29 February 2016

Research – Volunteering Specific

Organisation / Item, source, keywords / Summary
The Guardian and the Harvard School of Public Health / 1.  “Is It Time For Doctors To Prescribe Volunteering?”
See the article by Claudia Cahalane in The Guardian on 18 January 2016 HERE
2.  The research paper by Eric S Kim of the Harvard School of Public Health that prompted Cahalane’s article can be downloaded HERE
[the article “Five Ways Giving is Good For You”, see HERE) by Jason Marsh and Jill Suttie from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California Berkeley, from December 2010, references a range of research that supports the health benefits of volunteering]
/ There is a substantial body of research that indicates that volunteering has positive health benefits. Cahalane’s article refers to some recent examples.
ITSSOIN, European Commission / Welfare impacts of participation. Deliverable 3.3 of the project: “Impact of the Third Sector as Social Innovation” (ITSSOIN), European Commission – 7th Framework Programme, Brussels: European Commission, DG Research.
De Wit, A., Bekkers, R., Karamat Ali, D. & Verkaik, D.
1 September 2015
See the report HERE / More useful research on the positive impact of volunteering on health and wellbeing. This study uses data from the British Household Panel Data and Understanding Society to examine associations between volunteering and subjective health, subjective well-being, career outcomes and social relations. It finds that participation in voluntary activities enhances people’s welfare, but the researchers note we should not expect miracles from participation in third sector activities. Besides focusing on volunteer management, policy makers should facilitate the output of voluntary activities since third sector organizations might contribute to the innovativeness and welfare of society as a whole. “Processes of causation could have clear public policy implications. If volunteering pays off in terms of wellbeing, it could be wise to examine strategies that enhance volunteer activities.”
Volunteer Canada / “Is your recognition of your volunteers appreciated?”
See article HERE
3.  And the 2013 research on which the article was based by Andrea Dixon and Melanie Hientz HERE / This article draws on Canadian research into the type of recognition that volunteers value and provides a link to Volunteer Canada’s volunteer recognition tool.
National Council of Voluntary Organisations (UK) / 1.  “Better targeting of funding – Four reasons why funders should adopt an impact-driven approach”
2. 
3.  See the article HERE
And the research paper Why Take An Impact Driven Approach to Funding? by NCVO Charities Evaluation Services, January 2016, HERE / This article describes the benefits of taking an impact-driven approach to funding, with a specific focus on how and why funders are looking at the outcomes of projects they fund.
1.  “Six Reasons You Need To Up The Budget For Your CSR Program”
2. 
3.  Ryan Scott
27 January 2016
See the article HERE / Executives who dismiss the importance of employee volunteer and giving programs shrug them off as “nice to have” charity cases (literally), more useful for nonprofit recipients than the corporate doers and donors. What they don’t realize is the direct connection between employee volunteering and giving and a host of tangible business benefits that include employee engagement, retention, recruitment, skills-growth, leadership training and team-building.

Research – Charities and Not for Profits

Organisation / Item, source, keywords / Summary
The Guardian / 1.  How Your Charity Can Attract Philanthropists
Juliet Cockram
22 January 2016
See the article HERE / A few tips for charities on how best to attract philanthropists and their money.
Third Sector / 1.  Why Cost Ratios Are Not The Best Way to Assess Charities
21 January 2016
See the report HERE / This UK article should be interesting to Australian charities table that need to be able to demonstrate their operating efficiency…
The Guardian
Voluntary Sector Network / “What difference does your organisation make to society – and can you prove it?”
Charlotte Simmonds
4 November 2015
See the article HERE / What difference does your organisation make to society – and can you prove it? Measuring and evidencing impact is a central part of any charity’s work; but what are funders really looking for before parting with their money?
The Guardian
Charity Money / 1.  “What corporate sponsors look for in a charity partnership”
2. 
3.  Lottie O’Conor
15 July 2015
See the article HERE / Sponsorship can be anything from funding a one-off event to a long term partnership or project. What do corporate sponsors look for in their charity partnerships? Several UK sponsors share their views.
Tech Networks of Boston / 1.  “What every nonprofit executive needs to know about information technology”
Deborah Elizabeth Finn
29 January 2016
See the article HERE
2. 
3.  / This article provides some valuable tips that may help not for profit organisations make IT work for them, or at least help to avoid some common pitfalls. One of these is that “A nonprofit CEO does not need to have a lot of hands-on technical experience to participate actively in strategic IT planning”.
CauseCast Blog / 4.  “Six Reasons You Need To Up The Budget For Your CSR Program”
5. 
6.  Ryan Scott
27 January 2016
See the article HERE / Executives who dismiss the importance of employee volunteer and giving programs shrug them off as “nice to have” charity cases (literally), more useful for nonprofit recipients than the corporate doers and donors. What they don’t realize is the direct connection between employee volunteering and giving and a host of tangible business benefits that include employee engagement, retention, recruitment, skills-growth, leadership training and team-building.

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