Volunteering numbers virtually static since 2001 despite investment

Charity Finance, 20 August 2008

There has been little increase in the number of people volunteering since 2001, according to figures from the government’s Citizenship Survey.

The Citizenship Survey, used to officially gauge the levels of volunteering in England & Wales since 2001, shows that the number of people who volunteer at least once a month increased by just 1 per cent, from 47 per cent in 2001 to 48 per cent in 2008.

Joe Saxton’s, nfpSynergy’s driver of ideas, called the figures “disappointing, given the significant public funding” in volunteering.

“Notably, there is singularly no evidence that the targeting of young, old and other priority groups – such as ethnic minorities, or those out of work or with no qualification – has been successful,” he added.

The survey showed only 39 per cent of people from these groups volunteered at least once a month in 2008, compared with 47 per cent of the adult population.

Saxton urged the government to conduct better research into, and evaluation of, precisely what does and doesn’t work when it comes to getting more people to volunteer.

Look at where funding has been spent.

Peter Sharp, director of charity Worldwide Volunteering, questioned the efficacy of public spending on volunteering, saying “this could be a reason for the poor results”.

“nfpSynergy may wish to research who received the public funding for volunteering since 2001 and what it was spent on,” he added. “It could lead to some red faces but also to some very valuable lessons for public funding policy.”

Volunteering England’s chief executive Justin Davis Smith agreed with Saxton that the figures were “disappointing”. He also said that better research was needed on the best way the government could invest into volunteering. But he stressed that there should not be a “preoccupation with numbers over quality”.

“If you look at the findings on the quality of volunteering in the report people are saying that they are having a better experience with volunteering than before,” said Davis Smith.

Debbie Usiskin, vice-chair of the Association of Volunteer Managers (AVM) criticised how the data on national volunteering was calculated. "Volunteer managers count hours not numbers," she said, " For example, it is much more beneficial to manage 100 volunteers giving 10 hours than 1,000 volunteers giving 1 hours."

It is difficult to obtain figures for how much the government has invested in volunteering between 2001 and now, but it has committed a further £117m in youth volunteering initiatives through the charity v from 2008-11.

However, a spokesman from the Cabinet Office insisted the current government investment in volunteering would increase numbers: "We should be proud that volunteering levels in the UK remain high in comparison with other countries. However, volunteering levels have not been static since 2001, they rose significantly in 2005, a rise that coincided with the government backed 'year of the volunteer'.

"The government strongly believes that our £4m of investment volunteer training, £2m in the Access to Volunteering Fund for disabled people and continued investment in youth volunteering through v over the next three years will increase levels."

Volunteering England outlines strategic plan

Meanwhile, Volunteering England has released its annual impact report. Davis Smith promised that going forward the organisation would have more emphasis on influencing public policy at national and local level and develop its relationship with the membership.

Its other strategic objectives for the next three years included demonstrating value of volunteering to society, strengthening leadership, management and diversity in volunteering, and securing and supporting effective and sustainable volunteering infrastructure.

Concert tickets in return for volunteering

Elsewhere, youth volunteering got a boost from Prince Charles’ charity, In Kind Direct, which distributes companies’ surplus goods to charities, and community project fund Orange RockCorps.

The two have teamed up on a volunteering incentive scheme that gives 150 young people concert tickets for an exclusive gig at the Royal Albert Hall next month in exchange for four hours of volunteering with In Kind Direct’s sorting and repacking team.

Davis Smith praised the scheme for encouraging people who may not have volunteered before to give it a try. But he warned that offering an incentive with a tangible financial benefit could create issues around the employment status of the volunteer.

He added that offering a form of payment could change the philosophy around volunteering. He cited an example from Sweden where the number of people donating blood declined after a small payment was offered. “A financial incentive can change the dynamics of volunteering from a philanthropic act to low-paid work,” he said. “We could risk losing the identity of volunteering.”

Usiskin from the AVM also complained that Orange RockCorps and In Kind Direct had not considered the terms of law and management of volunteering in the UK.

She added: "We applaud the effort to get young people engaged in volunteering but we doubt four hours is enough to make young people feel connected."

However, Dame Elisabeth Hoodless, executive director of UK volunteering charity CSV, said: “We’re in favour of encouraging volunteering. People are motivated by a range of different factors. Tickets to rock concerts, entry to the Olympics or items for a CV are all factors that encourage or sustain volunteers. Eleven million people are waiting to be asked to volunteer. The real challenge is to ask these people to participate.”