Volunteering in Scotland:Trends and Challenges

Alasdair RutherfordUniversity of Stirling

What is a volunteer?

Formal volunteering

Informal volunteering

Informal helping

Care for family Compulsory volunteering

FORMALITY

Typologies of Volunteering

Developed by Davis Smith (2000) for the UN’s International Year of the Volunteer1. Mutual aid or self-help: ‘by us, for us’2. Philanthropy and service to others: ‘dominant

paradigm’3. Participation: governance, civil society4. Advocacy or campaigning: securing/preventing

change

Could also add ‘volunteering as leisure’3

Volunteering ParticipationMotivations

Opportunity

Varies across space

Difference in character, not just quantity

Altruism, ‘warm glow’, increase human capital, increase social capital, involuntary

Depends on human capital, social capital, life stage, social networks

Large urban/rural differences. Usually attributed to differences in socio-economic characteristics of local populations, differences in social capital

Rural volunteering is broad, with more people contributing across multiple organisations, but for few hours per week. Urban volunteering is deep, with fewer individuals working with fewer organisations but with a greater time commitment per week. Trimbell (2006)

THE STATE OF VOLUNTEERING

Participation By Rurality

Large

urban ar

eas

Other urban

area

s

Small

acce

ssible

towns

Small

remote

towns

Very re

mote sm

all to

wns

Accessi

ble rural

Remote

rural

Very re

mote rural

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Volunteering Intensity

Volunteering Hours

Volunteer Core

Who volunteers formally?

I live in a very remote, rural area.

I live in a neighbourhood with high levels of education and better health.

My household income is relatively high, I own my house.

I am a woman

I’m educated

I’m either aged 16-24 or 60-64

I have more than 2, but less than 5 children.

Rutherford, A. & Harper, H. (2012) Understanding Volunteering Participation: A quantitative analysis of volunteering data in the Scottish Household Survey (forthcoming)

Overwhelmingly people in Scotland tend to volunteer locally...

86% of respondents volunteer within their local authority area

85% of searches on www.volunteerscotland.net are by locality

VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT AND MANAGEMENT

Survey of Charities involving volunteers

Conducted by Volunteer Scotland in 2013

The top 5 challenges facing local charities:• Keeping suitable volunteers involved with us

(51%);• Finding suitable volunteers (48%);• Attracting new Board Members (22%);• Lack of time affecting support for volunteering

(21%); and• Providing adequate support to volunteers (20%).

Volunteering Expectations

What has hap-pened over the

past 12 months?

What do you think will happen in the next 12 months?

What would you like to happen in

the next 12 months?

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%IncreaseDecrease

Changing nature of volunteering:The formalisation and professionalisation of volunteering

Volunteering becoming more ‘work’ likeCan volunteering deliver? Should it?

Formalisation of volunteering

Increasing use of ‘top down’ methods of organising the work of volunteersAdopting private and public sector norms and ways of working: market values, authority and accountability, performance monitoring.‘Risk’ of volunteers – are they up to the job of delivering services in a target-driven environment?Increased management of volunteers versus replacement with paid staff.

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Changing nature of volunteering

Improved technology and innovation means we’re seeing volunteers engage in different ways:– Micro volunteering – Volunteering at home

Balance between volunteer needs as well as organisations; need for greater flexibility to fit in with current trends.

Hidden volunteering? Need to increase its visibility...

Substituting or complementing?

Do volunteers complement the work of paid professionals, or substitute for it? This is a concern for volunteers and professionals alike – and it risks undermining the valuable contribution that volunteers make.“The moment staff or the public perceive volunteers as people replacing the jobs of qualified staff is the moment goodwill towards them falls away.”Voluntary services manager“Am I encouraging cuts in the NHS because I’m volunteering?”Community centre volunteer19

Typologies of Volunteering

1. Mutual aid or self-help: ‘by us, for us’2. Philanthropy and service to others: ‘dominant

paradigm’3. Participation: governance, civil society4. Advocacy or campaigning: securing/preventing change5. Volunteering as leisure: hobby, socialising

Does your organisation and your volunteers think about their role in the same way?Has the role of volunteers in your organisation changed type?

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The problem with volunteering’s image

The ‘dominant paradigm’ excludes a wide range of voluntary activity– Volunteering seen as essentially altruistic help to those in

need– Excludes ‘mutual aid’ and ‘activism/civil society’– Research and policy focus on formal volunteering– Trustees classed as ‘governance’ rather than ‘volunteers’

A negative image of volunteering– Excludes young people– Associated with ageing, retirement, giving up work– Excludes minorities – BME, disabilities, ill health

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The nature of the perception gap

1) The range and scope of activitiesMutual aid, informal participation, campaigning, governance, sports and culture

2) The nature of the rewards and benefitsBenefits to volunteers as well as recipients of help

3) The kinds of people who volunteerSeen as ‘middle-class’, for ‘older people’ – ignores diversity

4) The status of volunteering‘Closet volunteers’, avoid ‘v’ word, ‘pro bono’

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Who is excluded from volunteering?

People with a disability/LLI – lower rates of participation, different routes into participation, different roles.No formal qualifications – Half the participation rate of those with qualifications. Much less likely to be involved in committee roles.Ethnicity – people born outside the UK less likely to volunteer, participation by ethnic minorities in mainstream organisations low.Age – young people (20 – 24) and older people (75+) less likely to volunteerEconomic/social disadvantage – lower participation in disadvantaged communitiesOther groups – homeless, single parents, ex-offenders, experience barriers

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How are they excluded?

Psychological barriers – time (perceptions of spare time); lack of flexibility; negative image of volunteering; perception as recipients rather than helpers; lack of confidence – social exclusion; discrimination; concerns about benefits; health & safety/risk.Practical barriers – not knowing how to get involved (not asked); lack of appropriate opportunities (demand/supply); management/bureacracy (formal recruitment and CRB checks); inaccessible locations; costs (travel, child care)

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What can be done?

Government initiatives, programmes, initiatives by third sector organisations – good practice guides, reports and research studies.

– Positive action – targeting under-represented groups– Recruitment – advertising widely, inclusive images,

information– Matching – roles to volunteers – understand volunteer’s needs– Progression – identify goals, provide support– Training – at start and ongoing, develop skills– Support and supervision – effective for individual, role and org– Recognition – both thanks and participation in shaping org– Volunteer management – professional, clear, transparent,

records, relationships25

Threats to independence of volunteering

Compulsion – making volunteering compulsory (school-based community service; employability programmesGovernment volunteerism – volunteering in the public sector to further policy goalsSetting the agenda – funding programmes, contractingCreating the environment – government policy discouraging voluntary action e.g. ‘workfare’; criminal record checks, regulation,

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The ‘volunteering industry’

Government focus on volunteering privileges formal types of involvement – monitoring, measurement, reporting.Growth of volunteering ‘infrastructure’ – national, regional and local – supporting volunteering and volunteer-involving organisations. Tends to be dominated (and focussed on) larger, formal voluntary organisations. This leads to a concentration of research, policy and practice on these types of participation.A ‘volunteer management’ profession – formal roles, qualifications, careers

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What are the consequences?

More ‘professional’, transparent management of volunteers, including a concern for supporting volunteers.Better understanding of who volunteers are and what they do.

Growing bureaucracy alienates some volunteers.Reduction in flexibility, innovation and autonomy.

Move power from volunteers to staff.Promotion of formal participation at the expense

of more informal ways of participating.28

Conclusion

‘Traditional’ volunteering has been, and continues to be, critical for the functioning of many volunteer-involving organisations.

BUT, if we are to retain and build on participation we need to think beyond the formal, role-based involvement of volunteers …

How do you think about your volunteers … and how do they think about you?

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING …

Alasdair RutherfordUniversity of Stirling

Friends and family

Asked to help out by group

Contacting group directly

Volunteer Scotland

Browsed newspaper

Local council

Libary

Volunteer Centre or CVS

Internet

Citizens Advice Bureau

31

18

14

13

11

9

9

8

4

3

Steps taken to find opportunities

For volunteers, speaking to friends and family is by far the most popular way of finding out about volunteer opportunities

8

8.2

8.4

8.6

8.8

9

9.2

9.4

9.6

9.8

10Male Non-Vol

Female Non-Vol

8

8.2

8.4

8.6

8.8

9

9.2

9.4

9.6

9.8

10Male Non-VolMale VolunteerFemale Non-VolFemale Volunteer

large urban areas other urban small accessible towns

small remote towns

very remote small towns

accessible rural remote rural very remote rural7.80

8.00

8.20

8.40

8.60

8.80

9.00

9.20

9.40

9.60

9.80

Raising Money

Committee Work

Providing Advice or Assistance

Helping to Organize or run Events or Activities

Generally Helping Out

Doing Whatever is Required

Eight-fold Rurality Classification

Subj

ectiv

e Li

fe S

atisf

actio

n Sc

ore

(11

poin

t sc

ale)

Doing Whatever

Committee

Raising Money

Providing AssistanceHelping Out

Organizing

CommitteeRaising Money

Providing Assistance

Helping Out

Organizing

Doing Whatever

Value of Volunteering: To Organisations

Volunteering has the potential to deliver a number of benefits to volunteer-involving organisations including creating services that are more responsive to local needs (Paylor 2011); engaging ‘hard-to-reach’ communities more effectively (Kennedy 2010); filling gaps in provision (Hussein 2011; Kennedy et al 2007; Paylor 2011); and facilitating improvements in professional– patient relationships and interactions (Paylor 2011; Jones 2004).

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Value of Volunteering: To Communities

There is evidence to show that volunteering can bring broader benefits to communities, including by enhancing social cohesion, reducing anti-social behaviour among young people, and providing placement opportunities that may then lead to employment (eg, Prasad and Muraleedharan 2007). Recent research suggests social participation is cumulative, meaning that formal volunteering can also encourage people to get involved in other activities in their communities (Morrow-Howell 2010; Department of Health 2011a).

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What is a volunteer?

Formal volunteering

Informal volunteering

Informal helping

Care for family Compulsory volunteering

FORMALITY

Discussion: Volunteering in Scotland

There has been a small decline in overall volunteering participation levels.

There are large variations between communities in participation rates: this is only partly explained by differences in demographics and socio-economics.

Discussion: Volunteering in Scotland

The bulk of volunteer effort is undertaken by a small core of the population.The participation of this core is stable; it is more infrequent volunteer participation that has declined.Despite this, demand from voluntary organisations for more volunteers is high.

What can be done?

Promoting the ‘volunteer brand’ …Developing a ‘culture of volunteering’ …Changing social norms …Building social capital …

National campaigns and promotion, volunteering support bodies, government policy, developing volunteer management, volunteer champions, accrediting volunteer experience, avoiding the ‘v’ word e.g. community empowerment

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