Briefing: Government and Volunteering

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Briefing Government and Volunteering
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Steve McCurley, shm12_at_aol.com

• Private consultant, based in US
• Formerly staff at predecessor of Points of Light
  Foundation
• Voluntary Sector Work AARP, Special Olympics,
  British Red Cross, St John Ambulance
• Public Sector Work National Park Service,
  Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Army

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Connecting People with their Communities

• Civic and political participation
• Social inclusion
• Community engagement
• Civil renewal
• Civil society
• Volunteering

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Observations on Fuzziness

• There are large areas of overlap among these
  concepts
• Deciding how to measure each is difficult because
  there are multiple options for what elements
  might be included in each and there is no common
  definition for most of the elements
• Arguably, there are reciprocal cause and effect
  relationships among all of these concepts

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Volunteering

• Volunteering is among the easier of the factors
  to examine because it involves active
  participation.
• Volunteering has been shown to either be a
  component, a causal factor or a pathway to most
  of the other elements.

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• One of the practical reasons to use volunteering
  as part of a focus on community engagement is
  that there are thousands of local organizations
  that already use this notion and thus create
  leverage points at which to increase engagement
  and social capital.

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What Id Like to Cover

• Trends in volunteering and how they connect to
  fostering engagement - Discussion
• How government can support volunteering
• Anything else that youd like to specifically ask
  about

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The CD

• Social Outcomes
• Work Initiatives
• Short-Term Volunteering
• Incentives
• Inclusion
• Volunteer Program Evaluation
• Volunteering Statistics
• Government Volunteer Programs

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VolunteeringUS, Bureau of Labor Statistics 2003

• 27.6 of population
• 63.8 million people
• 25.1 of males 32.3 of females
• Average of 52 hours per year 28.2 spent 100-499
  hours
• IS figure 52

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Volunteering Rates

• UK - 28, Home Office, 2003
• Scotland - 27, Scottish Household Survey, 2000
• Wales - 48, National Assembly of Wales, 2003
• Canada - 27, NSGVP, 2000
• Australia - 34, ABS, 2002

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Volunteers in GovernmentUS

• 25-30 of volunteer labor directed toward
  government (Hodgkinson, 1996)
• 23 million volunteer for government (Brudney
  Kellough, 2000)
• 36 of state agencies utilize volunteers (Brudney
  Kellough, 2000)

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Volunteering by Level of GovernmentBrudney, 1999

• 6-7 Federal
• 11-17 - State
• 76-81 - Local

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Volunteers in GovernmentUK, Community Service
Volunteers, 2002

• 30,000 lay magistrates deal with 90 of English
  criminal prosecutions
• 12,7000 uniformed constables help the UK police
• 192,000 volunteers worked with NHS in 1996
• 25 of volunteers work in public sector

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Areas of InvolvementYour CD

• Corrections
• Court System
• Disaster
• Education
• EMS
• Environment
• Fire and Rescue
• Libraries

• Parks Recreation
• Police
• Public Housing
• Social and Health Services
• Local and State Governance

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Likely Forecast

• Volunteer involvement is likely to continue to
  increase, fueled by a push/pull system
• This projected growth is not necessarily the case
  for other elements - civic and political
  participation, for example.

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Areas of Interest

• Family volunteering
• Workplace volunteering
• Internet volunteering
• Youth and Senior volunteering
• Mandated service
• Employment and volunteering
• Short-Term volunteering
• Cadre burnout

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1. Family VolunteeringAAL Survey, 1998

• 65.9 of families with children under 12 who have
  never volunteered before said family volunteering
  was a good idea of were planning to do it.

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Family Volunteering and Community Engagement

• Family volunteering is an excellent way for
  parents to teach productive social values to
  their children by demonstrating to them, not
  preaching at them.
• Family volunteering provides a pathway for some
  ethnic groups into community engagement.

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• National Family Volunteering Day
• November 27, 2004

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2. Workplace Volunteering

• 12 of those who volunteered were asked by
  someone at work and 24 learned about activity
  through workplace - 1998 Gallup Survey, US
• 67 of volunteers received support from employers
  - 2000 NSGVP, Canada
• 32 volunteered through place as work as opposed
  to on a personal basis - MORI Poll of Employee
  Volunteering, UK

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Volunteering by Public Sector Employees

• Government social responsibility
• Federal government, US
• State programs - Connecticut
• United Kingdom. Dept of Education, Home Office

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Workplace Volunteering and Community Engagement

• The workplace is likely to become the largest
  institutional feeder system for individuals to
  connect with their community through providing
  service - outpacing churches.

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3. Volunteering the Internet Online
Volunteering

• Employed
• Transportation difficulties
• International

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Online Volunteering as a Pathway to Engagement

• The Homebound
• Non-volunteering Populations

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Internet Recruitment www.volunteer.com.au

• 27 speak another language other than English
• 79 female
• 68 under age 34
• 40 never volunteered before

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Internet Recruitmentwww.volunteermatch.com

• 84 female 16 male
• 50 are under age 30 only 32 are 40 or older
• 58 are Caucasian 11 are African-American 10
  are Hispanic
• 75 have not volunteered before

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The Internet as a Pathway to Community Engagement

• The Internet offers a safe way for previously
  unconnected populations to test engagement
  through volunteering.

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Internet Recruitment

• www.volunteer.gov
• Covers all federal agency volunteer opportunities

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4. Youth Volunteering, US

• 72 of youth volunteered with a community group
  in past three years - Public Allies
• 63 of high school students have great deal of
  interest in volunteering - Close Up Foundation

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Effects of Volunteering on YouthMoore and Allen,
1996

• Increased social and academic skills
• Reduced rates of academic failure, school
  drop-outs and teen pregnancy
• Improved self-concepts and attitudes toward
  society
• Viewing selves as help-givers not just
  help-receivers
• Increased leadership qualities and
  problem-solving skills

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Effects of Volunteering on YouthAustralia, Saha,
2004

• Youth involvement in prosocial behaviour
  represents a powerful independent contributor to
  the acquisition of a wide range of political
  culture domains. It is clear that students who
  engage in volunteer activity manifest a higher
  level of political knowledge, higher political
  attentiveness, greater political participation
  experience, and a stronger commitment to
  political freedom.

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5. Senior Volunteering, US

• 43 of 75 volunteered - 1999 Gallup Survey
• 33 of upcoming retirees list volunteering as
  very important - Civic Ventures

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Hour Distribution by AgeBLS, 2003

• 40 - 16-24 years
• 36 - 25-34 years
• 50 - 35-44 years
• 52 - 45-54 years
• 60 - 55-64 years
• 88 - 65 years

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Seniors and Engagement

• The biggest difficulty is finding appropriate
  volunteer placements to handle the skills and
  expertise of the Baby Boomer seniors.

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6. Mandatory Service

• Educational requirements
• Diversion from the justice system
• Qualification for government benefits - housing,
  welfare, unemployment, food stamps

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Mandatory ServiceCanada, NSGVP 2000

• Over 7 of those who volunteered in 2000 stated
  that they were required to do so by their school,
  their employer or by the government.

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Mandatory ServiceNatl Student Service Learning
Survey, 2000

• U.S. Public high schools having some type of
  community service learning program
• 27 1984
• 83 1998

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Questions about Mandatory Service

• Will it productively introduce new populations to
  volunteering?
• Will these populations continue to engage in
  volunteering after meeting their mandated
  commitments?
• Will they also be more likely to engage in other
  forms of community participation?

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7. Gaining Employment though VolunteeringCA,
NSGVP, 2000

• 28 of unemployed volunteers said volunteering
  had helped them obtain jobs in the past
• 24 of volunteers aged 15-24 said their volunteer
  work had helped them to obtain a paid job in the
  past

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Gaining Employment though VolunteeringHirst,
Links between Employability and Volunteering, 2001

• Voluntary activity can have a positive impact on
  employment outcomes for certain groups those who
  volunteer for employment reasons are more likely
  to move off the JSA Register12 more of those
  who undertake volunteering for employment reasons
  leave the register than non-volunteers.

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Pink Slip Partners

• Have you found yourself unexpectedly in the job
  market? Do you spend some of your week sending
  out resumes and then wondering what to do with
  the rest of your time? Want the chance to be
  productive and contribute to your community,
  connect with others and make a difference? Come
  to the Food Bank and help us help hungry
  neighbors!
• Capital Area Food Bank, Austin, TX

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Volunteer Programs as Pathway

• Experience in working with diverse populations
• Experience in support and assistance for
  participants
• Experience with assisting in providing work
  experience and upward mobility
• Possible sites for hiring

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8. Short-Term VolunteeringUS Gallup Survey, 1998

• 41 of volunteers contributed time sporadically
  or at a one-time event
• 39 preferred to work at a scheduled time,
  weekly-monthly
• 9 volunteered only at special times, such as a
  holiday

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Short-Term Volunteers, CAHandy and Srinivasan,
2003

• 81 of managers reported an increase in
  short-term volunteers
• 63 reported an increase of volunteers requesting
  assignments of less than three months

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Volunteer Development Scotland, 2001

• 21 report they would be more likely to volunteer
  if they knew volunteering would fit in among
  their other commitments.

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Seasons of Service Days

• One-day time for events
• Make a Difference Day, Martin Luther King Day -
  10 in all

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Make A Difference Day VolunteersUK, CSV, 2004

• 60 of Make a Difference Day volunteers report
  they are still volunteering six months later.

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8. BurnoutArts Culture Volunteers, Canada

• A core group of culture volunteers contributed
  almost three quarters of the total volunteer
  hours for culture organizations.
• Luffman and Cromie, 2003

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Fire Brigade Volunteers, New Zealand, UMR
Research 2001

• A significant number of volunteers feel they
  spend too much time on their volunteer
  responsibilities. Significantly, chiefs and
  officers are most likely to feel overburdened by
  fire service responsibilities.

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US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003

• 2.4 of volunteers report burnout as their
  reason for discontinuing volunteering - almost
  90,000 volunteers in a single year.

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Australian Landcare Groups, Byron and Curtis, 2002

• While it may appear justified to advocate higher
  levels of participation to manage burnout, the
  extent that any increase in activity would be
  sustainable appears questionable. Effective
  watershed groups are commonly associated with a
  small core of highly dedicated and motivated
  individuals. As the activity of watershed groups
  increases, these individuals are likely to become
  overloaded.

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Discussion

• How does this match what is happening in
  Australia?
• Does any of this sound relevant to your efforts?

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Government Support of Volunteering

• Information
• Infrastructure
• Inclusion
• Innovation
• Incentives

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Information

• Current Whats happening?
• US Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Australian Bureau of Statistics
• UK Home Office Active Communities Unit
• Statistics Canada
• Next Step What works.

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Infrastructure

• Peak bodies coordination, input, consistency -
  Points of Light Foundation, Volunteering England,
  Volunteer Development Scotland, Volunteer Canada
• Support for local organizational capacity building

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Ontario Environmental GroupsHands for Nature 2003

• 90 of groups indicated that volunteers were
  either extremely crucial or crucial to the
  work they do. However, the majority of groups do
  not have a paid coordinator to support volunteers
  and 79 of groups do not train their staff to
  work with volunteers.

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UK Sports ClubsTaylor 2003

• Only 12 of national governing bodies in sports
  had a volunteer strategy among individual clubs,
  only 1 claimed to have a volunteer strategy 5
  of universities, 0 of schools, young persons
  organizations or disability organizations. 3 of
  sports clubs had a volunteer coordinator.

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Australian CharitiesPhibbs, 2003

• 59 of volunteer-involving organizations did not
  have a manager/coordinator for their volunteer
  program, and of those that did only 50 had
  provided any training for that person.

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Canadian VolunteersLasby, 2004

• 8 of Canadians report that a previous bad
  volunteer experience kept them from volunteering
  currently.

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Provision of TA Capacity Building

• Funding for volunteer coordinator positions
• Funding for TA providers - tied to government
  grants/contracts - LEAA
• Funding for volunteer TA teams - AmeriCorps

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Inclusion

• Ethnic communities
• Immigrants
• People with disabilities
• Transitional populations
• Youth

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Millennium Volunteers, UK Howlett and Ellis, 2002

• 68 of MVs felt that through MV they had become
  more committed to volunteering and a majority
  were planning to continue volunteering after they
  had completed their 200-hour commitment to MV.

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Citizens Service VolunteersUK, CSV, 2002

• A CSV study of young peoples attitudes and
  experiences during and after their involvement in
  the Citizens Service Volunteers scheme in
  Sunderland, Cardiff and the London Borough of
  Southwark showed that volunteering was largely a
  positive experience - one fifth continued to be
  actively involved in the community and 90 stated
  that they would volunteer again.

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Supporting Inclusion

• Maryland was the first US state to make community
  service a graduation requirement.
• The class of 1997 was the first which had to
  fulfill 75 hours of service learning.
• Of 43, 249 seniors, only 49 were held back solely
  because they did not complete their community
  service requirement.
• 44 of these were from the Baltimore city schools.

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Volunteering and Inclusion

• Volunteering clearly offers a pathway for those
  attempting to interact with the mainstream -
  whether their barrier is culture, economic
  circumstances, lack of skills or experience,
  handicap, psychological condition.
• Charitable agencies need prodding and assistance
  to make this happen

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Innovation

• Exploratory
• Directional
• Community Service Volunteers, UK - short-term
  volunteering project, volunteers in libraries -
  Lending Time
• Volunteer Canada, Community Engagement Division
  of Human Resources Development Canada IYV
  Research Series

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Incentives

• Encouragement
• Tangible Awards

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United States
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Tangible Incentives

• Tax Relief Fire/EMS, CT school volunteers
• Pension/insurance/education benefits
  Firefighters, AmeriCorps

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Paying VolunteersFrey and Goette, 1999

• We find that the incidence of rewards reduces
  volunteering. While the size of the rewards
  induces individuals to provide more volunteer
  work, the mere fact they receive a payment
  significantly reduces their work efforts by
  approximately four hours.

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The Power of Volunteering

• Volunteering appears to offer such powerful
  intrinsic rewards that very few extrinsic rewards
  are needed to fuel it. Indeed, some extrinsic
  rewards actually seem to conflict with the
  impulse to volunteer.

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Further Information

• Steve McCurley
• shm12_at_aol.com