Volunteer centres swamped by surge in enquiries, says report

dave neenhan, 1 February 2010, 12:36

"volunteer-involving organisations are wary of taking on unemployed people who are keen to return to work because they are likely to stop volunteering when they find jobs"

This admission reflects an appalling but prevalent attitude within the Third Sector, selfish professionals assuming that volunteers have no right to focus on their own career development!

No public funding should be made available for volunteering unless and until volunteers have enforcible workplace rights .

In Partnership with the DWP many Third Sector orgs got heavilly involved in poor quality training and employment schemes prior to the recession and they are suffering for that now and so we need to be certain that 'attaining Government's social policy goals ' should not include bailing out the same old Third Sector usual suspects at any cost to falsely create some impressive employment stats.

Citizens should have a right to spend some time in voluntary service but Britain's Third Sector needs to be modernised and forced to embrace full professional accountability before any public money is spent on underwriting largescale volunteering programmes and schemes.

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dave neenhan, 1 February 2010, 12:38

"volunteer-involving organisations are wary of taking on unemployed people who are keen to return to work because they are likely to stop volunteering when they find jobs"

This admission reflects an appalling but prevalent attitude within the Third Sector, selfish professionals assuming that volunteers have no right to focus on their own career development!

No public funding should be made available for volunteering unless and until volunteers have en forcible workplace rights .

In Partnership with the DWP many Third Sector orgs got heavily involved in poor quality training and employment schemes prior to the recession and they are suffering for that now and so we need to be certain that 'attaining Government's social policy goals ' should not include bailing out the same old Third Sector usual suspects at any cost to falsely create some impressive employment stats.

Citizens should have a right to spend some time in voluntary service but Britain's Third Sector needs to be modernised and forced to embrace full professional accountability before any public money is spent on underwriting large scale volunteering programmes and schemes.

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Peter Blair, 2 February 2010, 09:31

I agree with Dave. Any volunteers are good volunteers and if the organisation connects with them, and engages with them - and is grateful for their help, no matter how short - then there is every possibility that they will return as a volunteer, or recommend your organisation to a friend, or support it in another way.

I'm surprised that this "good news" has been reported in a somewhat downbeat manner - as if an increase in volunteers was in some way a bad or difficult thing.

I don't mind why people are volunteers - or that they will stop when they find full-time work. I'm grateful for all those who volunteer - without them many organisation could not function.

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Loretta Borg, 2 February 2010, 11:36

I manage a volunteer centre in Hertfordshire and it is certainly not the ethos of our organisation or any that we work to exclude volunteers who are keen to return to work. We provide Information, Advice and Guidance about learning and work, we actively encourage training to build confidence,CV advice and interview skills and generally support people to get back into employment. With regard Dave's comment on modernising the Third Sector and being forced to embrace full professional accountability - we jump sky high through a myriad of professional accountability, quality accreditation, ofsted inspection, monitoring, data collection for funders. It is not the increase in volunteers that is being reported in a negative way, but the capacity for organisations to manage the increase and provide a positive experience to those who wish to volunteer.

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Sue Todd, 2 February 2010, 12:01

...and I agree with Peter!

I am incredibly lucky to work with a smashing bunch of dedicated volunteers aged from 22 to 80, most of whom were recommended by the local CVS offices.

Some are ex service users who want to put something back and/or also use volunteering as the first rung on to the employment ladder. Some want a change in career or are students who want some first hand experience in their chosen field. I have found that removing the 'volunteer' badge and respecting them as self effacing, hard working indiduals has paid enormous dividends to all.

Perhaps volunteer numbers are increasing as people are beginning to realise that every man for himself does not work but doing something worthwhile whilst pulling on the same oars does.

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dave neenhan, 5 February 2010, 16:44

Loretta, you are confusing 'volunteers' with 'clients' and it shows.

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John Ramsey, 8 February 2010, 12:37

I'm afraid too many people here are confused about the relationship between volunteer-involving organisations and volunteers. Most VIOs exist for the benefit of the clients not the volunteer.

The benefit of involving a volunteer has to outweigh the cost of doing so. So for some roles, \(such as those that involve a great deal of training and management support or where you need to establish a relationship with the clients) it is not in the interests of the clients and therefore the organisation if the volunteers are only there for a very short time.

'Any volunteers are good volunteers' is a fallacy which still pervades the sector and ultimately it's the clients that suffer because organisations, afraid to say 'no', match inappropriate volunteers to inappropriate opportunities.

Investing in and supporting volunteers is vital to ensure volunteering benefits everybody but don't lose sight of why VIOs involve volunteers in the first place.

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