The Changing Profile of Volunteerism – Implications for Community and Voluntary Organisations at local level

Chapter 5 Discussion

In this Chapter, I will discuss the main findings of this research study and compare and contrast these findings with those of similar studies in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Firstly, I will consider the sample selected for the purposes of this research survey and discuss how representative they are of volunteers at local and national level. I will also look closely at the socio-economic profile of the survey sample and highlight what this can tells us about the type of people who are currently involved in voluntary activity in County Carlow. I will then examine the nature of volunteerism as suggested by the responses received through this research survey, and compare and contrast them with the findings of other recent comparable studies. I will also highlight the contribution that this research study has made to our understanding of the nature of volunteerism in small-scale community and voluntary organisations and groups today. Finally, I will consider the major challenges for the community and voluntary sector in County Carlow as identified by the respondents.

The sample selected for this study was existing volunteers working with groups that are affiliated to the County Carlow Community Network. There were strengths and limitations to taking this approach. The main limitation was that it was not possible to consider what the barriers to volunteering are, as all of the respondents were existing volunteers. On a positive note, the target audience had identified the need for additional supports for volunteers and their organisations prior to this study. As a result, the respondents had an interest in the topic and were more likely to return their questionnaire. This resulted in a healthy response rate, 57.5%, with a large number of comments and messages of support for the research project. Furthermore, the findings of this research project will be of relevance to the other Community and Voluntary Fora throughout the country who are experiencing similar problems and issues.

This survey reinforces what is well known from previous studies, that is; that there is a strong correlation between participation in voluntary activity and economic status and educational attainment. The 1997 National Survey of Volunteering in the UK, found that those from the highest socio-economic group were almost twice as likely to take part in voluntary activity as those from the lowest, (Institute of Volunteering Research, 1997). This questionnaire used in this survey asked respondents to indicate their economic status. 57.1% of this survey sample classified themselves as “working for payment or profit”, while 12% of the sample were either “unemployed”, “actively looking for work” or “unable to work owing to permanent illness or disability”. All of this 12% are in receipt of some type of social welfare payment. These figures suggest an extremely low participation rate by social welfare recipients in voluntary activity in County Carlow. One explanation for this may be that the welfare system does not in its present state, encourage recipients to become involved in voluntary activity as they should be “actively seeking full-time employment”. Williams (2001) offers an alternative explanation. In his analysis of the 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey, he found that the majority of research studies, policies and volunteer supports are aimed at the more affluent sectors of society in that they are targeted at the formal volunteering sector. People in disadvantaged areas are more likely to engage in informal volunteering than formal volunteering. The informal sector is much more difficult to access, with national volunteer policies are aimed at the formal sector. (Williams, 2001). The major concern here is that the gap between the employed and unemployed widens and that volunteering becomes an exclusive activity for the more affluent members of society. The opportunity for volunteering to build social capital and bridge the divide is then lost. Other barriers to volunteering will be discussed later in this Chapter.

In terms of educational attainment, 31% of the sample surveyed have a third level education, while 38% have completed the Leaving Certificate. These figures suggest that there is a positive association between educational attainment levels and volunteering. These findings compare favourably with that of the National Studies of Volunteering carried out in the 1990s by Ruddle et al. Not only did they identify that those with a primary education only were least likely to volunteer, they have also shown the biggest decrease in volunteering during the survey periods: 1994 – 1997-8. Those with higher level of educational qualifications show very little decline, (National Committee on Volunteering, p.17, 2002). This paints a very worrying picture of the changing profile of volunteerism and once again highlights the issue of volunteering becoming an exclusive activity that can isolate the potentially vulnerable people in society even further.

Nature of Voluntary Activity

The majority of respondents to this research survey are engaged in meeting/ committee work with their organisations – 45 people, followed by fundraising, 23 responses. This echoes the findings of the 1997 National Survey of Volunteering carried out in the UK. According to this survey, the most common activities for volunteers are fundraising, organising events and committee work, (Institute of Volunteering Research, 1997). 23 people surveyed for this research study are currently involved in conserving/ improving the environment with an organisation. This is reflective of the focus that has been put on environmental enhancement through community development by Carlow Local Authorities over the past seven years. The Local Authority operates a number of community grant schemes and competitions aimed at improving the appearance of local communities. Carlow Local Authorities has invested a significant amount of time and energy into the establishment of Local Community Enhancement Groups. The numbers of these groups now in existence in the County is reflected in the membership of the Network.

As the target audience for this research survey was existing volunteers in a formal setting, it is difficult to come to any conclusion as to the level of informal volunteering that takes place in the County. It is clear however, that a significant number volunteers working within organisational structures are also involved in the informal volunteering sector. 48 responses were given to involvement in a variety of informal voluntary activity. Some of these responses may have come from the same person. In other words, some volunteers are engaged in wide variety of informal and formal voluntary activity at the same time.

Prompts to volunteer

According to the results of this research project, the influence of family, friends and work are major factors in prompting people to become involved in volunteer activity in the first place. 38% of the sample survey first became involved in voluntary activity through family, friends or work, see Chart 3 for further details. The National College of Ireland Surveys, also highlight the fact that social network is the most popular way of becoming involved in voluntary work, (National Committee on Volunteering, p.30, 2002). This has major implications for the recruitment of volunteers by community and voluntary groups. It is obvious from this that their main method of recruiting volunteers is currently by word of mouth and personal recommendation. This method has both advantages and disadvantages. Volunteers will know the background to the voluntary activity and can be clear of what the work will entail. On the other hand, it can exclude a large section of the population from the volunteering, at a time when a lack of volunteers is a major issue.

When Ireland hosted the World Special Olympics in 2003, up to 30,000 people volunteered to help out, (www.specialolympics.ie). Those people who were not currently volunteering highlighted the fact that they had never been asked as the major reason why they did not volunteer on an ongoing basis. Community and voluntary groups may need to consider additional or alternative methods of recruiting volunteers if they are to attract new people to their organisations. Alternative methods could include advertising volunteer opportunities in local media, holding open events for the general public or making better use of the local library service to advertise volunteer opportunities.

Motivation to volunteer

According to Donohue, 2002, the three most commonly reported motivations for volunteering as stated by volunteers are in order of importance; “belief in the cause”, “was asked to help” and “wanted to help. The 1997 National Survey on Volunteering in the UK found that people’s motives to volunteer were a mix of altruistic and self-interested, including the meeting of one’s own needs and those of family and friends, responding to a need in the community, and learning new skills. This is more reflective of the findings of this research study. The main motivating factors given by volunteers for engaging in voluntary activity in County Carlow are the desire to help others, and to see improvements in the community, with 18 responses. Other significant motivations include to give something back, I enjoy it and to new people. Only 6 people identified a belief in the cause as a motivation for volunteering. These findings suggest that volunteers in County Carlow are motivated by a wide range of factors, all of which need to be considered by community and voluntary groups when recruiting new volunteers.

Main rewards associated with Volunteering

The main reward associated with volunteering as identified by the respondents in this research survey is the satisfaction of making a difference, 24 respondents. As one person put it “a private smile – knowing inside that I helped on that (project)”. The creation of a better place to live in was cited as another main reward in volunteering, once again highlighting the strength of environmental enhancement groups in the County. Other rewardsidentified include a sense of achievement, meeting new people and making friends and good fun. This echoes the findings of similar surveys. The 1997 National Survey of Volunteering in the UK found that the key personal benefits from volunteering were found to be: the satisfaction of seeing results, meeting people, the enjoyment of the activity and a sense of personal achievement, (Institute for Volunteering Research, 1997). The satisfaction of seeing results was also identified as a main reward in volunteering in the National College of Ireland Surveys in the 1990’s. Other rewardsidentified include doing good, meeting new people and enjoyment, (National Committee on Volunteering, p.25, 2002). It is obvious from all of these studies, that volunteers rate a sense of achievement and good fun as key rewards for volunteering. Community and voluntary organisations need to ensure that volunteers have opportunities to make a difference through their voluntary work and to enjoy themselves if they are to sustain voluntary efforts.

Causes of dissatisfaction among Volunteers

Of the sample surveyed for this research study, 54.8% of respondents stated that they have experienced some dissatisfaction during the course of their voluntary work. The main reason given for dissatisfaction is the lack of support received from others, including parents and other people in the community. Other causes cited, in order of importance, include being taken for granted, all of the work being left to the same people and lack of co-operation. These results highlight the importance that volunteers place on being valued and recognised for the work that they do. The findings suggest once again, that providing opportunities for personal satisfaction are key to attracting and holding on to volunteers in the community and voluntary sector. Organisational difficulties and issues were also highlighted as causes of dissatisfaction among volunteers, but to a much lesser extent. The 1997 National Survey of Volunteering in the UK, placed a much greater emphasis on the importance of good organisation. 71% of respondents indicated that “things could be much better organised” for their voluntary activity. In line with the findings of this research study, the 1997 Survey also placed considerable importance on personal satisfaction issues with boredom, not being able to cope with assigned tasks and when tasks take up too much time, identified as drawbacks to volunteering, (Institute for Volunteering Research, 1997). Again, this reinforces the need for community and voluntary organisations to ensure that they provide appropriate opportunities within their groups for volunteers to make a difference.

Another cause of dissatisfaction identified by respondents to this research study is when out of pocket expenses are not reimbursed. This was identified as a major cause of dissatisfaction among volunteers in the 1991 National Survey of Volunteering in the UK. This issue had resolved itself and was not a significant drawback to volunteering in the 1997 Survey. This is due to an increase in the number of community and voluntary groups providing out of pocket expenses during this time.

Perceptions of voluntary work by others

92.9% of respondents to this research study believed that their voluntary efforts are appreciated by other people. 40.5% of respondents chose “very much so” with 32.4% opting for “to some extent”. This shows that the vast majority of volunteers surveyed feel that their voluntary efforts is valued by the wider population. This could explain why so many people continue to volunteer despite their dissatisfaction, they feel that their work is valued to some extent by others. Furthermore, the 1994 Survey, “Reaching out: Charitable Giving and Volunteering in the Republic of Ireland, Ruddle and Mulvihill found that volunteering is recognised as an important asset in Irish society. Over 90% of people surveyed felt that voluntary work encourages people to become actively involved in the community. A similar study carried out in 1999 found that over 70% of those surveyed believed that the nature of service offered by volunteers could never be provided by paid staff, (Ruddle & Mulvihill, 1999).

One respondent highlighted the lack of supporther organisation receive from State Agencies:

“Agencies and policy people don’t want to deliver services, but they are happy to co-ordinate others to do so, especially volunteers, this results in a diminished sense of value as to the concept of providing a quality service to those in need”.

She feels that the state and other agencies are taking the easy way out by letting the community and voluntary sector provide core services, without sufficient supports, while they co-ordinate efforts. One example of this is the Local Drugs Task Forces. The Health Services Executive established these Task Forces to co-ordinate drugs services at local level. However, the community and voluntary sector, through voluntary efforts, deliver the majority of drug prevention initiatives.

Main skills required

The findings of this research study strongly suggest that the main skills required for volunteering are good interpersonal skills coupled with openness, enthusiasm and flexibility. Practical skills, while also useful and desirable, were not identified as essential. This would imply that almost anyone could volunteer provided they are open to learning, have time on their hands and have an understanding of the issues involved. Having said this, it is important that community and voluntary organisations consider the skills required to carry out the voluntary task and match these with the skills of the volunteer. The 1997 National Study of Volunteering in the UK, highlighted that fact that one of the main causes of dissatisfaction is not being able to cope with assigned tasks, and not being asked to things that you would like to, or are able to do, (Institute for Volunteering Research, 1997).

Reasons for cessation of voluntary activity

35.7% of those surveyed had been involved in a type of voluntary activity and stopped for some reason. The primary reason given for cessation of voluntary activities were family commitments, work commitments and lack of time. As one respondent put it

“I was involved in the youth club and community games when my kids were younger, they grew up and I got too old”.

This combined with the most commonly identified prompt to volunteer of social networks suggests that some people volunteer as a result of their personal circumstances and the needs of family members.

Other reasons for ceasing voluntary activity include being unhappy with how the organisation is operating with no room for change or new ideas. One respondent stopped volunteering with an organisation because

“older members of the group did not welcome change, they didn’t give a welcome to new members, especially if they were younger volunteers. No way would they move into the present, let alone plan for the future!”.

Community and Voluntary Organisation need to take this issue on board if they are to attract new volunteers to their organisations. Possible solutions as suggested by some volunteers included

“a complete change of committee every three years”

and putting structures in place to ensure that all volunteers in an organisation have an opportunity to input into all aspect of the organisations development.

Another reason for ceasing voluntary activity identified was that paid staff including Community Employment Scheme Workers, took on the work. This caused some dissatisfaction among respondents, with 6 people highlighting poor co-operation between paid staff and volunteers as a major cause of dissatisfaction. This is a particularly pertinent issue for volunteers in the environmental enhancement sector and in the caring sector. Community Employment Staff have made a significant contribution to environmental enhancement work around the County over the past ten years. This Scheme is being phased down on an annual basis, resulting in a loss of staff every year. Volunteers are currently supporting this work, however it will eventually become their sole responsibility. In the caring sector, qualified care staff have taken on essential work which was traditionally carried out by volunteers. While this move is to be absolutely welcomed, community and voluntary organisations need to take care that they do not leave the volunteer behind in this move. Consideration needs to be given to the role of the volunteer within an organisation with paid staff.

Too many meetings has also been cited as a reason for stopping voluntary activity. In addition to this, lack of time for volunteering has been highlighted as a major challenge for the community and voluntary sector. Again, organisations will need to take these issues on board and set limits and boundaries for its volunteers in their voluntary activity.

Main supports provided

The provision of supports to volunteers is key to the long-term sustainability of volunteering in the community and voluntary sector. 27.4% of the survey sample did not answer the question relating to supports provided by their organisation. One person said that their group provides “not a lot – they usually leave you to do as much work as you are prepared to do”. Another respondent said:

“I often feel like we are providing a babysitting service”.

A considerable amount of energy has been invested in the development of supports for volunteers with larger organisations and through a number of Volunteer Bureaux, however this has not translated down to the small-scale community and voluntary groups in County Carlow. Consideration needs to be given how these groups can offer the necessary supports to its volunteers.

For the most part, the supports currently provided to volunteers are of an informal nature and are provided by other volunteers, or in some cases by paid staff. Only 15 respondents indicated that they receive training from their organisation, see table 7 in the Appendix for further details. A mere 4 people indicated that they currently receive out-of-pocket expenses from their organisation. This issue urgently needs to be addressed as it has already been identified as a significant barrier to volunteering in other studies, (Institute for Volunteering Research, 1997).

Other types of supportsidentified by respondents include newsletters, conferences, administrative supports, and equipment. Some groups also provide an annual party, or a weekend away for volunteers to thank them for their contribution. Agencies such as Carlow LEADER and CANDO, the Local Development Social Inclusion Programme, also provide some supports to small-scale community and voluntary organisations in the County, including assistance with funding applications, etc. However, the small no of respondents that indicated that this was the case, leads me to question how widespread these supports actually are.

50% of the volunteers sampled believed that the current level of supports is sufficient for their needs as volunteers. More significantly, 50% do not. There is also no indication that the target group for this research project, small-scale community and voluntary organisations have formal supports in place for their volunteers. There was also no indication that these organisations have adopted written formal volunteer policies.

Main challenges facing community and voluntary organisations in Co. Carlow

The most significant challenges facing small-scale community and voluntary organisations are attracting new volunteers and sustaining current voluntary efforts. The findings of this research study suggest that an integrated approach needs to be adopted if this challenge is to be overcome. Formal procedures and policies covering the recruitment, selection and retention of volunteers for small-scale locally based community and voluntary groups need to be discussed and adopted. The learnings and experiences of the bigger volunteer organisations and support agencies need to be translated at local level. The level of supports required from external agencies also needs to be considered.

Securing core funding for community and voluntary groups in the County has been identified as the second biggest challenge. There are a number of sources of funding for smaller community and voluntary groups. From my experience as a Community and Enterprise Development Officer, County Carlow has had a very low rate of applications for National community grant scheme. This can be attributed to a number of factors. Often, smaller groups are out off by the bureaucracy of the application process. In other cases, groups do not fit the criteria for funding because they do not have a constitution or the appropriate legal status. These issues all need to be addressed if volunteerism is to grow and become sustainable in County Carlow.

The stresses of modern living have also been identified as a considerable challenge facing community and voluntary groups. Many rural communities in County Carlow have seen a significant amount of housing developments. However, new residents do not always participate in community life. In many cases, they commute long distances to work and do not have the time and energy to devote to voluntary activity. Groups will have to look at ways in which people can volunteer their time in a time limited way, for example, one hour per week for a set achievable task.

Other challenges identified included the need for additional supports from volunteer organisations, other agencies and the wider community. The establishment of additional services and facilities to the growing population in the County has also been identified as a major challenge. Finally, consideration needs to be given recognising the efforts and contribution of volunteers in a meaningful way. Possible solutions may include volunteer recognition events, or a newsletter highlighting successes, etc. Whatever responses are developed, the key to success will be to be part of an integrated response designed to address all of the challenges relating to volunteers, facing community and voluntary groups in the County.

The final Chapter, Chapter 6 The Conclusion will focus very clearly on the changes and adaptations that small scale community and voluntary organisations will need to make to ensure their sustainability in the future. Particular attention will be given as to how these organisations can learn from bigger Volunteer Support organisations in attracting, supporting and retaining volunteers. It will also outline the responsibilities that other bodies –Local Authorities, Development Agencies and National Government have to assist these organisations to continue to provide valuable public services in a voluntary capacity.

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