Volunteering levels have shown no upward trend since 2001, despite determined efforts by the Government to boost them, according to analysis by sector think tank and research consultancy nfpSynergy.
Examination of four of the Government’s citizenship surveys between 2001 and 2008 shows no discernible trend in the number of people volunteering at least once a month. That is true even among priority groups such as young people, which have been specifically targeted by government programmes such as Millennium Volunteers.
“This is not news that the Office of the Third Sector is keen for others to talk about,” said Joe Saxton, founder of nfpSynergy. “They can’t be pleased they have invested so much money with no discernible results.”
Saxton also emphasised the urgent need for better research into the efficacy of different volunteering promotion programmes. “When projects reach a certain scale, people no longer do the rigorous research they would do for smaller projects,” he said.
Baroness Julia Neuberger, chair of the Commission on the Future of Volunteering, said last year’s commission report had found little research on the effectiveness of different approaches to volunteer recruitment.
“However, we did find that most people said they would volunteer if someone asked them, which suggests that personal approaches and using technologies such as SMS messaging should be examined closely,” she said.
A Cabinet Office spokesman said figures showed volunteering levels had risen significantly in 2005, which was the government-backed Year of the Volunteer.
“We believe that government investment of £4m in volunteer training and £2m in the Access to Volunteering fund for disabled people will increase levels,” he said.
Source: www.thirdsector.co.uk
