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Invisible Volunteers:

Are Church Volunteers

Empowered or Ignored?

Ju l ia H i l l

Church Urban Fund

@churchurbanfund

The Context

• Churches rely on volunteers for their work

• Resources need to match reality

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The Research

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Methodology

• Survey of churchgoers about experience of volunteering

• Interviews with church leaders

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The Sample

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Data Sources

• Total of 118 surveys returned

• In depth interviews with 6 church leaders

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Sample Characteristics

66%

34%

Gender

Female

Male

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

18 - 24 25 to 39 40 to 54 55 to 69 70 or over

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Key Findings

Surveys

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• 118 people were doing more than 700 volunteer roles

between them

• Over 450 in church

• Over 264 in the community

• 25% of sample did more than 5 roles within their church

Number of Roles

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• Comparing church and wider community volunteering • Not much difference in whether roles were explained in advance

• But within church explanations were more likely to be verbal

• Volunteers were more likely to be given training for roles in the wider community

Set-Up of Roles

Role explained in advance

Verbal Written Training Given

Within church 72% 83% 17% 36%

For wider community 75% 73% 27% 42%

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Level of Support Experienced

Enough support to do the role well? Not at all Totally

1 2 3 4 5

Within church 8% 9% 13% 27% 43%

For wider community 4% 9% 13% 25% 49%

:

• More likely to feel they had total support in community roles

• But the differences are relatively small

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Training – Link to Feeling Enabled

Enough support to do the role well? Not at all Totally

1 2 3 4 5

Church : with training 2% 2% 9% 31% 56%

Church : without training 11% 10% 17% 26% 36%

Community: with training 1% 4% 11% 29% 55%

Community: without training 8% 12% 18% 20% 42%

:

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Key Findings

Interviews

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Organisational Culture

‘You need the right culture – that is key…..Too much

formality can scare people off.’

‘[The] Important thing is to work out which culture one is working in and operate in

that.’

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Support and Development

‘A lot of ongoing support is from

within the team.’

‘Development comes from knowing what

people can do, encouraging

participation.’

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Risk Development

‘Risk in a safe environment.’

‘Don’t worry if it doesn’t work out

perfectly. We aren’t going to criticise or

condemn you.’

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Reflections

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• Number of roles

• Less formal set up

• Culture

• Team

• Risk

Working with Context

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Conclusion

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• Empowered to get involved

• Enabled to do wide range of roles

• Might benefit from more clarity, support & guidance sometimes

• But anything offered has to fit the context and culture

Empowered or Ignored?

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‘[I have] confidence in those [I’m] working with who have a refined understanding of what they are doing and it would be

patronising to put it all down on paper.’

‘Sometimes more structure would help….[but] they

need to be working structures not ones they

will ignore.’

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