Meeting needs at both ends: Findings from the HSCVF Volunteers’ Views Survey

Gianfranco Giuntoli & Jane SouthInstitute for Health and Wellbeing

Leeds Metropolitan University

j.south@leedsmet.ac.uk

Evaluation design & methods

Desk-based Review

Workshops (3)

Case Studies2 national

6 local

Volunteers’ Views Survey• 623 volunteers• 468 online• 155 paper• 70 out of 107 projects• 40% response rate

National Interviews (9)

37-item self administered questionnaire

Volunteers motivations, activities and tasks

(5 questions)

Training experiences(14 questions)

Volunteers background (12 questions)

Benefit of volunteering (6 questions)

107 projects - 94 local and 13 national

Volunteers background• 74% women • 74% White British• 26% Minority Ethnic Background:

– 8% White Other– 8% Black – 5% Asian.

• 13% regarded themselves as disabled

Who received help

• People with mental health conditions (39%)• Older people (39%)• People with long term conditions (31%)

Benefits associated with volunteering

• Learning and development outcomes– Having chance to learn new skills (35%)– Broaden one’s experiences (40%)

• Expanding social networks – Meeting people and makings friends (40%) – Feeling more connected to one’s community (26%)

Who saw expanding their networks?

More likely Less Likely• Older participants (60

and over)• Younger participants

(16-29)

• Wholly retired, carers, permanently sick/disabled

• Full-time or Part-time employment

• Who volunteered for more than one organisation

• Who volunteered only for one organisation

Who felt more connected to their community?

More likely Less Likely• Older participants (60 and

over)• Younger participants (16-29)

• Wholly retired • 6 months to 1 year of volunteering experience

• Who volunteered between 1 and 5 hours

• Volunteered for less than 1 hour in the last 4 weeks

• Who volunteered for longer than 1 year

• Those in education, carers, permanently sick/disabled

Impact of volunteering on social networks

Increased Remained the same Decreased Don’t know0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

392

196

219

306

287

212

341

253

116

Network of friends Neighbours and communityPeople from other communities/religious backgrounds

Perc

ent

Summary of findings

• HSCVF projects were able to support people within communities (including their volunteers) and enhance the cohesion of the wider community by bridging between groups.

Questions for discussion