State of Volunteering Report: Tasmania 2010

This presentation includes:

–Motivations and aims in doing the report – Fieldwork and research– Some key findings– Plans for what happens next

Why a State of Volunteering Report?

• To develop a big-picture framework for our peak body role

• To build relationships with and learn more about the Tasmanian volunteer sector

• To contribute a valuable and practical resource to the sector

Aims for the State of Volunteering Report

• To investigate what volunteering looks like in Tasmania in 2010

• To understand and learn from local experiences

• To capture local issues and challenges

• To note what is changing and evolving in Tasmania’s volunteering environment

Intentions for the State of Volunteering Report

• To be a source of information and data

• To be a stimulus for strategic, research-informed action to support the sector

• To inspire - to those already involved in volunteering and those yet to be involved

• To present the human face of volunteering in Tasmania

Fieldwork & research

Conducted three surveys in April/May 2010:

• Current volunteers1538 respondents

• People not currently volunteering523 respondents

• Organisations that involve volunteers 335 respondents.

Fieldwork & research

Conducted focus groups in April/May 2010:

• For volunteers and representatives of volunteer-involving organisations

• A range of ages, genders, sectors and backgrounds

• Nine focus groups – three in each region of the state.

Framework for the research & the report

The State of Volunteering Report is based on a framework that utilises the analogy of a three-legged stool that makes up a successful volunteer sector:

• Willing volunteers• Meaningful roles• Effective leadership and management

Willing Volunteers

• An individual who wishes to volunteer, is available to volunteer and who knows how to connect to a volunteering opportunity

• The Willing volunteers section of the report looks at:– Motivations– Pathways– Barriers– Organisations’ experience of volunteer supply– Recruitment challenges for organisations

Meaningful Roles

• For an individual – suits their interests and values, fits their lifestyle, matches their skills and abilities

• For an organisation – fits with and contributes to the purpose, values, services and functioning of the organisation

• For the community – create and promote community cohesion, connectedness and resilience, and fits within the parameters of agreed definitions and values about volunteering

Meaningful roles

• The Meaningful roles section of the report looks at:– What makes a volunteer role– Why people continue with their volunteering– Factors affecting where people choose to volunteer– Styles of roles and types of roles– How volunteer roles fit within organisations– Changes in the number of volunteer roles within

organisations

Effective leadership & management

• The facilitation of volunteering that is safe and achieves its intended purpose

• For a volunteer – being well organised enough to ensure an enjoyable and meaningful volunteer experience

• For the organisation - being able to deliver a service or activity in an accountable, effective, efficient, and sustainable way.

Effective leadership & management

• The Effective leadership and management section in the report looks at:– Volunteer management challenges– Who are the leaders/managers of volunteers– Volunteer satisfaction with how they are

managed– Volunteer management practices– Particular focus on training, reimbursement and

recognition

Some key findings from the State of Volunteering Report

More roles to fill – more volunteers neededOrganisations - the number of volunteers in the previous 12 months: • 35% increased volunteer numbers• 56% maintained fairly steady volunteer numbers• 12% decreased volunteer volunteer numbers

Do organisations have enough volunteers?• 2% said they have more volunteers than needed. • 20% have sufficient volunteers• 78% need more volunteers (33% to replace normal turnover, 39% to grow program, 6%

urgently to continue to function)

Organisations - the number of volunteer roles in the previous two years:• 29% increased the number of volunteer roles• 68% about the same number of volunteer roles • 2% decreased the number of volunteer roles

• 31% of organisations anticipate an increase in the number of their volunteer roles in the next two years

Volunteering; the best kept secret?• People who volunteer

– Have a greater familiarity with volunteering – Have a higher awareness of volunteering opportunities available in their community

• When asked why they have never volunteered, – 55% ‘Don’t know what volunteering options are available’ (highest response)– even more pronounced in 18-24yrs age-group (67%) and 25-34yrs age-group (59%)

• “I have a lot of volunteer opportunities in my local community”– 75% of current volunteers agreed/strongly agreed – 38% of those who previously volunteered agreed/strongly agreed– 21% of those who never volunteered agreed/strongly agreed

• Those who have never volunteered - only 3% are not interested in volunteering – so, 97% are potential volunteers, ripe for the recruiting!

Effective leadership and management

Organisations will need to be more flexible, more capable and better resourced in order to meet the current challenges they face:

• Increasing recruitment pressures

• A more responsive approach to the needs and requirements of volunteers

• More formality and accountability

• Volunteer leadership roles harder to fill

Who is missing out on training?

• Training for volunteers is (at least partly) provided in 90% of organisations

• Training for managers of volunteers is (at least partly) provided in only 58% of organisations

Volunteer training

• 50% of volunteers put appropriate training in their top three most important things when it comes to managing volunteers.

• 30% of volunteers would like more training

(69% about the same amount , only 1% want less)

Reimbursement

• 62% of volunteers said they incur out-of-pocket expenses

• Only 28% of volunteers who incur out-of-pocket expenses are fully reimbursed

• While 61% of the organisations said that they fully reimburse the out-of-pocket expenses of volunteers (and 20% said partly)

Recognition

• 39% of volunteers put recognition and appreciation of volunteers in their top three most important things when it comes to the managing volunteers.

• 82% of volunteers said that they receive recognition and appreciation from the organisation they volunteer with

(17% said partly, 1% said no)

What happens now with the State of Volunteering Report?

• It was launched on 23 November 2010

• Available to download www.volunteeringtas.org.au

• VT will promote and talk about the SoVR

• Provides a platform for VT service delivery and policy and advocacy work

• VT offers the SoVR as a resource - information for the local volunteer sector

Plans for the future

• The SoVR will be a biennial project for VT

• It will be a unique project each time

• SoVR will be undertaken on alternate years with a State Conference in Tasmania – to become connected in a cycle

Thank you!

• Access the report on our website www.volunteeringtas.org.au

• Get in touch to give us your thoughts or feedback.admin@volunteeringtas.org.au