Inspiring young volunteers to engage with your cause - nfpSynergy.

1. Attitudes and Action: How do
young people understand and
engage with volunteering
Amina Ali, Researcher
Patrick Brennan, Deputy Managing Director

2. It’s a sign of ageing when…

3. But volunteers really are getting younger…
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Linear (16-24) Linear (25-34) Linear (35-44) Linear (45-54) Linear (55-64) Linear (65+ )
Source: The Charity Awareness Monitor, nfpSynergy
Base: 3,000 respondents 2008
Have you given time as a volunteer in the last three months, to a charity or other organisation, or in your local community? Yes

4. While overall levels of volunteering have been
static for 15 years
22%
21%
15%
22%
24%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Apr-00
Apr-02
Apr-04
Apr-06
Apr-08
Apr-10
Apr-12
Apr-14
Source: The Charity Awareness Monitor, nfpSynergy
Base: 1,000 adults 16+ Britain
Have you given time as a volunteer in the last three months, to a charity or other organisation, or in your
local community? Yes”

5. 5Base: All volunteers (212) among 1,000 adults 16+, Britain
Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, May 2013, nfpSynergy
“Was this ...”
26%
5%
7%
63%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Once every three months
Once a month
Once every two weeks
Once or twice a week
16-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Young people give the most time

6. Using research to help you engage with
potential young volunteers
nfpSynergy’s Charity Awareness Monitor and Youth Engagement Monitor
allow senior leaders to:
1) Understand current patterns of engagement this audience has with
your sector and brand as well as wider social and economic
influences, to identify new opportunities and markets
2) Explore the motivations and barriers for this audience to inform
effective communication and engagement with children and young
people about volunteering
6

7. Key social and economic
drivers

8. Youth economics
Youth unemployment
2000: 11% | 2013: 19%
Cost of HE education
2000: £1k | 2014: £9k
House prices to earnings
2000: 6.2 | 2013: 9.4
Waitrose rose regional youth unemployment schemes and
nationally take part in “Feeding Britain’s Future - Skills for
Work Month”, a campaign run by the IGD and Jobcentre
Plus that allowed young unemployed people aged between
16-24 to attend job-related workshops at their local branch.

9. Mean that parents meddle
Source: Friends Life, Future Foundation/nVision | Base: 283 online respondents with a child over 21
aged 37-65, GB, 2011
28% help them get on the
property ladder
58% of parents let all children to
continue living at home even when
they have secured a job
64% of parents give their
children aged 21+ advice or
information regarding their
finances
84% of people would arrange
their child a job

10. And that key life stages are coming later than in
previous generations
Age at first marriage
2000
Women : 28.2 | Men : 30.5
2020 (f)
Women : 30.5 | Men : 32.7
Mean age of UK mother at
birth of a child
1981 : 27.1
2011 : 29.7
Marriage Source: ONS/nVision | Base: England and Wales,, May 2013 nVision forecast using data published in 2012
Source: Population Trends, National Statistics/nVision, UK, 2011

11. “Paying the bills”
.
Young Singles
62%
Young, in a relationship
76%
Priorities differ accordingly
Source: nVision Research | Base: 159 young singles, 345 young in a relationship, online respondents
aged 16+, GB, 2012
Young singles
57%
Young, in a relationship
37%
“Volunteering” Young singles : 29%
Young, in a relationship : 19%
“Living for the day and
enjoying myself” Eenmaal is a pop-up restaurant for single diners
only, which was opened in Amsterdam’s Bos en
Lommer district for two days in June 2013. It was
part of a wider project aiming to make public spaces
enjoyable for singletons, as well as people in
groups.

12. Motivations

13. Selfish motives are important
Source: nVision Research | Base: 1,000-5,000 online respondents aged 16+, GB, Dec 2012
“I would be more likely to volunteer for a charity that gave me something back in return (e.g. free tickets, money off vouchers
etc)” | % who agree or agree strongly | 2012
30%
52%
48%
31%
23%
19%
12%
Total 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
The Mutual, founded in 2012, is a
“Groupon for Good”.

14. 14
15%
13%
7%
25%
18%
19%
20%
22%
10%
12%
21%
20%
Skills based
volunteering
Virtual or micro
volunteering
Employer or Student
volunteering
Community
volunteering
11-16
17-25
Adults
What type of volunteering would you personally prefer to get involved in? Please pick one of the following options
Extrinsically…
Base: All respondents – 1,020 11-25 year-olds
Source: YEM May 2012, nfpSynergy
Volunteered for charitable
work to try to improve your
overall happiness
43% 16-25s
36% all
…and intrinsically

15. But young people also want to save the world
Thinking of the charity or charities that you have volunteered for during the past year, please tell us what it was that made you
want to volunteer with them.
Base: 266 respondents who have volunteered for a charity in the last year, 11-25 year-olds
Source YEM May 2011, nfpSynergy

16. Barriers

17. 11%
14%
25%
25%
26%
8%
13%
17%
18%
28%
Me and my friends are not
the kind of people who get
involved with this kind of
thing
I've got enough to worry
about already to do this
I don't know what this
involves
I'm not confident enough
to do this
Don't have the time for
this
Volunteering
Campaigning
Time, knowledge and confidence
Base: All respondents – 1,008 11-25 year-olds
Source YEM May 2011, nfpSynergy
Please say what are your views on the following statements by ticking to all that apply to you
17

18. So is using the right language and tone
Inspiring
Approachable
Caring / Compassionate
Passionate
Helpful
Sympathetic
Trustworthy
Honest
Reputable
Effective / Cost-effective
Accountable
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
“Listed below are a number of words that could be used to describe a charity or not for profit organisation. Please
choose up to 10 words that you think describe your IDEAL charity…”
Base: 3,000 adults 18+, Britain
Source: Brand Attributes, Nov 13, nfpSynergy 18

19. Conclusions
19

20. Think about who you want to target and how
Volunteers - discrete events most
popular
Want to volunteer:
depending on the activity
suggested
Interested
in your
cause and
want to
volunteer
Volunteers
interested
in your
cause
Not interested in
volunteering
Interest in
your cause

21. Define roles, choice and flexibility
• Lifestyle and life stage are even more important than age: develop products and
messages that suit these circumstances and attitudes.
o
E.g. parental influence
o
E.g. singletons
• Coming up with clear messages and job descriptions will be important, but giving
choices, not just for roles, but for also levels of commitment is also likely to be
key
• A starting point to engaging young people may be projects with a specific end
date, rather than on going position
• Consider for example creating teams/ jobs shares – to share both the burden and
the fear

22. Encourage selfish volunteering – but without
making people feel they are being selfish
• Emphasise both intrinsic and extrinsic benefits: CV may be the reason for
volunteering, helping pandas/old people/homeless people/sick people may
be the reason they volunteer for you - be passionate and inspiring in
making your case
o
E.g. connect people to your cause
o
E.g. communicating return on time, in the same way as fundraising:
o
“x hours” (rather than £x) achieves “y results”

23. Show people they can volunteer, then ASK
them
• After time pressure, not being sure they are volunteer material is a common
barrier for young people. Help show them that they have the right skills and
opportunities and that you need them.
• You cannot be blatant enough in doing this! Half of volunteers say that they
would be more likely to increase their involvement if someone asked them
directly*
• Warning: people will always find a reason not to volunteer if they don’t want
to. We often hear all manner of post rationalisations from respondents, e.g.
not being able to do enough to do it justice and so not doing it at all. (In
fundraising this would be the equivalent saying “I can’t give £100 so it must
be better to give £0 rather than £50”)

24. For more information…
http://nfpsynergy.net/about-nfpsynergy/nfpsynergy-monitors
twitter.com/nfpSynergy
Patrick.Brennan@nfpSynergy.net
Amina.Ali@nfpSynergy.net
02074268871
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