1. VOLUNTEERING
ASSESSMENTS
an overview
S. Wojciech Sokolowski
Johns Hopkins University
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: MEASURING AND SHOWING THE IMPACT OF VOLUNTEERING
Laguépie, April 24-30 2012

2. WHY VOLUNTEER ASSESSMENT?
IMPORTANT ECONOMIC RESEOURCE
•For society
•For the economy
•For the nonprofit sector
IMPORTANT SOCIAL / CULTURAL RESOURCE
•Social value expression
•Social solidarity expression
•“Warm glow”
WHAT IS NOT COUNTED DOES NOT COUNT?

3. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO VOLUNTEERING
ASSESSMENT…

4. HOW IS VOLUNTEERING DEFINED?
UNPAID
UNCOERCED
BENEFICIAL TO OTHERS
SOME EFFORT
INSTITUTIONAL SETTING
• THROUGH ORGANIZATION
• DIRECT

5. SCOPE OF VOLUNTEERING
LEISURE HOUSEWORK
Non-organizational
(direct) helping
Loosely
organized
(for a cause or
profession)
Through
organization
MANDATORY
WORK SERVICE

6. TYPES OF VOLUNTEERING RESEARCH
DATA ASSEMBLY
ANALYTICS
EXPLANATION
EVALUATION

7. TYPES OF VOLUNTEERING RESEARCH
DATA ASSEMBLY
• Household surveys
• Organizational surveys
ANALYTICS
• Socio-demographic
• Industry
• National /Regional
• Cross-national
EXPLANATION
• Why people volunteer?
• How people volunteer?
EVALUATION
• Values of volunteering
• Effects of volunteering

8. VOLUNTEERING DATA ASSEMBLY
HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
•“Omnibus” opinion surveys (WVS, Gallup, National GSS)
•Time Use Surveys (ATUS, HETUS, National TUS)
•Dedicated Surveys (e.g. Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating)
ORGANIZATIONAL SURVEYS
• JHU Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project
LABOR FORCE SURVEYS
• Current Population Survey (US)
• ILO Manual on the Measurement of Volunteer Work

9. ILO MANUAL ON THE MEASUREMENT OF
VOLUNTEER WORK

10. ILO MANUAL APPROACH
USE OF LABOR FORCE SURVEYS
BROAD OPERATIONAL DEFINTION
• Organizational Volunteering
• Direct Volunteering
• Decision rules
OPTIMAL REFERENCE PERIOD
• Four weeks (recommended)
CAPTURE VOLUNTEER TIME
CAPTURE INSTITUTIONAL DIMENSIONS
• Type of institution (NPI, government, business)
• Industry (ISIC 4)
CAPTURE OCCUPATIONAL DIMENSION
VALUING VOLUNTEER INPUT

11. THE ILO MANUAL APPROACH WILL:
 Clarify the true size of the unpaid labour force
 Document volunteering’s role and benchmark
progress
 Permit valid cross-country comparisons
 Boost visibility and respect for volunteering
 Improve volunteer infrastructure
 Encourage supportive public policies
 Encourage more volunteering
 Fulfill EU and UN policy recommendations

12. COMMITTEED ILO MANUAL IMPLEMENTERS
Brazil
Hungary
Italy
Moldova*
Montenegro
Norway
Poland (completed)
Portugal*
South Africa (completed)
Spain*
*pending funding availability

13. THE EUROPEAN VOLUNTEER MEASUREMENT
PROJECT (EVMP)
A joint venture of:
+
European Volunteering Agencies
and
European Statistics Agencies

14. EVMP IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS
FROM THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL
• Preparation of publicity & training materials (FAQ, Overview,
Website, Blog)
• Identification of National Focal Points
• Solicitation of Declarations of Support (18)
• Conduct training workshops (Estonia, Germany, Spain, Poland,
Montenegro)
• Meetings with statistics officials
• Participation in national and international-level events (Hungary,
Poland,
Spain, Italy, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

15. TYPES OF VOLUNTEERING RESEARCH
DATA ASSEMBLY
• Household surveys
• Organizational surveys
ANALYTICS
• Socio-demographic
• Industry
• National /Regional
• Cross-national
EXPLANATION
• Why people volunteer?
• How people volunteer?
EVALUATION
• Values of volunteering
• Effects of volunteering

16. ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORKS
NATIONAL
• Caring Canadians Involved Canadians
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (USA)
• Volunteer Centre (UK)
CROSS-NATIONAL
• JHU Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project (CNP)
• NPI Satellite Accounts
• UN Volunteers

17. COMPARATIVE NONPROFIT SECTOR PROJECT
COUNTRIES
Denmark The Netherlands
Sweden
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Belgium Finland
United Kingdom Norway
Austria Poland
France
Italy Romania
Germany
Canada Slovakia
Russia
Hungary
United States Ireland
Spain Japan
Mexico
Portugal
Morocco Turkey Korea
Israel
Colombia The Philippines
Ghana Lebanon India
Brazil Egypt Kenya Thailand
Pakistan
South Africa Tanzania
Chile
Argentina Uganda
Australia
New Zealand
Peru

18. GLOBAL SCALE OF VOLUNTEERING
China 1,023.5
Volunteers 971.0
India 756.5
U.S. 239.7
Indonesia 162.4
Brazil 127.7
Russia 121.6
Japan 109.4
Bangladesh 101.3 Source: CCSS estimates
Pakistan 92.8
population over 15 years of age (millions)

19. ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF VOLUNTEERING
Value added by:
U.S. 12,580
Japan 4,229
Germany 3,329
China 2,303
U.K. 2,280
France 1,457
Volunteers 1,348 (96 million FTE jobs)
Canada 1,134
Spain 1,130
Italy
Source: CCSS estimates
1,097
USD (billions)

20. VOLUNTEER VALUE TO NPIs
Total: ca. 80 million FTE,
34 countries
Volunteers,
44%
Paid workers,
56%
Source: CCSS estimates

21. IMPORTANT SOURCE OF PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY
Cash
contributions
32%
Value of
volunteer time
Total value of private philanthropy
ca. $564 bn.,
68%
34 countries
Source: CCSS estimates

22. TYPES OF VOLUNTEERING RESEARCH
DATA ASSEMBLY
• Household surveys
• Organizational surveys
ANALYTICS
• Socio-demographic
• Industry
• National /Regional
• Cross-national
EXPLANATION
• Why people volunteer?
• How people volunteer?
EVALUATION
• Values of volunteering
• Effects of volunteering

23. EVALUATION TYPES
RESULTS:
Any
consequence
EFFECTS:
measurable
consequences
VALUE ADDED:
measurable
utility

24. LEVELS OF ANALYSIS
INDIVIDUAL
• Volunteer
• Beneficiary
MICRO-STRUCTURAL
• Organization
• Family
• Neighborhood
MACRO-STRUCTURAL
• Eco-system
• Industry
• Economy
• Nation
• World

25. THE VOLUNTEERING FEEDBACK LOOP
ANTECEDENTS
FEEDBACK EXPERIENCES
IMPACTS OUTPUTS
OUTCOMES

26. THE VOLUNTEERING FEEDBACK LOOP
ANTECEDENTS
FEEDBACK EXPERIENCES
IMPACTS OUTPUTS
OUTCOMES

27. ANTECEDENTS
MOTIVATION
•Altruism •Solidarity/duty •Self-interest
PERSONALITY
•Empathy •Gregariousness
PERSONAL RESOURCES
•Qualifications • Education • Available time
OPPORTUNITY COST
•Value of foregone activities
TRANSACTION COST
• Training •Transportation /accommodations
EXPECTATIONS
• Volunteers •Organizations •Beneficiaries
MACRO STRUCTURAL FACTORS
• Opportunity structure •Social values and norms

28. THE VOLUNTEERING FEEDBACK LOOP
ANTECEDENTS
FEEDBACK EXPERIENCES
IMPACTS OUTPUTS
OUTCOMES

29. EXPERIENCES
MANAGEMENT
• Adequate capacity deployment
• Task assignment and coordination
• Supervision and feedback
• Reliability and retention
EXTERNALITIES
• Effect on paid staff and clients
• Legal liability
• Legitimacy
• Satisfaction, stress, burnout

30. THE VOLUNTEERING FEEDBACK LOOP
ANTECEDENTS
FEEDBACK EXPERIENCES
IMPACTS OUTPUTS
OUTCOMES

31. OUTPUTS
WORK UNITS PERFORMED
• Number of hours
• Number of FTE jobs
• Value of labor
PEOPLE INVOLVED
• Number of volunteers
• Number of beneficiaries
SERVICES RENDERED
• Physical output (number of procedures, planted trees, tons
of waste removed, etc.)
• Value of physical output

32. OUTCOMES
BENEFICIARIES
• Value of services rendered
• Costs or “bads” avoided
VOLUNTEERS
• Satisfaction
• Jobs skills
• Social/cultural capital gain
ORGANIZATIONS
• Value of services produced
• Labor costs saved
• Legitimacy
ECO-SYSTEMS (Communities, countries)
• Value of services
• “Multiplier effect” of services
• Costs or “bads” avoided
• Employment training

33. IMPACTS
BENEFICIARIES
• Changes in life quality
• Changes of value system
VOLUNTEERS
• Mental /emotional health
• Physical health
• Career development
• Social/cultural capital gain
• Life satisfaction
ORGANIZATIONS
• Staff / capacity development
• Community relations
• Legitimacy
ECO-SYSTEMS (Communities, countries)
• Social solidarity / integration
• Peace and cooperation
• Self-governance
• Labor force development
• Economic /social development

34. THE VOLUNTEERING FEEDBACK LOOP
ANTECEDENTS
FEEDBACK EXPERIENCES
IMPACTS OUTPUTS
OUTCOMES

35. FEEDBACK
POSITIVE – Satisfaction
Willingness to volunteer
more
VOLUNTEER
POSITIVE – Creation of value
Volunteering friendly
environment
ECOSYSTEM
NEGATIVE – Stress/burnout
Emotional
problems, unwillingness
VOLUNTEER to volunteer
Loss of productivity
NEGATIVE – Mission failure, conflict
or
legitimacy, unwillingnes
ECOSYSTEM s to use volunteers

36. VALUE OF VOLUNTEERING ASSESSMENTS
BASIS OF VALUATION
FOCUS OF VALUATION
Declared
Observed
value of
comparable
volunteer
input
input
Observed Declared
value of value of
comparable volunteer
output output

37. VALUE OF VOLUNTEERING TO RECIPIENTS
• Replacement cost of volunteer
INPUT
RECIPIENTS
labor
• Contingent valuation of
volunteer input
• Market value of volunteer
OUTPUT service
• Contingent valuation of
volunteer service

38. VALUE OF VOLUNTEERING TO VOLUNTEERS
• Opportunity cost (value of
VOLUNTEERS
foregone activities)
COST • Transaction cost (cost of
engaging in volunteer activities)
• Satisfaction
BENEFIT •
•
Job skill /career
Social connections
• Social status

39. FUTURE STEPS
1. Build volunteer measurement
capacity
2. Continue promotion of ILO Manual
3. Secure buy-in from Eurostat and
national statistical agencies
4. Build on the foundation: broader
impacts, strengthened
infrastructure, enabling policy
5. Facilitate collaboration of

40. THANK YOU!
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