9. • National survey (GB, 18+) 10,103
respondents
• Volunteering through groups,
clubs, organisations
• YouGov’s panel, via online self-
completion questionnaire
• Informed by stakeholder
engagement
• Recent, former volunteers and
non-volunteers
• Employer-
supported
volunteering
• Public services
• Diversity
…and more
Reports
focusing on key
themes
TIME WELL SPENT - A FOCUSED LOOK AT KEY THEMES
10. • bring together latest evidence on employer-supported volunteering
(ESV) and build on previous research
• capture the different perspectives of volunteers, employers,
volunteer-involving organisations and intermediaries
• inform practice and policy, considering key opportunities for the
future in this area.
OUR AIMS & OBJECTIVES
ESV definition:
Volunteering where employers actively support or have schemes for
employees to give unpaid help to a group, club or organisation either by
giving them time during working hours or organising volunteering
activities for them. We are not referring to schemes for giving money.
13. • 10% of recent volunteers have taken part in ESV in
the last 12 months as their main volunteering
Base: All recent volunteers (3,898) – main organisation (if more than one)
ESV MAKES UP A SMALL PART OF VOLUNTEERING, BUT
SOME PERCEIVE AN INCREASED DEMAND IN THIS AREA
• In 2015-16, the Community Life Survey reported no
change in the proportion of ESV compared with 2014-
15 and 2013-14 (8%), though levels are higher than in
2012-13 (6%)
• ….but some perceive an increased demand in this
area in recent years
14. THERE ARE DIFFERENT FORMS OF ESV
• 5% during their work hours, organised by their
employer
• 7% outside of their work hours but organised by
their employer
• 10% during working hours and given time to
participate, not organised by their employer
• ‘Set’ charity
partnerships
• Variety / ad
hoc charities
• Charities of
individuals’
choosing
• Larger
groups
• Smaller
groups
• Individuals
• Use of
brokers
• Direct
relationshi
p with
charities
Base: All recent volunteers (3,898) – main organisation (if more than one)
• In a set
team and
dedicate
d role
• Ad hoc,
addition
to role
15. Wanting
to make
a
differenc
e
Volunteer-involving
organisations
Employers
Volunteers Other motivations include:
Connection with a specific
organisation or cause
Being asked to help
Using or gaining skills
Other motivations include:
• Benefits to employees (eg staff
development, positive work
environment
• Benefit to employer (eg enhanced
reputation, increased productivity)
Other motivations include:
• Access to financial
contributions and skills
• Supporting development of
partnerships
Brokers
Brokers
Brokers
THERE IS A COMMON GOAL – BUT THE DIFFERENT
GROUPS INVOLVED CREATES COMPLEXITY
17. ESV VOLUNTEERS ARE POSITIVE OVERALL ABOUT
THEIR EXPERIENCE
91%
very or fairly
satisfied
had or would recommend
it to family or friends76%
76%
likely to continue in
the next 12 months
Base: All ESV volunteers (367) – main organisation (if more than one)
18. THEY FEEL A RANGE OF BENEFITS FROM TAKING PART
– SIMILAR TO OTHER VOLUNTEERS
58
58
65
71
74
76
77
82
83
83
83
84
It improves my employment prospects
It improves my physical health
It helps me feel less isolated
It improves my mental health and wellbeing
It gives me more confidence
It gives me new skills and experience
It brings me into contact with people from different
backgrounds and cultures
I meet new people
It broadens my experience of life
I enjoy it
It gives me a sense of personal achievement
It makes me feel I am making a difference
Base: All ESV volunteers (367) – main organisation (if more than one)
19. “We get overwhelming positive feedback from
ESV volunteers and they usually say they'd like
to come again after their first one off
experience. We…talk about our campaigns and
how people can continue to support us. ESVs
are always very engaged…people often ask
questions…I think it's successful because we
don't make it feel like work - we say thank you
a lot, we tweet during the day with photos, we
send thank you cards afterwards and we
provide some drinks and snacks”
MANY ORGANISATIONS CITE POSITIVE EXPERIENCES
THAT RESONATE WITH HIGH SATISFACTION LEVELS
20. COMPARED WITH NON-ESV VOLUNTEERS, ESV
VOLUNTEERS ARE LESS POSITIVE
91%
39%
52%
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
Fairly
satisfied
Non-ESV
Base: All ESV volunteers (367) – main organisation (if more than one)
All non-ESV volunteers (3498) – main organisation (if more than one) – excl. those who have never had
96%
56%
41%
ESV
21. 2
1
I expected the process of getting
involved to be quicker
Things could be much better
organised
It was becoming too much
like paid work
I felt recognised enough for
the help I gave
Base: All ESV volunteers (367) – main organisation (if more than one)
All non-ESV volunteers (3498) – main organisation (if more than one) – excl. those who have never had
4
1
5
1
3
2
7
The group/ club/ organisation was
flexible around the time I give
1
2
3
1
6
1
0
9
% agree - ESV % agree – non ESV
% disagree - ESV % disagree – non ESV
THIS CAN ALSO BE SEEN ACROSS DIFFERENT ASPECTS
OF THE VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
22. ORGANISATIONS ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE REASONS
THERE MAY BE LESS POSITIVE VIEWS
• Involvement of
employers means less
flexibility
• Employees may apply
‘work’ expectations to
their volunteering
• There may be limited
scope for meaningful
and impactful
volunteering when it’s
often short term (one
Examples where ESV
worked less well included
those with:
o Large groups
o Not skilled in the area
o Resource heavy
o Low impact
o Inflexible
o Short notice
o Not well organised
24. THE YEARS AHEAD ARE LIKELY TO COME WITH A
NUMBER OF CHANGES (AND CHALLENGES)
LOOKING INTO
THE FUTURE….
Higher expectations
placed on employers
are likely to drive
ESV forward
Research participants
expected ESV to
increase in the next
years
The financial
climate is likely to
get tougher
ESV may evolve
in new and
innovative ways
25. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT HELP US
PREPARE…
1. How might we better engage volunteers?
2. How might we make ESV more inclusive?
3. How might we create a more positive ESV
culture?
4. How might organisations involved in ESV
work better together?
5. How might we make ESV more impactful?
26. 1. HOW MIGHT WE BETTER
ENGAGE VOLUNTEERS IN ESV?
27. CURRENT UPTAKE AND FUTURE INTEREST IN ESV ARE
LOW
Barriers
Low awareness /
encouragement
Not really
understanding what
it’s about
Thinking they don’t
have something to
offer
Time and work
pressures
Need to ‘justify’
Type of role –
unpredictable
10% of all Time Well Spent survey respondents were interested in future
opportunities to volunteer that were ‘supported or encouraged by their
employer’
28. VOLUNTEERS NEED TO FEEL THAT IT’S EASY TO
PARTICIPATE AND MEANINGFUL TO THEM
•Making it as
easy and flexible
as possible to
take part
• Flexible arrangements and flexibility about how time is
taken
Making it more
‘personal’
• Volunteers feel they have freely chosen to participate in
causes that are meaningful to them
• Volunteers feel prepared for their volunteering activities,
are actively involved in shaping opportunities or
supported to find their own
Investing in
building
relationships with
volunteers
• Volunteer-involving organisations and employers invest
the same time and effort into relationships with
volunteers, as they do with one another
• ESV volunteers may not initially look for long-term
involvement but where engaged effectively, they can go
on to be involved in different and more impactful ways
30. ESV CAN FEEL LIKE IT’S FOR LARGER ORGANISATIONS
AND FOR SKILLED VOLUNTEERS
While SMEs and smaller volunteer-involving organisations could
benefit from being involved in ESV, it is an area dominated by larger
organisations on both sides:
Additionally, for some employees, ESV can feel exclusive – especially
for skills-based opportunities.
Time Well Spent: Those who worked for
an employer and were aware of ESV
opportunities were more likely to work for
an employer with 250+ employees
- the highest proportion were those
working for an employer with over 1000
employees (37%)
CVN survey: 80% of
organisations with more
than 50 employees had
engaged in ESV vs 51%
of volunteer-involving
organisations with up to 5
employees
31. FOR ESV TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE, MORE NEEDS TO BE
DONE ‘OUTSIDE THE BOX’
2. adopting a wider
definition of skills and
experiences - recognising
and valuing a broader range of
skills and experiences
1. ensuring a broad range
of opportunities are on
offer - employers recognise
that volunteering should
meet different needs and
preferences
3. recognising the unique
contribution of smaller
organisations and making ESV
more ‘small friendly’ – SMEs and
smaller volunteer-involving
organisations have unique
advantages but more needs to be
done to ensure they can participate
32. HOW MIGHT WE CREATE A
MORE POSITIVE ESV CULTURE?
33. INTERNAL CHALLENGES WITHIN ORGANISATIONS CAN
BE THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO MOVING FORWARD
• Not always in roles dedicated to ESV
• Sometimes not sitting within a specific team or not consistently in
a particular team
• Variable situations in relation to budget / charging
• Budget not always in their control or don’t have any (employer)
• Some charge, others don’t (charities, brokers)
• Challenges for some in getting buy-in of others within own
organisation (understanding its value)
• Not necessarily linked to a strategy / wider part of business
Time and
resource
Budget
Buy in
34. A POSITIVE CULTURE REQUIRES EMBEDDING ESV IN
DIFFERENT WAYS THROUGHOUT THE ORGANISATION
Having ESV
champions at
different levels –
while a committed
lead is essential in
driving ESV forward,
wider buy-in is
needed to support
ESV
Promoting values and
benefits – regular
communication
internally and
celebrating the
difference volunteers
make can help boost
the profile of ESV
Ensuring ESV is
joined up to other
parts of the
organisation – this
may help to ensure
ESV has a ‘place’ and
purpose in the
organisation.
36. A MISMATCH OF NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS CAN
CREATE BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE ESV RELATIONSHIPS
• Relationships are impacted by individual
needs and priorities, which can pull
organisations in different directions
• Cost is an area of tension but there may
be more than just employers not being
willing to pay for ESV
• Some ‘translation’ is needed to bridge
the gap between volunteer-involving
organisations and employers – this requires
time and resource
EmployersVolunteer-involving
organisations
37. AN OPEN, HONEST AND ADAPTIVE APPROACH IS
NEEDED FOR SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS
Working better together by:
• recognising one size does not fit all – being open
to different partnership models, with support from
brokers
• having honest, upfront communications – being
clearer about what works and having the confidence
to say no
• being willing to adapt – understanding the
employer context can help build more effective
relationships
EmployersVolunteer-involving
organisations
39. VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES ARE NOT AS
IMPACTFUL AS THEY COULD BE
• Volunteering opportunities of most benefit to volunteer-involving
organisations are not those most popular among employers
• Many requests for resource-heavy, low-impact volunteering,
especially among employers new to ESV
• Volunteering is often equated with team-building
• Measures of success focus primarily on numbers of volunteers,
not impact
• Not all employees want to or feel they have work-based skills to
offer
• Around the same % of ESV volunteers prefer using skills and
experience that are different to what they do day-to-day (eg in
work or study) as the same ones (40% vs 42%)
40. MAXIMISING IMPACT REQUIRES ACTION AT DIFFERENT
LEVELS
Promoting a greater understanding of volunteering
Focusing on shared values
Recognising that impacts can be
realised in different wayRethinking
measures of
success
43. THANK YOU
Amy McGarvey,
Research Manager
amy.mcgarvey@ncvo.org.uk
Report is available at:
www.ncvo.org.uk/timewellspent
Including a table of questions to consider
Look out for our next report on volunteering in the
public sector (November 2019)
49. • National education charity established in 1989
• Works within the remit of citizenship education
• We train teachers, we create classroom
resources and we run active learning
programmes
• Annually, we reach over 250,000 young people
across the UK
• Partner with over 50 corporate partners
About Young Citizens
50. We partner with businesses to utilise the unique
skills and expertise of their employees in the
classroom. Working with volunteers is central to
our organisational strategy
Two main ways we work with businesses:
• Experts in Schools
• Bespoke Programmes
Partnering with corporates
51. There are 3 branches to our Experts in Schools
programme: Legal, Economic and Media
Project Delivery:
• The business is partnered with a local school
• We train the volunteers and create the
materials used in the classroom
• Volunteers work with small groups of young
people to facilitate debate and discussion
Experts in Schools
52. We create unique educational programmes that
align with the CSR and business objectives of
the businesses.
Examples:
• Allen & Overy
• CC Land
Bespoke Programmes
53. • Upskilled employees – reported increase in
facilitation, leadership and communication
skills
• Internal and external networking opportunity
• Increase in personal and job satisfaction
The Benefits – Volunteers
“It’s a brilliant opportunity to work with
children who inspire you and make you think
differently about your job. It stops you
taking work for granted and makes you
realise how interesting the law actually is.” -
Heloise Waudby, Volunteer, McDermott
Will & Emery
54. • High quality programme where Young Citizens
brokers the relationship
• Makes a real difference in their local
community
• Business development opportunities
• Helps businesses to meet their CSR and
business objectives
The Benefit – Businesses
“The best thing about working with
Young Citizens is that we feel confident
we are making a significant impact and
that it answers a real need that young
people have.” - Kirsty Christie, Head of
Corporate Citizenship, FTI Consulting
58. What Is Employer Supported Policing?
– A national scheme owned by the Home Office
– A partnership benefitting employers, their
staff and the police service
– A scheme whereby organisations give
additional paid leave to their staff who are
Special Constables and/or Police Support
Volunteers
59. What is a Special Constable?
Local volunteer that form a vital link between
communities and the police service, and carry out duties
that improve public safety and increase confidence.
Special Constables:
• Have full police powers
• Wear the same uniform, equipment, and have same
responsibilities as a paid officer
• Bound by Police Regulations and Policing Code of
Ethics
60. What is a Police Support Volunteer?
Police Support Volunteers undertake roles to support
and enhance the day-to-day work undertaken by police
officers and staff. They:
• Undertake a variety of roles to help address policing
issues
• Enhance service delivery
• Focus on proactive prevention and strengthen links
between policing and the community
Karen is a Police Support Volunteer for
Lincolnshire Police who is supported by her
employer - G4S. They give up to nine days' paid
leave to volunteer under the Employer Supported
Policing Scheme.
61. ESP Data
The Scale of ESP:
• 310 employers supporting policing
– 169 other ESP registered employers
– 141 in-house schemes
• 43 Police Forces have internal ESP Policy
• 1,381 Special Constables (approximately one in eight)
• ESP Manager Module – DutySheet
– ESP Toolkit & Guidance for Forces
62. Benefits of Employer Supported Policing
for Employers
ESP Impact Report 2019:
• Skills, experience and new perspectives brought back into the
business
• Increases confidence of employees
• Enhances reputation and profile
• Contributes to morale and retention of employees
• Can help in employees progressing and seeking
promotion at work
63. Benefits of Employer Supported Policing
for Employees/Special Constables
• Increased participation, hours and confidence as a Special
• Contributes to retention
• Helps in work-life balance / wellbeing
• Helps employees feel supported in what they do
• Able to volunteer at different times, often assisting in accessing
training and other opportunities to develop as a Special Constable
• Particularly helpful in supporting longer-serving, ‘career’ Special
Constables Special Constable Karl Smyth – Trafford Council
says, “My paid job as a Social Care Assessor
enables me share my professional knowledge
with policing colleagues which in turn helps
support policing in the community. In return I
have developed lots of new skills, such as
resilience and leadership which I can take back
into my paid work place.”
64. Benefits of Employer Supported Policing
Employer Supported Policing is an effective
and powerful way for organisations to invest
in their people and the local community.
But… there are challenges…
65. Challenges
• Communication
• Variation in Force ‘buy in’ and practice
• Balancing flexibility and consistency
• To be better at actively engaging with
employers, including reward & recognition
• Resourcing, including gaps in regional and
national coordination
66. The Future
New ESP National Strategy
Vision
To ensure Employer Supported Policing is attractive
to employers and volunteers and is valuable to the
Police Service and communities.
Mission
To ensure that Employer Supported Policing is an
effective partnership benefiting employers, their
staff and the Police Service by supporting Special
Constables and Police Support Volunteers with
additional paid leave to allow them to volunteer in
the community to increase public safety and
confidence.
Priorities
• Develop ESP
• Raising the Profile of ESP
• Broadening the remit of ESP
69. Pete Tatham – Project Coordinator
ESV as a cultural exchange
70. What is Hyde Park Source?
Est 1998
We aim to improve people’s health and
wellbeing through improving the
environment of local areas.
We are committed to increasing the
potential of individuals and communities –
promoting equality of education and
training.
71.
72. We work with 300+ ‘ESV’ Volunteers
each year across approx. 30 projects.
Mostly Design and Build projects.
Group sizes from 2-40.
Lots of bank and building
societies, also lots of other type
of businesses.
Some through ‘brokers’ VAL &
Benefacto lots through direct
links built over the years.
Lots of repeat groups.
94. Mace Information Handling Classification: Unrestricted/Restricted/Confidential delete as appropriate in Slide Master 1
Classification - Public
Building Sustainable Cities - How Mace uses volunteering to change communities
Ian Allard
95. Mace Information Handling Classification: Unrestricted/Restricted/Confidential delete as appropriate in Slide Master 1
Classification - Public
Wellbeing &
Opportunity
Education,
employment
and skills
Why do we volunteer?
96. Mace Information Handling Classification: Unrestricted/Restricted/Confidential delete as appropriate in Slide Master 1
Classification - Public
Wellbeing &
Opportunity
Responsible
procurement
Why do we volunteer? Staff wellbeing
In 2015:
43 workplace accident deaths &
454 construction
suicides
Construction workers are 10 times more likely to
commit suicide at a rate of 2 per working day**
97. Mace Information Handling Classification: Unrestricted/Restricted/Confidential delete as appropriate in Slide Master 1
Classification - Public
Wellbeing &
Opportunity
Responsible
procurement
Why do we volunteer? Staff retention & attraction
98. Mace Information Handling Classification: Unrestricted/Restricted/Confidential delete as appropriate in Slide Master 1
Classification - Public
Wellbeing &
Opportunity
Responsible
procurement
Waste
Generated
Carbon
Emissions
(Built
Environment)
Carbon
Emissions
(Construction)
42%
349m t
55%
317m t
5.8%
48m t
59%
120m t
Material
Consumption
Why do we volunteer? Environmental impact
99. Mace Information Handling Classification: Unrestricted/Restricted/Confidential delete as appropriate in Slide Master 1
Classification - Public
Wellbeing &
Opportunity
Education,
employment
and skills
Volunteering that makes a difference
Meaningful, engaging volunteering in three key areas
Maintaining green spaces Education and encouraging the
next generation - Coopers Lane
Station – A tube carriage turned
library
Long lasting community
improvement - A pop-up park built
by Mace Volunteers
100. Mace Information Handling Classification: Unrestricted/Restricted/Confidential delete as appropriate in Slide Master 1
Classification - Public
Wellbeing &
Opportunity
Education,
employment
and skills
Long-Lasting Community Improvement
KIDS Charity Playground
100 volunteers from local projects
spent 3 weeks refurbishing the
playground
Rewired and repainted the
community centre, offer parents a
vital support space
The only space for children
physical and mental challenges in
the borough
Local supply chain donated over
£60,000 of materials and skills
101. Mace Information Handling Classification: Unrestricted/Restricted/Confidential delete as appropriate in Slide Master 1
Classification - Public
Wellbeing &
Opportunity
Connect, learn
and innovate
Creating Green Spaces for People and Wildlife
Mace encourages staff to help us
achieve our target of adding 25%
biodiversity
Our partnership with the Canals and
Rivers Trust and local Wildlife Trusts
have allowed our volunteers to
contribute to the creation of a new
green community spaces around our
projects
2 new parks
opened in G.
London
1 Bird
Observation
Hide built
1 new sensory
garden for SEN
Children
102. Mace Information Handling Classification: Unrestricted/Restricted/Confidential delete as appropriate in Slide Master 1
Classification - Public
Wellbeing &
Opportunity
Education,
employment
and skills
Innovative & Inspiring Education Projects
Coopers Lane Station
Project, in partnership with
Transport for London created
a new library in a London
Mace Science & Engineering
Club offer after-school club
support to local schools
Careers days, site visits and
industry talks encourage
students to get into the sector
103. Mace Information Handling Classification: Unrestricted/Restricted/Confidential delete as appropriate in Slide Master 1
Classification - Public
Wellbeing &
Opportunity
Occupational
wellbeing
and quality of
workspace
What we achieved in 2018
Almost half of
Mace staff
participated
Over 21,000hours
of volunteering in
2018
2019???
108. 1
0
We want to make a difference
We want to do something meaningful
We care about our community/customers/service-users
We have targets to meet
We don’t have much time
We need to be flexible
109. 1
0
The person who looks after the volunteers only works on Wednesday
We don’t have a budget
We feel lonely, isolated and stressed
We don’t want to be a burden
We have more to offer
110. Where do we go from here?
1
1
Get to know your local businesses
Think creatively
Align values
Match up needs
Be prepared
Think long-term
Capture testimonials
Use social media
111. Where do we go from here?
1
1
Get to know your local businesses
Think creatively
Align values
Match up needs
Be prepared
Think long-term
Capture testimonials
Use social media
Be realistic
140. 08/11/201908/11/2019
• Employee engagement
• Skills development
• Future talent pipeline
• Evidencing impact
• Best practice
• Brand awareness
• Contributing to the community
BUSINESS DRIVERS
141. 08/11/2019
• Ease
• Time
• Reduce admin
• Network
• Knowledge
• Local understanding
• Best practice
• Evaluation
WHY DO COMPANIES USE A BROKER?
142. 08/11/2019
BENEFITS TO COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS
• New business support
• Time and cost saving
• Project management
• Knowledge
• Training
• Evaluation
143. 08/11/2019
WHAT MAKES AN EFFECTIVE
PARTNERSHIP:
• Ground rules
• A safe environment
• Managed expectations
• Good communication
• Clear responsibilities
• Mutually beneficial
• Sustainability
144. 08/11/2019
• Not just donations – skills can be valuable long term
• Don’t assume understanding
• What makes you different?
• Business benefits
• Don’t underestimate the benefits
• Manage your own expectations
• Remember why businesses are in it
• Heart strings
• Celebrate
• Create ongoing partnerships
TOP TIPS FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS
152. BREXIT AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR/VOLUNTEERING
• Will EU nationals be able to continue to volunteer in the UK?
o Yes, if they have one of the following:
settled/pre-settled status
Euro temporary leave to remain (although only permitted to stay
in the UK for three years after end of 2020)
a visa which doesn’t prevent them from volunteering.
• Will UK nationals be able to continue to volunteer in the EU?
o UK citizens are currently eligible to take part in several schemes
through the European Voluntary Service.
o The long-term UK membership of these schemes is still unknown,
however the UK government has guaranteed to cover the cost of
funding from these schemes should the UK leave the EU without a
deal.
o Outside of these schemes, without a collective agreement in place,
this will largely come down to the view of the authorities of that
specific nation. Check with UK-based embassy of that nation.
153. GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION: PREVENTIONS AGAINST
SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE
• During the summer the Government Equalities Office launched a
consultation asking whether the current laws on protecting people
from sexual harassment in the workplace are effective and set out
some options for change.
• One of the key proposals by the Government is to give volunteers the
same Equality Act protections against sexual harassment that
employees have, with the same recourse to employment tribunals.
• NCVO ran its own consultation process with its members to get their
views on these proposals. NCVO has now submitted its own response
to the Government’s consultation – you can read this in full on the
NCVO website.
154. THANK YOU TO OUR
SPEAKERS!
@NCVOvolunteers
#VolForum
156. NCVO champions the voluntary sector and volunteer
movement to create a better society.
We connect, represent and support over 13,000
voluntary sector member organisations, from the
smallest community groups to the largest charities.
This helps our members and their millions of volunteers
make the biggest difference to the causes they believe
in.
• Search for NCVO membership
• Visit www.ncvo.org.uk/join
• Email membership@ncvo.org.uk
156
Notas del editor
Pleased to be here to kick off this NVF on the theme of Employer Supported Volunteering with our research focusing on this topic, that we did earlier this year in partnership with the Corporate Volunteering Network
To start, just a bit of background to the research
As some of you may be aware – at NCVO we’ve been exploring the volunteer experience for over a year, through a programme of research called Time Well Spent, which is based on national survey of over 10,000 people across Great Britain, which we carried out last year. The focus was on volunteers themselves but we also had the perspective of former and non-volunteers too.
Following the launch of the main research report, we wanted to take a closer look at some key themes which came out of the original research – and the research I’m talking about today is the first of these looking at Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) and as you can see we have more in store
For this focused research, our aim was to bring together the latest evidence and get a 360 perspective on the issues of ESV including the context and landscape, importantly the experience of ESV, the motivations and impacts and wider engagement with ESV. All with a view to using the findings to inform practice and policy in this area
The definition that we used is referred at the bottom
It explores issues such as:
The context and landscape of ESV, including key challenges
The experience of ESV, including the organisation of ESV, volunteering opportunities and relationships between those involved
The motivations for getting involved, and benefits and impacts gained
Wider awareness, participation and engagement with ESV
Briefly on our approach, we used the TWS findings as a basis – and built on it with review of existing literature, esp CVN’ s recent research, and then conducted interviews and workshops with brokers, employers and charities involved in this area. And held a round table with these audiences to reflect on the findings. CVN supported at these different stages.
To start with a bit of context
3 key things to highlight
Firstly, the scale of ESV
Overall, ESV makes up a small part of the volunteering population overall - from our TWS data, 10% of recent volunteers had done it via ESV in the last 12 months as their main vol (if multiple) – this confirms other research
It’s a bit tricky to say whether participation levels have changed over time – the most recent data we have year-on-year at a national level didn’t report any changes between 2013/14 – 2015-16 , no data more recent on ESV to look at
But in our recent research when we spoke to volunteer-involving org and brokers through our recent research, some reported seeing an increased demand in this area in recent years
The second point of context worth mentioning is just to highlight that there isn’t just one form of ESV – whilst we have provided a definition, this slide shows some of the many different variations in terms of when / how it takes place. And we know it’s not even known by one name.
Finally for context – and something which is important to keep in mind for what we’ll discuss next, is the motivations for getting involved in ESV
What our research highlights is that ESV volunteers (as with non-ESV volunteers), volunteer-involving organisations and employers all have a common aim of wanting to improve things and help people.
However, these different groups of stakeholders also have a range of other individual motivations
These can shape the way they participate in ESV and what they prioritise. Where they clash, it can lead to tensions but where they focus on shared values, ESV works best.
So as mentioned being based on our TWS research the volunteer experience was a key aspect of this research
What we found is that, consistent with high satisfaction levels for volunteers overall,, the majority of those who volunteer through ESV are positive about their experience
Feel a range of benefits
Primarily around making a difference, achievement , enjoyment
These are broadly similar to non-ESV
One area where there was particular difference – was improved employment prospects but as you can see it still at the bottom
When organisations (both employers and VIOs) reflected on these findings from TWS, I broadly resonated with their experiences
Where these positive experiences were cited as seen in this quote was often around development of a connection to the organisation and its cause and ESV that was well planned and organised
However, whilst positive on the whole our TWS findings show that compared with non-ESV volunteers, ESV vols less positive, as you can see from satisfaction esp difference for v satisfied
And these differences can be seen across different aspects of vol experience from the process of getting involved to feeling recognised – and it’s worth highlighting that in a que asking how important recognition was to volunteers, it was more likely to be important to those volunteering via ESV compared with non ESV volunteers
Again when reflecting on these less positive findings, VIOs and employers were overall not surprised.
They attributed these less positive perceptions to a number of things, esp that as it was going via employers, volunteers may have less flexibility or choice in who they’re volunteering for and how. Also, often it may be very short –term in nature
There were a number of features also which seemed to be common to ESV which worked less well, such as where it involved large groups, was resource heavy and low impact.
So as we’ve seen the overall picture is positive but it highlights some room for improvement
I now want to spend rest of this presentation thinking about ESV and the challenges and opportunities in the context of the future
When we asked participants in our research what they thought the next 5-10 years would hold for ESV there were a number of common themes
1. While a small % overall, many volunteer-involving organisations and brokers had already perceived an increased interest in ESV among employers in recent years, and many felt this trend was likely to continue.
2. A key concern among all groups, however, related to the economic climate in which ESV operates, and how to address the challenges of meeting a growing demand for ESV in an uncertain economic environment esp. around funding
3. While the climate in which ESV operates is likely to get tougher, some perceived that increased expectations on employers to place more emphasis on employee wellbeing and to have a values-based culture and ethos, were likely to give impetus to ESV.
4. These increased expectations on employers may mean organisations (and some are) looking to creative and more innovative ways of incentivising employees through ESV. Additionally we know there wider changes in the work environment such as increasingly flexible and remote working may trigger changes in the way ESV is delivered. Where volunteer-involving organisations choose to support and deliver ESV, the need to engage with these changes is likely to increase.
It can be quite daunting to think about ‘the future’ in this context so we looked at challenges and opportunities through five key ques
Whistle stop tour through our key findings in these areas (much more detail in the report)
While orgs feel there is an increased demand for ESV, our TWS shows that only a minority are actively interested in participating : only 10% of all survey respondents (including both volunteers and non-volunteers), when presented with a number of ways of getting involved in volunteering in the next 12 months, were interested in future opportunities to volunteer that were ‘supported or encouraged by their employer’.
A number of barriers to engagement
Key barrier is competing work pressures also make it challenge for employers to engage employees and plan ESV activities, and sometimes can be hard for employees to take part depending on their role.
Additionally engagement in ESV relies first and foremost on employers providing opportunities for employees to get involved, and employees being aware of these opportunities. TWS indicates that more could be done to raise awareness and encouragement of ESV both within organisations and more widely. Around a third (34%) of those who had volunteered during work hours or participated in volunteering activities organised by their employer in the last 12 months, said their employer encouraged them in their volunteering ‘not very much’ or ‘not at all’.
To better engage volunteers, suggestions made were around
Removing practical barriers by making ESV as easy and flexible as possible – and help them fit around competing work priorities
making it more ‘personal’ – really engaging with what is meaningful to volunteers, whether it be through getting them involved in shaping opps or supporting them to find their own
building connections with volunteers - our research highlighted that volunteer-involving organisations can often focus on relationships with employers but need to invest the same time and effort into relationships with volunteers – and recognise that while ESV volunteers may not initially look for long-term involvement but where engaged effectively, they can go on to be involved in different and more impactful ways.
Previous research shows that orgs of all sizes could benefit but the reality is that involvement is v skewed to larger orgs on both sides
Additionally, it can sometimes feel ‘exclusive’ from the volunteer perspective too - especially for skills-based volunteering opportunities. For example, a law firm reported a contrast in engagement between those in their legal roles, many of whom participated in pro-bono volunteering, and those in their support functions who were less likely to see volunteering as relevant for them. (The imbalance in skills-based volunteering participation is also highlighted in Time Well Spent research: those using professional and occupational skills (not just in ESV) were more likely to be from higher socio-economic groups.)
Taking steps in the right direction for ESV is likely to be about thinking beyond where we’re at now, doing more to go outside the box.
Whether it’s offering a broad range of opps, recognising that people come with more than just their professional skills and may have a wider range of skills and experiences to offer. Eg MH experiences (and we know from our research that people often want to offer these not their work skills)
Also seeing small orgs differently – while charities may tend to go for larger orgs with a view of greater financial contributions, SMEs can have unique advantages, eg being more flexible
Both engagement of volunteers and making ESV more inclusive relate to having a ESV culture – and a positive one
While research has often focused on the relationships between those involved in managing and organising ESV, one of the things our TWS report highlights is that many of the barriers to progress relate to internal challenges, rather than external ones. And what’s interesting to note is that both employers and VIOs experience similar internal challenges – as seen here relating to time and resource, budget and buy-in
And just as the barriers are the same, some of the same things can be done within orgs – whether employers and VIOs to help create a more positive ESV culture.
The findings suggest that employers and volunteer-involving organisations could focus on:
First, is ensuring that ESV is bought in at different levels. The CVN research highlights that within volunteer-involving organisations, wider buy-in was most challenging at the middle-management level.
Second, is showing the value that ESV can bring and talking about it
Thirdly, particularly important for charities is ensuring ESV is joined up to other parts of the orgs including its processes, structures and strategies, – in our workshops with VIOs for example, we heard about ESV being disconnected from other volunteering in the org and not having any strategy. Without this, it is difficult for it to have a place and purpose within the org and will never be a priority.
Of course can’t ignore the external side of things
As mentioned much of the research previously done eg by CIPD has focused on issues in this space, esp. some of the tensions between volunteer-involving orgs and employers
Our research suggests these challenges still remain, and one of the thing our research highlights is that it starts early, I showed the chart earlier about motivations and the fact that those involved in ESV, while sharing a common aim, also have different individual motivations driving them which can influence their priorities. The findings from this research highlight that differences in the ways volunteer-involving organisations and employers manage these ‘other’ priorities are what often drive relational issues between them. For example, volunteer-involving organisations were most likely to look for long-term partnerships with employers, as a more secure route to financial contributions. For employers, however, wanting to meet the range of employees’ needs and preferences often meant that a variety of partnerships was preferred, over a small number of long-term relationships.
The issue of charging for ESV has also continued to be an area of tension. Again, our research highlights this continuing issue but also sheds a bit more light on this – while the perception among charities was that employers are simply not willing to pay for ESV, the reasons from employers were more wideranging -= including that they weren;t always clear what the cost is for, that it was confusing because there was variaton in practice around charging for ESV, it was not always talked about clearly. We know that some charities are fearful of these conversations.
Finally, beyond cost sometimes issues were driven by a lack of ‘bridging the gap’ on both sides - it was not always clear to employers what volunteer-involving organisations’ needs were, and in turn employers themselves found it difficult to translate their offer into something that was appropriate in the context of the volunteer-involving organisations they were working with. All groups acknowledged, however, that this ‘translation’ process did not just happen on its own. It required time and resources on the part of both organisations to look at individually but also to work on together. However, with limited resources (especially for smaller volunteer-involving organisations and SMEs) this was not always possible. Some drew on broker support for this.
While many suggestions had been previously made, the key ways forward suggested among VIOs, employers and brokers were about the approach that needs to be taken on both sides.
Given employers are not always looking for long term relationships, there was a suggestion that charities need to be more open to different types of partnership models, and that brokers could help them.
Also felt to be important for charities to be clearer about what works and able to say no, which can increase wider understanding about what it takes to organise impactful ESV opportunities
and also support employers to understand what it takes. At same time need to understand their context too and being willing to adapt to one another.
Last but not least, volunteer impact
We talk a lot about impact when it comes to volunteering but within the discussions on ESV, what was clear that there are some barriers that is leading to opps that are not as impactful a they could be.
These include the fact that much of ESV still centres on requests for the ‘big group’ activities, that aren’t that beneficial for charities and this is often driven by a perception that volunteering is the same as team building
A third barrier is that measures of success are often focused on numbers – this can often drive these big group activities as employers may be more concerned about ensuring maximum participation. But many charities themselves told us they struggled with measuring impact
Finally a factor to take into consideration is the preferences themselves - while skills-based opps are often what charities find most impactful, not all want to do ‘skilled’ volunteering, even if they have the skills. Often vol is about wanting to do something different
Just as there are many different types of barriers, maximising the impact of vols involves action in a variety of different areas
Given the issue of understanding among some employers about what volunteering is (and not) more needs to be done to promote a greater understanding of volunteering . Brokers and VIOs can support employers to do this
One way of doing this is also about identifying the shared values to help ensure that opportunities aren’t just aligned in terms of benefit but also are impactful all round
While skills-based vol can often be equated with impactful opps, research indicates not seeing as the magic bullet but instead being open minded and focusing on how the biggest impact can be made – already seen orgs doing different things, whether it be through collaboration or schemes that approach ESV a bit differently
And finally when it comes to measuring impact, research highlights that just focusing on numbers can be restrictive and should challenges these looking at impact in the wider sense.
So obviously the questions we’ve looked at are quite big questions that are a little challenging to cover in two slides each but hopefully something to get you thinking at the start of this day where we’ll be reflecting on ESV
In our full report, we have provided a table of different things which all orgs involved can ask themselves across these different elements in more detail - we’ve got some printed copies as well on the tables, but if there are three take-aways from our research to highlight
1) When it comes to ESV, previously much of the focus has been on the relationships between the orgs involved and less focus on the volunteers themselves. Our research highlights that more could be done to look at them – both in helping to improve their experience but this is also likely to have multiple benefits to the orgs involved – eg employee satisfaction for employers, or volunteers who are more likely to get involved in other vol for charities
2) Our research higlhights the importance of identifying and focusing on shared value and purpose. While all groups participating in ESV share a common aim in wanting to improve things and help people, they each have their own motivations for getting involved. Where these are not aligned, it can have a negative impact on relationships and result in high-resource, low impact opportunities. Conversely, where volunteer-involving organisations and employers (sometimes with the support of brokers) focus on shared values and purpose, we see ESV being successful. Underpinning ESV opportunities with these core values can also help those managing and organising ESV to consider key questions of where it is appropriate or not, and what types of opportunities can best meet needs.
3) Lastly, we’ve highlighted that orgs involved need to look internally within their own orgs as well as the relatiohnships they hold with each other.
Our findings highlight that it is often internal challenges within organisations that can be the biggest barrier to moving forward. It also shows that volunteer-involving organisations and employers face many of the same issues, especially around getting buy-in. For ESV to truly have a place and purpose within organisations (whether volunteer-involving organisations or employers), it needs to be supported, by a strategy, a structure which connects ESV with the rest of the organisation’s activities, or through colleagues who understand what ESV is for, and its benefits and value.
Volunteering improves the quality of communities around our projects
This enhances Mace’s reputation and brand
Empowers our staff to be part of responsible business
Helps our staff improve their own personal and professional development
Can improve productivity, happiness, wellbeing and creativity
Increases the value to society contribution
Integrity is a Mace Value
Volunteering helps us build sustainable cities, improves assurance, better staff engagement, well being etc. (less likely you will get a noise complaint if the local community feels empowered by Mace’s presence)
Use example of how education and working with children can improve communication (if you can master working with children, onsite briefings will be a breeze!)
Volunteering helps us achieve our V2S target
The age of responsible business is upon, and we are leading the industry
We aim for volunteering projects around company values and goals, let’s do what we do best, and help build strong communities
in 6 people of working age have a mental health condition. This can stop people performing at their best.
Mental illness is the largest single cause of disability in the UK
There were 5,965 deaths through suicide in 2016, down from 6,188 in 2015.
Male construction workers have the highest suicide rate across all professions in the UK
Suicide is the leading cause of death in males under 50. 81% of suicides are male.
Stress is predicted to be the most prevalent disease by 2020 and depression is due to be the second most prevalent
In a recent report in Construction News (April 2017) a survey of construction workers found:
54% have experienced mental health issues
41% have experienced mental health issues at their current place of work
24% had considered taking their own life
14% had lost a colleague to suicide
90% didn’t ask their employer for support
29% had taken time off work due to mental health issues
60% did not tell their employer the reason for their absence
82% said there is a stigma surrounding mental health in the construction industry
88% said there needs to be more support
Only 28% are satisfied with the support they have been given by their line manager
Go farther afield
We encourage our supply chain to join us in offering our expertise to change lives and communities
Just a few of the magnificent projects last year – 48% got involved last year – aim for 60% this year
Staff are expected to participate in the programmes
There are a range of opportunities
Introduction to me
Business in the Community is the oldest and largest business-led membership organisation
dedicated to responsible business. We were created nearly 40 years ago by HRH The Prince of Wales to champion responsible business.
We inspire, engage and challenge members and we mobilise that collective strength as a force for good in society to:
Create a skilled, inclusive workforce today and for the future
Build thriving communities in which to live and work
Innovate to repair and sustain our planet
Today, we have a vibrant membership of hundreds of businesses, large and small, connected by the conviction that their success is inextricably linked to society’s prosperity.
We set a course for responsible business.
We use our Responsible Business Map to guide members on a journey of continuous improvement, working across the whole responsible business agenda. From community engagement to employment, diversity and the circular economy, we offer expert advice and specialist resources, driving best practice by convening, sharing learning and recognising great performance across our influential Network.
Community Engagement is BITC’s national campaign to engage employees in the communities through volunteering. More than 400 companies support city-based and regional Community partnerships in 35 locations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The campaign promotes employee volunteering in work time and engages employers in collaborative action targeting key social issues in the most deprived communities.
Using 35 years’ experience of building mutually beneficial partnerships, Business in the Community is well-placed to provide strategic guidance, practical tools, facilitation and evaluation to enable your business to have the greatest possible positive impact in the community through skills-based volunteering.
4,713 individual community organisations have received support (includes schools)
Makes it easier to get started if you don’t already have a community programme or have just moved into the area
Why do companies use a broker?
Save time and resource
Reduce administrative burden of community activity
Opportunity to network with other businesses as well as link more effectively to the community
Access Knowledge - Opportunity to maximise impact
to hard to reach communities and Local understanding
Independent third party to provide advice and access to best practice
Evaluation
Benefits TO THE COMMUNITY ORGANISATION
Access to new sources of business support
Introductions to ‘appropriate’ businesses reducing time and cost of making approaches to business
Project management experience and administration
Knowledge of legal issues, insurance, etc
Can provide training and briefing for all staff
WHAT MAKES AN EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIP:
Agreement of ground rules and confidentiality
A safe environment in which to admit weakness and ask for help
An opportunity to discuss feelings as well as facts about the work situation
An opportunity to hear and be heard
Managed expectations from the outset
Clear responsibilities
Mutually beneficial
• Don’t just think of business support in terms of donations – volunteers sharing skills may be more valuable in the long term
• Don’t assume your business partner will understand what you do
• Don’t forget that you may not be the only request they receive. What makes you different?
• Don’t forget that the business will want to benefit too
• Don’t forget that policies and people may change quickly – don’t rely completely on future support
• Don’t underestimate the benefits their staff will gain
• Don’t be greedy and expect business to be able to meet all your needs
• Do remember that businesses are in business for profit and may often be struggling to survive themselves
• Do prepare your case – why does your work fit with theirs?
• Do think about how you can recognise and celebrate your partnerships
• Do ask if they’d be happy to receive information from you on an ongoing basis
• Do strive to forge an ongoing partnership
