Recognising Volunteering in 2017 - Defining volunteering to match community usage (CA)
18/09/2017
Volunteer Canada and IPSOS Public Affairs, 2017
Full report available here
This study aims to better understand what kinds of activities people consider to be volunteering, how people are currently engaged in communities, and how we can recognize a broader definition of volunteering through the notion of Individual Social Responsibility (ISR) that reflects a full spectrum of engagement. (page 4)
Informal volunteering appears to be increasing and may partly explain why formal volunteering rates have dropped. (page 12)
In the UK, the yearly Community Life Survey explores the following four dimensions:
- (Regular) formal volunteering: Giving unpaid help (at least once a month) through groups, clubs or organizations to benefit other people or the environment
- (Regular) informal volunteering: Giving unpaid help (at least once a month) as an individual to people who are not relatives
- Social action: Giving unpaid help to support a community event, campaign or project
- Charitable donation: Donating money to charitable causes. (page 5)
Traditionally-recognized activities such as fundraising, participating in a community event, working at food banks and attending to seniors or persons with a disability are equated with volunteering for many Canadians, however more informal activities that Canadians engage in such as donating used clothing, clearing a neighbour’s path, or avoiding using plastic water bottles are not widely seen as volunteering. (page 9)
Most Canadians view volunteering as vital to the societal and economic wellbeing of the country, with 87% affirming that without volunteering society would suffer, and 75% agreeing that the economy would suffer. (page 9)
Interestingly, Canadians ranked helping family, random acts of kindness and improving one’s community ahead of volunteering, which contrasts with the fact that 41% equate helping with volunteering. This highlights a disconnect in the way that Canadians define volunteering today, and this is evident in the activities that people consider to be volunteering. (page 9)
Barriers to volunteering e.g. lack of time, and opportunities for encouraging people to volunteer e.g. through workplace volunteering, are also considered. 68% of Canadians agreed that people would volunteer more if they could do it as a family. (page 12)
The Study concludes that there is momentum building globally to expand the definition of volunteering to include informal volunteering, organic movements, and the many ways that people put their values into action. (page 12). This is consistent with the Volunteering Australia definition of volunteering published in 2015, which recognises volunteering covers a diversity of activities including informal volunteering.