Time Well Spent 2019 (UK)

18/06/2019

Authors: Amy McGarty, Veronique Jochum, John Davies, Joy Dobbs, and Lisa Hornung

Published by: National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)

This report analyses the volunteering experiences of people in Great Britain focusing on the levels/motivations behind participation and continuation of such roles. A representative survey was conducted by way of a YouGov panel.  Respondents were 10,103 adults aged 18+.

Key findings

Most respondents (70%) – including volunteers and non-volunteers - had done some form of volunteering, but only a small portion were considered frequent (once a month).

In terms of technology use, 56% of volunteers carried out their activities through a mix of online and offline resources, 35% were never on line, and 6% were exclusively online. Disabled respondents were more likely to be online (exclusively or often) than non-disabled volunteers suggesting that digital platforms may provide opportunities for people who might otherwise find it difficult to participate.

Overall, the volunteering experience remained positive in terms of job satisfaction, enjoyment, fulfilment, and mental wellbeing.  This may be a product of high levels of appreciation from an organisational and individual standpoint. However, a small portion of individuals were dissatisfied due to a sense of bureaucracy from paid superiors.

The authors identified a number of areas for organisations to think about if organisations want to support people in having a quality volunteer experience.  For example, flexibility of time; not overburdening volunteers so that the volunteering starts to feel ‘work-like’. 

The full report is available here.

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