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The Volunteer Development Agency today published research into volunteering in Northern Ireland. The main findings revealed that volunteering here is worth around £937 million, but that volunteering levels have declined since 2001.
It's All About Time:Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie and Wendy Osborne OBE, Director of the Volunteer Development Agency pictured at the SS Nomadic at the launch of the Agency's research on volunteering in Northern Ireland.
The Volunteer Development Agency today published research into volunteering in Northern Ireland. The main findings revealed that volunteering here is worth around £937 million, but that volunteering levels have declined since 2001.
It’s All About Time, follows on from research conducted in 1995 and 2001 and reveals an estimated 282,000 formal (unpaid voluntary work carried out with, or under the auspices of, an organisation) and 470,000 informal (unpaid voluntary work carried out outside organisations, often at neighbourhood level, but outside the immediate family) volunteers across Northern Ireland.
An estimated 146,000 individuals are both formal and informal volunteers.
The research was funded by the Department for Social Development (DSD), and launched onboard the SS Nomadic by Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie. She said: "
"Volunteering is a cornerstone of our society, the lifeblood of our communities and a lifeline to the vulnerable. I am encouraged by many of the findings in this new report.
"Today's volunteers have a very real sense of satisfaction and achievement. Many have said the benefits of their volunteering included new experiences, learning new skills, gaining qualifications and increased confidence.
"Nevertheless we cannot be complacent. The research points to a potential decline in volunteering which could have a profound effect for us, our children, our families and friends."
Wendy Osborne OBE, Director, Volunteer Development Agency said,
"The research indicates that the levels of volunteering are at best static but appear to be declining. This presents a real concern, not only for every organisation which involves volunteers, but Northern Ireland society as a whole.
We have to ask, what kind of society will we be living in, if the future is one where individuals stop giving time to benefit others and their communities?"
The Minister announced that DSD will develop a new volunteering strategy for Northern Ireland, commenting:
“We must all rise to the challenge posed by the wider changes taking place in a society in which we seem to lead ever faster and busier lives. The new strategy will aim to align activities across government, the voluntary sector and other stakeholders to re-energise and increase levels of volunteering.
We must act to ensure that we, collectively, create the conditions that enable volunteering to flourish."
It’s All About Timeresearch reveals that women (61%) are more likely to volunteer and female volunteers are more likely to be involved in activity such as visiting people, befriending or handling money.
Formal volunteers donate an average of 13.4 hours each month. Their volunteering activity equates to an economic value of £504 million per annum.
People are most likely to volunteer with voluntary and community sector organisations (31%) and that sport (14.6%) is most likely to be the main activity of the organisation volunteered with. Raising or handling money (32%) is the main volunteer activity undertaken by formal volunteers followed by helping to organise or run an activity (26%).
The survey also reveals that women (61%) are more likely to volunteer and female volunteers are more likely to be involved in activity such as visiting people, befriending or handling money. Men are more like to organise or run an activity. Committee membership does not seem to be dependent on gender.
Individuals aged between 35 and 49 and 16 to 24 year olds are most likely to volunteer. Volunteers are least likely to be over 65 years. Older people are motivated to volunteer in order to improve things or help people whilst young people are more likely to want to gain new skills. However, volunteers deemed satisfaction and enjoyment (74%) as the largest benefit of volunteering, closely followed by social aspects (63%) and the opportunity to learn new skills (46%). 73% reported that their circle of friends had increased as a result of volunteering.
56% of volunteers feel that their contact with other religions has increased as a result of volunteering and some 39% of volunteers consider being involved in unpaid work can contribute to an improvement in cross community relations.
Whilst 29% of people who did not volunteer had never thought about it, 27% (equivalent to almost 200,000 people) indicated that they would get involved to a direct approach for help. 38% of non-volunteers indicated that their work commitments prevented them from becoming involved in volunteering.
Most volunteers got involved in volunteering through word of mouth, through contact with someone already involved or a family member. And whilst 38% of organisations had increased the number of volunteers involved, 42% reported a decrease in the last 5 years. 77% of organisations stated they could not operate without volunteers.
A summary or full report can be downloaded from www.volunteering-ni.org.
For further information contact:
Fidelma Glass
Marketing Manager
Volunteer Development Agency
t: 028 9023 6100
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