The voluntary sector relies on volunteers to carry out its work, and many services would not exist without the dedication and support of their volunteers.

In 2008 the University of Teesside undertook a study of the voluntary sector, estimating that there are around 3,000 Third Sector Organisations across York and North Yorkshire.

The study also estimated the economic value to the sub-region of the voluntary sector and volunteering.  The study estimates that, for the voluntary sector as a whole:

…the revenue of the sector for 2007-2008 would be not less than £270m…it could be the case that the sector contributes between 1.5 and 3% of GDP in the area.
A thriving Third Sector: a study of North Yorkshire and City of York, 2008

Various reports estimate the economic value of volunteers in the voluntary sector

Volunteering contributes massively to the economy, £48.1 billion to the national economy, and between £0.6 and £1.9 billion to the economy of the Yorkshire and Humber region.
The Commission on the Future of Volunteering:  Manifesto for Change, 2008
Mapping the Contribution of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Yorkshire and the Humber, 2001

The actual contribution of volunteers across all sectors is likely to be a good deal higher than this, as volunteering also takes place to support statutory service provision, and, to a lesser degree, through volunteering in, or by, the private sector.

Individual organisations have also undertaken their own reviews of how much volunteering is worth to their organisation.

How Can Volunteer Centres Help Your Organisation

Some roles that Volunteer Centres can help fill include:

 

• Trustees
• Fundraisers
• Administration
• Office work
• Website development
• Project delivery
• Volunteer drivers

 

Volunteer Centres can save you time, effort and money by promoting your volunteering opportunities so that you don’t have to, by keeping you up to date with legislation and good practice around volunteering, and by providing training and support to help organisations get the right systems and procedures in place to support smooth and efficient volunteer management.

 

Some organisations rely entirely on Volunteer Centres to provide them with their volunteers.  Others have no problem in attracting their front-line volunteers, but struggle with other types of volunteer roles, and value the assistance that their local Volunteer Centre provides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volunteers, V-base, and Do-It

 

Local organisations must go through a Volunteer Centre to post their opportunities onto the Do-It website.  Some national organisations are able to post these opportunities themselves, though many still go through their local Volunteer Centre.

 

Do-it is a national database of volunteering opportunities, allowing people to search for volunteering opportunities near them, which gets an average of

150,000 visitors every month.

 

Volunteer Management Training

 

Volunteering doesn’t just happen – someone has to take responsibility for recruiting and managing volunteers, and this can take a lot of time and effort.

 

Not getting it right can result in unhappy and less committed volunteers, and higher costs in terms of money, time, and effort that is spent re-recruiting where volunteers have left, or dealing with problems that arise as a result of ineffective management.

 

Volunteer Centres offer all organisations, large and small, comprehensive and flexible training for anyone who has a role in supporting and managing volunteers.  The training is available on a one-to-one basis, as group sessions, and can be tailored to your needs.  

 

See the Volunteer Management Training section of this website for further information.

 

 

 

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