Government spend on volunteering 'does not match the rhetoric'1

Fundraising | Niki May Young | 3 Apr 2012

Official figures show government spend on volunteer centres is down by 12 per cent, equivalent to £28,000 per centre.

The annual return for volunteer centres which is conducted by the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR) showed that between 2009-10 and 2010-11 income has reduced in real terms, with the government funding drop proving the greatest contributor to the loss.

Justin Davis Smith, chief executive of Volunteering England which is responsible for the 263 volunteer centres throughout the country, said the figures show that "the funding unfortunately does not match the rhetoric" from the government of volunteering promotion.

Some 31 per cent of those making enquiries at volunteering centres are unemployed and seeking work. Davis Smith's comments reflect the fact that the government is promoting volunteering as a route back to employment, he says:

"The vital work of volunteer centres continues to be delivered on limited resources, on average two full-time and four part-time staff, whilst their services are in demand from Work Programme providers and government agencies who are clearly convinced of the role of volunteering in helping people into work.

"We know that volunteering works but it doesn't come for free. If we are to increase the already significant role of volunteering in our society in the future, it is crucial we invest in the local support services that help make it happen," he said.

Funding diversification

Some 169 volunteer centres, representing 64 per cent of all centres, responded to the annual return. The results showed that 89 per cent receiving funding from local government, ranging from £200 to £670,000. Overall local government funding represents 42 per cent of all funding resource for volunteer centres.

The figures showed that the median income of a volunteer centre in 2010-2011 was £56,432. This is actually an increase of £1,432 on 2009-2010 but represents a decrease in real terms when accounting for increased expenditure, the IVR report advises.

To combat the reduction in funding from the government, volunteer centres have sought new avenues of revenue. Some 43 per cent now gain income from fees and services - an increase of 10 per cent on 2009-2010. While 56 per cent of all volunteer centres now receive grant funding - an increase of 12 per cent. Grantmakers now provide 25 per cent of all funding to the centres.

The majority, 72 per cent of volunteer centres, are integrated within other organisations, 92 per cent of which are within local Council for Voluntary Service organisations.

Directory: Volunteering England
Who's Who: Justin Davis Smith

Place a comment

Stephen Moreton
Head of Education and Development
Attend
5 Apr 2012

This survey makes interesting reading.

The income of the VC network is c£22.7m from the survey respondents (two-thirds of the total number of VCs). If we utilise both the stated ‘median’ and mean’ averages for the remaining third, the estimated total income of the VC network currently lies somewhere between £26.3m and £31.3m

This report tends to use the median average income to present and interpret the data – the median income increasing by 13% since 2008/09 and 2.6% since 2009/10.

It’s interesting to note however, that the mean income sees a much sharper rise over this time:
A 51% increase since 2008/09 and a 10% increase since 2009/10

The key findings from the survey certainly appear to indicate that VCs are being somewhat successful in making their work relevant to the local communities, with more organisations purchasing their services and more grant-making bodies funding their work.

[Reply]

Comments

[Cancel] | Reply to:

Name *

Email *

Organisation

Job Title

Comments *

Verification *

* Please read our Community Standards

Close »

Community Standards

The civilsociety.co.uk community and comments board is intended as a platform for informed and civilised debate.

We hope to encourage a broad range of views, however, there are standards that we expect commentators to uphold. We reserve the right to delete or amend any comments that do not adhere to these standards.

We welcome:

Robust but respectful debate
Strongly held opinions
Intelligent relevant discussion
The sharing of relevant experiences
New participants

We will not publish:

Rude, threatening, offensive, obscene or abusive language, or links to such material
Links to commercial organisations or spam postings. The comments board is not an advertising platform
The posting of contact details for yourself or others
Comments intended for malicious purpose or mindless abuse
Comments purporting to be from another person or organisation under false pretences
Gratuitous criticism, commentary or self-promotion
Any material which breaches copyright or privacy laws, or could be considered libellous
The use of the comments board for the pursuit or extension of personal disputes

Be aware:

Views expressed on the comments board are left at users’ discretion and are in no way views held or supported by Civil Society Media
Comments left by others may not be accurate, do not rely on them as fact
You may be misunderstood - sarcasm and humour can easily be taken out of context, try to be clear

Please:

Enjoy the opportunity to express your opinion and respect the right of others to express theirs
Confine your remarks to issues rather than personalities

Together we can keep our community a polite, respectful and intelligent platform for discussion.