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nfpSynergy pays staff to 'volunteer' by watching the World Cup 2

Governance | Niki May Young | 9 Jun 2010

nfpSynergy will pay staff to watch the World Cup in an act of satire against what it calls the “over-estimation” of volunteering figures in England and Wales, based on the government’s lax volunteering definitions.  

The not-for-profit sector research consultancy will offer its staff occasional afternoons off to “watch the World Cup down the pub” which it says would be classified as volunteering within the governments official definitions.

Joe Saxton, founder of nfpSynergy said: "I know my staff, drawn from many great footballing nations – England, New Zealand, France, Italy and the US - will doubly enjoy supporting their national teams this summer, knowing that their paid work-time volunteering is also helping government meet its important volunteering targets!

"Seriously though, official definitions over-estimate the number of volunteers in England and Wales - which may well mask a failure to increase levels of volunteering, despite a historic state focus on, and high level of investment in, this area."

Flawed government survey

The current government figures state that 73 per cent of adults participated at least once in some form volunteering in the 12 months prior to interview in April to September 2007 in England. But according to Saxton, definitions provided within the government's volunteering survey, from where the statistics originate, are subjective.

"Much of what government still measures is not what most people would intuitively mean by volunteering. Tighter, more intuitive definitions are needed to uncover true volunteering levels; and to better plan and evaluate relevant government strategy - not least as belts tighten, Big Society or no. Much good work is done in volunteering but, unless we can measure it properly, future investment could well be misdirected," he concluded.

The survey separates volunteering activity into ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ categories and gives the user options of what could be considered as a volunteering activity within these groups. Within the ‘formal' category those answering the survey are asked if they have “taken part in, supported or helped “within several areas which include “sports/exercise (taking part, coaching or going to watch)”; “hobbies/recreation/arts/social clubs”; and “trade union activity”.

"Our concern is that the categories prompted in the survey question encompass a set of activities that might be at best better included in informal volunteering and at worse are just good parenting or being a supportive partner or friend," says nfpSynergy in its Volunteering definitions briefing.

Four ways to improve accuracy of volunteering statistics

nfpSynergy has made four suggestions for making volunteering definitions "more intuitive, relevant and accountable":

1. Keep informal and formal volunteering quite separate

2. Re-christen informal volunteering as neighbourliness, community spirit or social capital

3. Tighten the survey definitions/criteria to exclude loopholes

4. Report on volunteering with a more fine-grained approach

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Directory: nfpSynergy
Who's Who: Niki May Young | Joe Saxton