Our vision is of ... impact through volunteering

Volunteers and volunteering refer to individuals and the work or action they undertake for the benefit of others or the community (outside the immediate family), by free choice and not directly in return for wages.

There are an estimated 282,067 individuals aged over 16 years volunteering for organisations in Northern Ireland.

Individually, formal volunteers give an average of 13.4 hours each month. Based on the Northern Ireland average hourly wage, this is a contribution of £504 million to the economy.  As a proportion of all formal volunteers, six out of every ten are females (61%). Individuals aged between 35 and 49 years old and those aged between 16 and 24 years old are the most likely to volunteer. Volunteers say that the main reasons they volunteer are wanting to improve things and because they enjoy it and get satisfaction from their volunteering.

Volunteers have a strong sense of civic responsibility.  The 2007 It’s all about time research into volunteering in Northern Ireland found that 58% of formal volunteers aged between 25 and 34 years old voted in the last General Election whereas 48% of non-volunteers in the same age bracket voted. 15% of formal volunteers have attended a public consultation event/meeting/forum whereas only 2% of non-volunteers stated they had done the same. Almost three quarters of all formal volunteers have stated that their circle of friends/networks have increased as a consequence of formal volunteering and 56% of formal volunteers have attributed an increased contact with other communities/religions to their engagement in volunteering.

In order to realise our vision of a Northern Ireland where more people make a real impact in their local communities, through volunteering in more varied and interesting roles, politicians and political parties should:

• Participate in opportunities to recognise and celebrate volunteering for the key role it plays in sustaining community life.
• Seek to reduce bureaucracy in volunteering. Examples could be better training for people in the Social Security Agency in relation to volunteering and benefits, or challenging insurance companies which try to charge people more for using their cars to volunteer.
• Support the creative engagement of volunteers in the public sector by developing new roles which are not a substitute for paid jobs but which extend and improve the services provided eg meet and greet services at hospitals or befriending, volunteer driving etc.
• Recognise that volunteering needs to be resourced, volunteers are not free and organisations need to support volunteers to ensure they are effectively involved.