Trends in Volunteering

Even though empirical research about volunteers is scarce, anecdotal evidence shows various trends which support community service experience, that volunteering is undergoing a fundamental shift in demographics.

Some of the changing faces of volunteers include:
• the volunteer spirit is more evident in country areas than in cities
• increasing pressures in the workforce restrict people’s time for volunteering
• work previously undertaken by volunteers is being replaced by funded, employment positions
• government funding of programs which use volunteers to provide service delivery
• the impact of ‘mutual obligation’ on the concept of volunteering
• the impact of formalized requirements in the management of volunteers
• the diminishing commitment to volunteering among younger people.

The 1995 ABS survey data revealed that while nationwide the spirit of volunteering remains strong, especially in country areas, in the increasing busyness of city living, volunteer participation is declining. People were more likely in Australia during 1995, to volunteer if they did not live in a capital city – 16% for capital cities compared to 24% outside capital cities. ¹

Women have been the stalwarts of voluntary activity, however anecdotal evidence supports the 1997 edition of Australian Social Trends which suggested that as more women enter or return to the casual and fulltime workforce, their volunteer hours are decreasing as they struggle to juggle conflicting commitments of work, home and family life. More women (21%) than men (17%) volunteered in 1995 across Australia. ²

Traditionally the provision of voluntary care such as caring for elderly and frail aged people or people with a disability, has fallen to family members, churches and not-for-profit organisations. Economic rationalism and competitive tendering for community service provision, some volunteering has become formalized into structured, funded, employment positions. This ‘…contract climate of community care, with attendant issues of competition, has affected the use of volunteers.’ ³ There is a further dilemma however that if positions aren’t remunerated, should government funded services, provided through voluntary organisations who win the right to tender, be delivered by volunteers? If volunteering increasingly becomes a part of service provision, tensions may inevitably arise between volunteering as a freely chosen activity by an individual, and volunteering as part of a contracted service provision by an increasingly professional voluntary organisation. ⁴

A decline in church attendance across most denominations has impacted on one of our main sources of volunteer effort, reducing the numbers available. Anecdotal evidence reveals that voluntary participation has increased among ethnic minority groups and amongst unemployed people. They see volunteering as an opportunity to gain valuable work experience or as an opportunity to assimilate into the culture and practices of the Australian workforce. ‘The term ‘volunteer’ is increasingly being associated with unemployed people, (and an) increasing recognition of the benefits to the volunteer, for example in terms of skills acquisition, has led to the promotion of volunteering from the volunteers perspective, in terms of what he or she can expect from the experience.’ ⁵

Wesley Mission survey data does not support this fact, however our experience shows that younger people (students) and unemployed people do utilize volunteering to gain skills and increase their employability.

During periods of high unemployment and therefore increased competition for available jobs, a period of volunteering in the position is sometimes required of applicants. Gaining prominence in the shifting trend is the perspective of ‘mutual obligation’, and a concern that the philosophical balance of volunteering may shift under increasing pressure for ‘volunteers’ to fulfill contractual obligations imposed on them. There is a risk that people ‘obliged’ into workforce schemes may not engage with volunteering and the community in the same way that other volunteers would (because they are not participating voluntarily for intrinsic reward but are doing so because of coercion). This trend could shift the balance of volunteer backgrounds and motivation to one where volunteering is more unpaid work and less a concern with strengthening social capital. ⁶

It has been suggested that the 1995 ABS survey indicated a trend towards the formalisation of voluntary work. In reality, this is increasingly evident, and it is occurring as part of the process in which not-for-profit organisations are adopting and formalizing business processes within their organisations as part of the framework of tendering for service delivery and providing accountability and transparency to government and other stakeholders. The introduction of selection processes, interviews and written agreements, legislative requirements such as child protection, occupational, health and safety issues, discrimination and harassment guidelines and improved record keeping and data collection have gained prominence and credibility as part of good volunteer management practice.

However rather than impeding the use and availability of volunteers, improved organisational structures must enhance the volunteer experience and the contribution of volunteers to worthwhile community service.

Balance is required between meeting the needs of individuals who volunteer, and meeting the requirements of the organisation, and these are not necessarily always compatible. The increase in the professionalism of volunteers and an associated increase in the need to provide (accredited) training, acceptable work conditions and indemnity has imposed an increasing financial burden on organisations who are at the same time facing increasing demands for service delivery and reduced capacity of scarce resources. ‘While the increase in the professionalism of volunteers, and an associated increase in the need to provide training, acceptable work conditions and indemnity, is clearly an increasing cost burden it comes at the same time as reduced capacity of some agencies to provide such resources.’ ⁷

However, while efforts directed at ‘organising and training volunteers’ may maintain the numbers, it has been suggested that this trend will change the nature and ethos of voluntary work. 8

Generational trends are emerging too. It appears that younger volunteers are more likely to want to become involved in one-off, short term projects. This reflects research about Generation X’s need for variety overshadowing their ‘loyalty’ to an organisation. While it is too early to indicate what their volunteering commitment will develop into as they age, it is evident that they have little time for traditional ‘active citizenship’.

These trends present significant challenges for the future of volunteering. The wider community must become involved in this debate as it will impact on our understanding and experience of civil society and what it means to be a citizen today and in the future.