More of the same won’t do on volunteering

I am a passionate volunteer.  I’ve volunteered in some shape or form my whole life and as my life has changed, I have given my time in different ways and changed the organisations I support. This mind-set of lending a hand was instilled in me from my time in the Brownies but I realise it’s not representative of the majority in the people in Scotland. I passionately believe that volunteering is the key to Scotland becoming a better place for everyone to live. But despite the best of intentions, we have failed to encourage more people to give up their time to help others. In fact, the overall volunteering rate has been static for many years, with roughly 30% of the population volunteering (plus or minus one or two percent each year). The recent NFP synergy reports, The New Alchemy Parts 1-6, provide lots of food for thought about a 21^st century volunteer strategy. One of my colleagues from the Scotland’s Volunteering Roundtable, Paul Okroj of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland was interviewed for the research. But despite the roundtable having many passionate advocates of volunteering we have so far failed to significantly move the agenda forward in Scotland.

Despite the best of intentions, we have failed to encourage more people to give up their time to help others

What’s holding us back? If you ask me, the biggest barrier is vested interests that just want to do more of the same. People and the world have changed, they will continue to change and our volunteering strategy needs to change too. A good start would be to actually listen to the evidence. The most successful volunteer recruitment technique is a direct ask from someone the person knows and trusts. It has proven to be massively successful for the Scout Association and many other organisations. But relying on volunteers to directly ask the people they know to help, means you need to look after them and remember to keep giving them feedback on the difference they are making to your cause. They are your walking and talking, best advertisement. There have been so many campaigns over the years about wearing a generic volunteering badge of honour but there has been little lasting impact. In this time of change in Scotland, let’s make sure that what comes next really revolutionises the volunteering landscape and learns the lessons from the past.