Measuring volunteering18 June, Prague

Measuring Volunteering

Alzbeta FrimmerovaCEV Board Member

Measuring volunteering18 June, Prague

The European Volunteer Centre (Centre européen du volontariat, CEV) is the European network of over 80 national, regional and local volunteer centres and volunteer support agencies across Europe. Through our network we work together to promote and support volunteering through advocacy, knowledge sharing and capacity building & training. In this way we reach out to the many thousands of volunteers and volunteer organisations who look to volunteer centres a source of support bringing the European dimension to their work.

CEV’s vision is a Europe in which volunteering is central in building a cohesive and inclusive society based on solidarity and active citizenship. Our mission is to contribute to the creation of an enabling political, social and economic environment in Europe where the full potential of volunteering can be realised.

ILO Manual development

• Volunteering generally treated as outside the “production boundary” & not necessarily measured.

• 2003 UN Handbook on Nonprofit Institutions in the System of National Accounts

• 2011 ILO Manual on the Measurement of Volunteer Work

-> An international standard for measuring volunteering

ILO Manual approach

• Broad definition – without mentioning “volunteering” in the survey: Unpaid non-compulsory work; that is, time individuals give without pay to activities performed either through organizations or directly for others outside their own household.

• Use of the labour force survey (LFS) (zisťovanie pracovných síl)

• Short survey module ( doplnkový/ ad hoc modul)

• Four-week reference period (zisťovanie za posledné 4 týždne)

• Economic value – replacement cost ( ekonomická hodnota – náklady za pracovnú pozíciu v danej krajine)

Data collected

• number of volunteers and the demographic characteristics of people who volunteer,

• type of volunteer work, fields of activity

• institutional setting (type of NGO /public authority)

• amount of volunteer work

• monetary value, contribution to the national economy & growth

-> comparative, cross-European results; regional level data; correlations with other data

-> additional questions possible-> motivation, link with well-being, skills acquisition etc

ILO Manual approach

• Comparable data

• Feasible for all countries

• Cost-effectiveness

• Efficient

• Reliable and Objective.

Political support

• Since 2011 all European-level policy documents on volunteering recommend volunteering data collection using the ILO Manual European Parliament • Council of the EU European Commission • European Economic and Social Committee EYV 2011 Alliance • EYV 2011 National Coordinating Bodies

• ILO revision of the international standards on statistics on work (2014): includes volunteer work (non-paid work) & identifies ILO Manual as methodology

State of Play

Implementation of the ILO Manual across Europe – Poland & Hungary – Italy, Ireland & Portugal; & Belgium.

An attempt to secure a European Parliament Pilot Project on Volunteer Measurement to implement a ten country pilot study was rejected by the EC in 2013.

Ongoing initiatives to research other dimensions of volunteering for example the impact.

State of Play

Third sector impact Project: www.thirdsectorimpact.eu/

Measurement report CEV event: http://www.cev.be/uploads/2015/03/Report_CEV_Volunteer_Measurement_Seminar_18March_Brussels.pdf

Thank you! www.cev.be * director@cev.be

frimmerova@dobrovolnickecentra.sk

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