The document outlines reasons why individuals may decline to volunteer, highlighting statistics from a national citizenship survey on various commitments and barriers faced by potential volunteers. It emphasizes the motivations behind volunteering, particularly among younger demographics, and notes trends in formal and informal volunteering. Additionally, there are observations on demographic differences in volunteer rates and factors affecting participation, including bureaucracy and perceived skills.

1. 10 reasons for
saying “NO”
…………..and possible answers

2. Volunteering
Any activity which involves spending time, unpaid,
doing something which aims to benefit someone,
individuals or groups other than, or in addition to,
close relatives, or to benefit the environment.
(From the Compact Code on Volunteering)

3. Formal or informal?
• Formal volunteering refers to people
who volunteer with official groups, clubs
or organisations
• Informal volunteering refers to people
who give unpaid help to other people,
usually friends or neighbours
Focus today on Formal Volunteering

4. Top 5 reasons people say “No”
2. work commitments (59%)
3. doing other things with their time (29%)
4. looking after children or the home (26%)
5. not hearing about opportunities to help (17%)
6. study commitments (15%)
or “cba” (?%)
Figures are taken from the National Citizenship Survey conducted by the Department for Communities and Local Government 2008/9 and 2009/10

5. No! #1
Employer-supported
volunteering
Participation is unchanged since 2005
2% once a month
5% once a year

6. No! #2
Doing
other
things
62% of regular volunteers say they start volunteering
because they 'want to improve things/help people’
65% of regular volunteers say they get
'satisfaction from seeing the results’

7. No #3
Family habits
More people volunteer from households
Which already….
• mix with people from different ethnic and
religious backgrounds in private places, such
as in the home
• engage in civic activism, civic
participation and civic consultation
• give money to charity
• actively practise a religion or feel that religion
is important in shaping their identity

8. No! #4
Hearing about it
The most common method through which
people find out about volunteering
opportunities is through someone else
already involved in the group or
organisation (53%).

9. No! #5
Too busy studying
Reasons most students (aged 16-24) volunteered:
• 75% - to see the difference it made to
people's lives
• 66% - to enhance career prospects
• 65% - to develop their skills
• 48% - to feel good
• 46% - to make new friends.
• 41% - it’s fun!

10. Time commitment?
Regular volunteering averages about 12
hours a month (less than 3 hours a week)

11. Little change in levels of
volunteering since 2009
• One in four people - at least once a
month
• Two in five people - at least once in the
last 12 months

12. Drop in informal volunteering

• at least once a month - from 35% in
2008/09 to 29% in 2009/10.
• at least once a year in 2008/9 from 62%
to 54% in 2009/10

13. Older people
Bigger drop !
• aged 75 years - 32% in 2008-09 to 25% in
2009/10 (once a month)
• aged 65-74 – 63% to 51% (once a year)

14. ……More motives
• Over 50% say volunteering experience
helped them secure a new job/promotion
• 25% aged between 35 and 44 say they
volunteer to improve their health

15. Why do over 60’s volunteer
Over 50% say – to make new friends

16. Did you know?
• Households with two or more children
have a higher chance of regular
volunteering compared with households
with no children
• People living in rural areas have a greater
likelihood of regular volunteering than
people in urban areas

17. 3 more reasons to say NO!
6. ‘put off by bureaucracy’ (49%),
7. ‘worried about risk/ liability’ (47%)
8. ‘not got the right skills/ experience’
(39%)
(Quotes from “Helping Out”, 2007).

18. Some things to bear in mind…….