National Volunteering Forum | NCVO

What do we know about
volunteering and wellbeing?
National Volunteering Forum 9 Feb 2018
Ingrid Abreu Scherer
3

Nancy Hey
Centre Director
Volunteering and wellbeing: the evidence
Who we are

Kim
Sultana
Amerjit
Mo
JoyceIsabel

What is wellbeing?
• not just about how things look from
the outside, but how we feel in
ourselves
• how we experience life – quality of
life, good physical and mental
health, and being part of our
communities
• how external conditions affect our
lives and how we function in society
• should be measured using both
objective and subjective measures

Types of evidence
How do we know?
• A lot of research studies
• from different disciplines
• about different people
• Mostly cross-sectional
• mostly don’t show causation
• some important gaps

Using existing research is good, as long as we’re
aware of the limitations
• We have a tendency to look at studies that
confirm what we already feel is true
• These studies are of different qualities
• There may be bias or gaps in the studies we
currently have
• A systematic review will help us look at the
full picture
A systematic review of all the evidence
What do we need?

Volunteering and health
• Studies have shown positive relationships between
volunteering and a number of health outcomes from
mental health to cardiovascular disease
• Volunteering activities can even reduce the risk of
mortality
• But positive effects of volunteering on health and
wellbeing may disappear when people stop
volunteering
• Some studies found religious volunteering is ‘better’
than secular volunteering (USA)
• Some studies found environmental and sport
volunteering to have greater impact

Volunteering and other outcomes
• Volunteering is linked with increased happiness –
especially for those who are unhappy
• Sports volunteering may be linked to stronger
social connections, and social capital for young
volunteers
• Volunteering can give older people a sense of
purpose and role identity which can lead to
wellbeing
• Volunteering is associated with higher life
satisfaction, but not for everybody

Volunteering over our lives
• When not considering age, those who
volunteered regularly had higher levels of
mental wellbeing than those who never
volunteered
• Those who never volunteered seemed to have
lower levels of mental well-being starting
around midlife and continuing in old age
compared to those involved in volunteering
• The link between volunteering and wellbeing
become apparent above the age of 40, and
continue into old age
• Volunteering may be more closely related to
wellbeing at some points in life than others
never
some

Changing priorities across our lives
Feelings of pleasure and purpose are
important to wellbeing
But the balance of those dimensions
varies across our lives
For teenagers, pleasure seems to be
more important to wellbeing than
purpose
For people in middle age, the opposite
is true
Feeling that our lives have meaning,
and that the things we do are
worthwhile is important in middle and
later life

One in five?
For adults formal
volunteering is
positive
but
for children
the link is not
straightforward

Motivations matter
• In a study of older adults over a number of years, people who volunteered were at lower risk for mortality four
years later, especially those who volunteered more regularly and frequently
• However, motives matter:
• those who volunteered for self-oriented reasons had a mortality risk similar to non-volunteers.
• those who volunteered for other-oriented reasons had a decreased mortality risk, even in adjusted models.

Motivations matter, cont.
But this may be too simplistic - people have multiple motives for volunteering - and
these motives change
Better to think about volunteering as a 'complementary currency' of exchange in communities. People give on
both sides, and benefit on both sides
“We seem to be hard-wired not just to be good Samaritans, but to be reciprocators. Researchers have found that
volunteering seems to boost well-being, but these positive feelings soon evaporate if volunteers just feel they
are being 'used'.
Studies have shown that [oxytocin – the ‘feel-good’ hormone] is released in our brains when we do a good deed
for another person, but it is actually triggered when that other person acknowledges or reciprocates the good
deed.”
David Halpern, The Hidden Wealth of Nations

How much is enough? too much?
• Volunteering projects that focus on sustained engagement are more likely to have
wellbeing impacts compared with one-off activities
• A couple of studies of American longitudinal data found that health benefits decline at
around 2.7 hours a week of volunteering
• Regular volunteering is good for wellbeing, and stopping regular volunteering is much
more strongly detrimental for wellbeing
• Weekly and monthly volunteering are associated with improved wellbeing, but it takes
a while to take effect. When it does take effect, it’s not subject to ‘hedonic adaptation’

Evidence from the sector
towpath users, boaters and volunteers have marginally higher than
average wellbeing scores than non-waterway users in the same locality
(but more research needed)

To summarise…
• Volunteering has a number of wellbeing benefits overall. However, volunteering can also be
stressful, and some volunteers experience burnout.
• Volunteering benefits differ across life, and for different population groups.
• Volunteering motives make a difference to the benefits experienced by different people.
• We still have more to discover about causation - of why and how volunteering makes a
difference to wellbeing.
• But it’s likely that a combination of motivation, a sense of purpose, social connections, and
good feelings when we ‘give’ are involved
• More research is needed: especially a systematic review of all the evidence, which can tell us
‘what works’ with more confidence

Volunteering and wellbeing: what now?
How do I use these findings?
• consider the age of your volunteers – how can research help you
design volunteer roles for people of different ages?
• find our what your volunteers’ motivations might be –
what do they tell you about their expectations and aims?
• keep in mind the drivers of wellbeing - how can you design
volunteering that builds on them?
• test out the theories by evaluating your own impact:
whatworkswellbeing.org/measure

Thank you!
ingrid@whatworkswellbeing.org
www.whatworkswellbeing.org
@whatworksWB

Volunteering and wellbeing
Bibliography
Essential reading:
Jenkinson et al. Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and
survival of volunteers BMC Public Health 2013, 13:773
Casiday, R. Volunteering and Health: What Impact Does It Really Have? Volunteering England. 2008
---
Glass TA, De Leon CF, Bassuk SS, et al. Social engagement and depressive symptoms in late life: longitudinal findings. J
Aging Health 2006;18:604–28. doi:10.1177/0898264306291017
Greenfield EA, Marks NF. Formal volunteering as a protective factor for older adults’ psychological well-being. J Gerontol
B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2004;59:S258–64. doi:10.1093/geronb/59.5.S258
Schreier HM, Schonert-Reichl KA, Chen E. Effect of volunteering on risk factors for cardiovascular disease in adolescents:
a randomized controlled trial. JAMA Pediatr 2013;167:327–32. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.1100
Sneed RS, Cohen S. A prospective study of volunteerism and hypertension risk in older adults. Psychol Aging
2013;28:578–86. doi:10.1037/a0032718

Bibliography, cont.
Okun MA, Yeung EW, Brown S. Volunteering by older adults and risk of mortality: a meta-analysis. Psychol Aging
2013;28:564–77. doi:10.1037/a0031519
Binder M, Freytag A. Volunteering, subjective well-being and public policy. J Econ Psychol 2013;34:97–119.
doi:10.1016/j.joep.2012.11.008
Meier S, Stutzer A. Is volunteering rewarding in itself? Economica 2008;75:39–59
http://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/38009.pdf
Tabassum F, Mohan J, Smith P Association of volunteering with mental well-being: a lifecourse analysis of a national
population-based longitudinal study in the UK BMJ Open 2016;6:e011327. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011327
Konrath S, Fuhrel-Forbis A, Lou A, Brown S: “Motives for volunteering are associated with mortality risk in older adults”.
Health Psychol 2012, 31:87–96.
Van Willigen, M. Differential Benefits of Volunteering Across the Life Course. Journal of Gerontology: 2000, Vol. 55B, No.
5, S308–S318

Bibliography, cont.
Binder, M. and Freytag, A Volunteering, subjective well-being and public policy. Journal of Economic Psychology Volume
34, February 2013, Pages 97-119
Abdallah S., Main G., Pople L. and Rees G. Ways to well-being: Exploring the links between children’s activities and their
subjective well-being. The Children's Society, 2014
BRADBURY, S. and KAY, T., 2008. Stepping into community? The impact of youth volunteering on young people's social
capital. IN: Nicholson, M. and Hoye, R. (eds). Sport and Social Capital. Abingdon, UK: Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group),
pp.285-317
Abdallah S., Main G., Pople L. and Rees G. Ways to well-being: Exploring the links between children’s activities and their
subjective well-being. The Children’s Society (2014)
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/Ways%20to%20well-being%20report%20FINAL.pdf

Bibliography, cont.
Sector evaluations:
Join In’s Hidden Diamonds: the wellbeing generated by sports volunteers (https://www.whatworkswellbeing.org/case-
study/join-in-wellbeing-and-sports-volunteers/)
Volunteering for Wellbeing (http://volunteeringforwellbeing.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Executive-
Summary.pdf)
Canal and Rivers Trust Waterways & Wellbeing: Building the Evidence Base First Outcomes Report September 2017
(https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/refresh/media/thumbnail/33802-canal-and-river-trust-outcomes-report-waterways-and-
wellbeing-full-report.pdf)

Volunteering & Wellbeing:
Community Contributions in Later Life
Emily Georghiou
Senior Programme Manager
NCVO National Volunteering Forum
9 February 2018

26
- A charitable foundation and ‘What Works’ centre
established in 2015 to get us ‘Ready for Ageing’
- Our vision is that everyone
can enjoy a good later life
About the Centre for Ageing Better
- We work for a society where everyone can benefit from
living longer, especially those most at risk of missing out
- We bring fresh thinking to the challenges, opportunities
& attitudes towards ageing society
Volunteering & wellbeing in later life

Why does this matter?
27
By 2024, more than 1 in 4 of us: 60+
More people living to celebrate their
100th birthday than ever before
The population is ageing fast –
especially outside big cities &
becoming more diverse
Healthy life expectancy is not keeping
pace – growth in LTCs
Impacts of ageing population are felt
primarily in place, in our communities
ONS 2016-2017

What does wellbeing in later life look like?
28
Health Financial security Social connections
Factors influencing quality of later life are interrelated – they all influence each other
People’s expectations are modest – people don’t need all that much
Wide variation in how people experience later life – individual circumstances & personal
outlook matter
Our communities play a key role in supporting us to age well
Purpose
Not so very different than wellbeing at any other stage of life!

Our programmes: How we’re supporting ageing better
29

We want more people in later life to be able to say:
“I am making a contribution in my community”
to feel valued for their skills, knowledge, experience
and enjoy the wellbeing benefits,
especially those who are currently
missing out
Our ambition

What do we mean by ‘community contributions’?
Adapted from Nesta (2014) ‘People helping people: the future of public services’

There is good evidence of the benefits of making a contribution in later life:
Increased quantity and quality of social connections
Enhanced sense of purpose and self esteem
Improved life satisfaction, happiness and wellbeing
Where people in later life feel valued and appreciated in formal
volunteering roles, there is evidence that this contributes to reduced
depression and better mental health
Source: Review of existing evidence on benefits to older people from making a voluntary, altruistic
contribution to their community, Dec 2016
https://16881-presscdn-0-15-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Community-contributions-evidence-review-v2.pdf
Why do community contributions matter?

• The poorest in later life are 3x less likely than the richest and those
in poor health are 5x less likely than those in excellent health to
volunteer.
• Those who have most to gain (because they have poorer social
connections and/or lower levels of wellbeing) are much less likely
to take part and so risk missing out on the benefits.
• The evidence base is weaker on informal than formal volunteering
and in relation to participation by certain groups e.g. ethnic
minorities & what works for who and where
So we know its good for us …but who’s missing out?

Who makes a contribution in later life?
34
Age is not a significant determinant of making a contribution
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
16-49 50-64 65-74 75+
Formal volunteering Informal volunteering
Retirement is not a major trigger event for most people
Community Life Survey 2015

Volunteering in Later Life: What does the evidence tell us?
35
Health, socioeconomic status and ethnicity are much more strongly correlated to
formal volunteering than age
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent
Proportion of people aged 50+ involved in formal volunteering by health status, 2006-10
Nazroo, J. and Matthews, K. (2012) The impact of volunteering on well-being in later life, London: WRVS
Evidence suggests that wellbeing benefits are greater for people in fair health

36
Nazroo, J. and Matthews, K. (2012) The impact of volunteering on well-being in later life, London: WRVS
Proportion of people aged 50+ involved in formal volunteering by wealth, 2006-10
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Poorest Second quintile Third quintile Fourth quintile Richest
But, evidence suggests that informal help is not correlated with socioeconomic status

Why do people make a contribution?
37
Individuals
• Prior experience
• Socioeconomic status &
education
• Health
• Individual interest
• Self-perception
• Social connections
Motivation
Capability
Ask
• Active – something you can do
• Social – with / by people like you
• Inclusive – for people like you
Offer
• Matching – something I want to do
• Training & support
• Flexibility & accessibility – something I
can do
• Feedback & validation
Opportunities
Community and social norms
Institutional, policy and legal framework
Resources and infrastructure

Why don’t people make a contribution?
38
The evidence suggests that those who stand to benefit most (because they have
poorer social connections and/or wellbeing) are least likely to make a contribution
There are some important individual barriers that organisations need to be mindful of:
I don’t want to: Lack of prior experience, interest or motivation
I can’t: Disability and poor health; literacy or language barriers
I’m too old: self-limiting attitudes and perceptions
I don’t know anyone who does: Limited social connections, especially lack of contact
with people who already contribute

Why don’t people make a contribution?
39
There are also significant structural barriers that organisations can address:
I haven’t been asked: Failure to reach people with meaningful and timely requests
I can’t: Cost of participation (e.g. transport)
They don’t want me: ageism within organisations; lack of welcoming and inclusive
support systems
It’s not right for me: lack of flexibility (e.g. timing, adjustments for health / capability);
lack of recognition and support; lack of things that people want to do
I don’t know anyone who does: Social and community norms that direct people’s
energy to other activities

What are we doing about it?
We want to understand more about:
what prevents & enables people to take part
informal as well as formal contributions
the role of health, wealth, ethnicity & place
2 projects currently underway, reporting in summer 2018:
Primary community research in 4x localities
(Leeds, Bristol, Settle & Scarborough)
Review with Government
(call for evidence, experience and practice;
series of roundtables, across all sectors)

41
Understand
• What the evidence says
• Know your community
• Who’s missing out?
Adapt
• How inclusive are you of
diverse older people?
(recruit, flex, support)
• Targeted support for those
facing greater barriers?
Include
What could you do?
• How could you adapt to
widen participation / reach
new groups?
• How could you support
informal contributions?Volunteering & wellbeing in later life
Share your insights, challenges, lessons and good practice

Centre for Ageing Better
Angel Building, Level 3
407 St John Street, London, EC1V 4AD
020 3829 0113
www.ageing-better.org.uk
Registered Company Number: 8838490 & Charity Registration Number: 1160741
Emily Georghiou
Emily.Georghiou@ageing-better.org.uk
@Ageing_Better

Open the conversation
@NCVOvolunteers
#volforum

People close to nature, with land and seas rich in wildlife
The Wildlife Trusts want to see…

Contact with nature provides multiple
benefits including:
• Reductions in stress & anxiety;
• Increased positive mood;
• Self-esteem;
• Resilience.Wellbeing beneﬁts from natural environments rich in wildlife / 1
A literature review for The Wildlife Trusts:
By the University of Essex
Wellbeing
beneﬁts
from natural
environments
rich in wildlife
Protecting Wildlif e for the Future
Report 1: Literature Review

Changing lives in Warwickshire
June
“It was lovely to meet up with other volunteers.”
“I felt inspired to start painting again.”
“I can see so many changes.”
“My health, activity levels and quality of live have improved considerably.”
”Encourage people to get up and give it a go just like I did.”
January
“Tried group therapy workshops & medication.”
“Why me?”
“Signed off work for six months. Depression over the previous two years.”
“Entire days without the world beyond the four safe walls of my house.”
“My whole world had shrunk.”
“I couldn’t be bothered to socialise. I took no interest in hobbies.”

The Five Ways to (Wild) Wellbeing
It was lovely to meet up with other volunteers. Connect
I felt inspired to start painting again. Learn
I can see so many changes. Take Notice
My health, activity levels & quality of live improved
considerably. Be active
Encourage people to get up and give it a go just like I did.
Give

“Wildlife Trusts provide
significant and important
contributions to both the
promotion of good public
health and to Green Care
(the use of nature-based
interventions to treat
diagnosed illnesses) in the UK.”
Report 2: Case Study Analysis

Potted History in London
“Two days a week would be great”

A research project which measured
- mental wellbeing;
- connectedness to nature;
- changes attitudes and behaviours.
Report 3: Health & Wellbeing Impacts

The percentage of participants
reporting low wellbeing scores
declined from 39% at baseline to
only 19% at 12-weeks.
Key Findings – Mental Wellbeing
51.6

Wellbeing Programme - Wiltshire
“a living space for positive change"

Key Findings
51.6
95% of participants with low
wellbeing at baseline reported an
improvement at 6-weeks

Woodland Therapy on the Isle of Wight
Walking into the woods, my head was quiet for the 1st time in 10 years

Key Findings
Levels of nature relatedness
increased to a statistically
significant extent.

“Made me feel more content and happy about
nature than I ever have been.”
Relating to Nature

Conclusions
1. “Attendance of Wildlife Trust volunteering
programmes is associated with health and wellbeing
improvements particularly for people with low levels of
wellbeing.”
2. “The health and wellbeing benefits that Wildlife Trust
projects deliver indicate that they offer an important
non-medical service that can and does reduce the
current burden on the NHS.”

What Next?
Work with researchers to:
• Add the economic and financial savings
to our findings;
• Establish a causal effect;
• Get higher numbers of returns;
• Use a consistent tool to measure impact

Community Powered Health
Dom Higgins – dhiggins@wildlifetrusts.org; 07715 630239

www.volunteeringforwellbeing.org.uk

• To support participants into volunteering, training or employment
opportunities
• To increases access to heritage and collections
• To work in partnership to develop a community of practice for the
heritage sector in the region
• To demonstrate the impact of heritage volunteering on people’s
wellbeing and use that evidence to influence the wider sector, cultural
policy and future funding
"This has helped increase my confidence and my mental health has been
more stable since the course. I no longer panic when people talk to me...I'm
more confident to travel alone. My parents think it's the best thing that has
happened in my life...it's helped me get a place at University.”
Project Aims

IWM North Museum of Science and IndustryThe Manchester Museum

Volunteer Wellbeing Impact after 3 years: self reported frequency of
experiencing outcome
Nat
average
ranges
(approx)

Figure 3. Magnitude of long-term change in if volunteer perceptions of their improved skills, knowledge
transfer and attainment levels, three years after completing the course

Impact after 3 years
• SROI calculates the project has generated added social and
economic value of approximately £1.97 million across the
three years. Compared to the total amount of £557,200
invested
• 241+ local people recruited over three years
• 75% in receipt of a benefit allowance
• Over 75% report a significant increase in wellbeing after a
year
• Almost 60% report long term sustained wellbeing
improvement over 2-3 years

20%
48%
13%
7%
2%
2%
8%
Employment
Volunteering
Left
Illness
Education
Caring for Family
Opportunity
• 65 people gained employment or
other new opportunities for getting
into work (28%)
• 48% continue to volunteer

Danielle Garcia,
Project Manager, IWM dgarcia@iwm.org.uk
Emma Horridge, Volunteer Coordinator,
Manchester Museum
emma.horridge@manchester.ac.uk

Roundtable discussions: evidence and practice
Now you’ve seen the evidence- does it challenge or confirm
what you thought?
How do you promote the wellbeing benefits of your own
volunteering programme?
What are the top three things you will do differently when you
get back to your organisation?
@NCVOvolunteers
#volforum

Assessing the benefits of volunteering
schemes
Neil Pratt
www.probonoeconomics.com
Spread the word @ProBonoEcon
We are on LinkedIn & Facebook

About PBE
• We help charities and social enterprises understand and improve
impact and value
• Assignments are delivered by volunteer economists
• We use tools and techniques of economics to provide insights
• We work with others to share our findings and promote best practice
79© Pro Bono Economics

Assessing volunteering schemes –
what’s the question?
Several perspectives may be relevant
• Volunteers
• Charity
• Recipients
• Volunteer sponsor e.g. employer organisation

Volunteering is good for you!
Wide range of potential benefits for volunteers
• Enhanced work-related skills and experience
• Personal development
• Social integration
• Improved wellbeing

1. Estimate value of improved outcomes to
volunteers (e.g. income)
Future income
Volunteer
Non-
volunteer

2. Look at what volunteers give up
Revealed preference approach
• Volunteer contributes his/her valuable time
• This has an ‘opportunity cost’ e.g. foregone wage or other
non-financial benefits
• Usually based on suitable market wage proxy – not always
appropriate

3. Ask volunteers directly
Stated preference approach
• Survey based approach to elicit estimates of how people
value the chance to volunteer
• Can be done in two ways:
• Willingness to Pay for volunteering opportunity; or
• Willingness to Accept loss of opportunity
• Surveys are prone to bias!

4. Look at impact on self-reported wellbeing
Subjective wellbeing approach
• Uses national survey data on life satisfaction
• How do volunteering and other factors on WB?
• Study for HACT found:
• Frequent volunteering has similar impact as playing sport on
WB
• Average WB value of around £3.3k per year of volunteering*
85© Pro Bono Economics * Source: HACT (2014): Guide to using Wellbeing Valuation Approach

Incorporating volunteers into evaluation
Value of full-time volunteering programme (PBE 2017)
• Service delivery: £135k
• Govt £30k (stipend)
• Vol. opp. cost £20k
Scheme costs
£185k
• Service users £100k
•Vol. WB £20k
• Vol. earnings £90-180k
Scheme benefits
£210-300k
Source: PBE report for City Year UK, 2018

Top tips for building volunteers into
programme evaluation
1. Include volunteers in your theory of change
2. Measure volunteer activities
3. Don’t just include the cost of volunteers in evaluation!
4. Use transparent scenario analysis to illustrate volunteer
benefits
5. Don’t overstate the benefits

Roundtable discussions: Measuring impact
How do you measure the impact of volunteering in your
organisation?
How do you incorporate volunteers into your
evaluation?
How can you improve how you measure the impact of
your volunteers?
@NCVOvolunteers
#volforum

93
values
• The beliefs that define what is most important in the way you live & work
• We each have a set of values that are personal & unique to us

94
values
• The beliefs that define what is most important in the way you live & work
• We each have a set of values that are personal & unique to us
values as motivators for change
• Changing health behaviour is seen as uncomfortable and “risky”
• Connecting goals to values allows people to see change as worthwhile.

what does self-care mean to you?

FURTHER INFORMATION
Practical support
https://www.ncvo.org.uk/practical-support/volunteering
http://knowhownonprofit.org/
Data and research
http://data.ncvo.org.uk/
https://www.ncvo.org.uk/institute-for-volunteering-research
Investing in Volunteers
http://iiv.investinginvolunteers.org.uk/
Become a member
https://www.ncvo.org.uk/about-us/join-ncvo
100

GET IN TOUCH
@NCVOvolunteers
volunteering@ncvo.org.uk
101

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