1. Contribution - high interest stakeholders
1.1. High influence
1.1.1. Sponsors
1.1.1.1. There should be greater promotion of volunteering and more consistent communication between the voluntary sector and Jobcentre Plus. (see link; page 42)
1.1.1.1.1. Both parties should investigate a close relationship including better links, information and etc.
1.1.1.1.2. Offices that offer examples of effective partnership or synergy could be highlighted and models piloted.
1.1.2. Blockers
1.1.2.1. There were also examples of people being urged to reduce their volunteering commitments, in order to give priority to finding paid work (see link page 20)
1.1.2.1.1. It would work better if direct help in looking for paid work was also included, along with help in volunteering. This might help people keep paid work in mind at the same time as benefiting from the volunteering (see link page 24)
1.1.2.2. Jobcentres have a negative attitude towards voluntary work and provided little active encouragement. (see link; page 14)
1.1.2.3. Organisations discriminate on basis of employment status for practical reasons and welfare of clients. (see link; page 29)
1.1.2.3.1. Organisations with a lot of project based work discriminated against volunteers who couldn’t make a reliable commitment. Also role that involved rotas, forward booking, or regular bookings were less likely to be given to a job seeker who could leave at short notice. (see link; page 30)
1.1.2.3.2. Organisations were reluctant to involve unemployed volunteers in befriends, advice counselling, because of the vulnerability of the client and need for continuity. (see link; page 29)
1.2. Low influence
1.2.1. Beneficiaries
1.2.2. Helpless victims
1.2.2.1. Invest in training for volunteers (see link; page 9)
1.2.2.2. Stigmatisation and other serious challenges will prevent many unemployed from volunteering. (see link; page 7)
1.2.2.2.1. Agencies must understand and be prepared to work with people who may be feeling very fragile because of their unemployed status. (see link; page 12)
2. Contribution - low interest stakeholders
2.1. High Influence
2.1.1. Positive influencers
2.1.1.1. Notification and publicity rules and rule changes affecting voluntary work by claimants to national, regional and local voluntary sector bodies should be enhanced. (see link; page 42)
2.1.1.1.1. Increase ‘grace period’ in JSA rules, this will benefit both organisations offering volunteer placements and volunteers (See link; page 32)
2.1.1.2. The state sector needs to provide appropriate means and monetary support (see link; page 7)
2.1.2. Negative influencers
2.1.2.1. There is lack of recognition for vital training that organisations working in particular sector provide, where voluntary work was almost essential as an apprenticeship. (see link; page 38)
2.1.2.2. Jobcentre plus staff do not have full appreciation of the range and scope of voluntary work, and that volunteering can take place in organisations other than charities. (see link; page 17)
2.1.2.2.1. Notification procedures for local Jobcentre Plus officers should be examined and options explored (see link; page 42)
2.1.2.3. Lead organisations for the volunteer brokerage scheme are not effective in managing relationships with volunteer centres and other stakeholders
2.1.2.4. Removing obstacles such as those built into benefits system was one of the key recommendations for government action to promotion volunteering effectively (see link; page 14)
2.2. Low influence
2.2.1. Bystanders
2.2.1.1. Volunteers who are registered unemployed were worried that their volunteering will interfere with their availability. (see link; page 14)
2.2.1.1.1. A more proactive approach by Jobcentre Plus is needed to enable clients to take up voluntary work; one suggestion was that advisors could give targets for voluntary placements also. (see link; page 25)
2.2.1.2. Impediments arising from claimants’ fears about the rules and how they might be interpreted by Jobcentre Plus staff. (see link; page 37)
2.2.1.3. Dominant culture limited the service’s capacity for to fully exploit the benefits of volunteering (see link; page 25)
2.2.1.4. Stereotype that volunteer work is peripheral, a frill, and non-essential (see link; page 9)
2.2.1.4.1. Offer training, experience and feedback the volunteer is looking for. (see link; page12)
2.2.1.5. Only a minority of Jobcentre Plus staff were well informed about the benefits for claimants and actively suggested and encouraged volunteering. (see link; page 17)
2.2.1.5.1. In general staff at Jobcentre plus had very limited knowledge of local voluntary opportunities. (see link; page 17)
2.2.1.6. Volunteering has always given people a chance to do something entirely different from what they do at the ‘office’ all day (or all night). (see link; page10)
2.2.1.6.1. Volunteer work provides an opportunity for people to test their interests, to experiment and to discover whether or not they are really suited for particular field of work (see link; page 10)
3. Commitment
3.1. Achievement
3.1.1. Volunteers gained ''soft employment skills'' including communication skills and teamwork, learning to be sensitive and non-judgmental, and other social or interpersonal skills. (see link page 9)
3.1.1.1. Volunteer work can provide individuals with opportunities to test and develop self-management skills (see link; page 6)
3.1.2. Unemployed gained practical experience by testing new career paths, acquiring skills, accessing training (see link page 7)
3.1.3. Volunteer work on someone’s resume can often be a determining factor in university application and job competition. (see link; page 9)
3.1.3.1. In order for volunteer work to provide meaning full work experience and training, placements must have the following characteristics (see link; page 9)
3.1.3.1.1. Volunteer placements must be well thought out and well designed;
3.1.3.1.2. Volunteer job descriptions must be clear: the respective expectations, rights and responsibilitiesof volunteer and agency must be clear and agreed upon
3.1.3.1.3. Volunteers must be properly interviewed and matched with a placement, and they must be given an orientation on the organization; must be properly interviewed and matched with a placement, and they must be given an orientation on the organization;
3.1.3.1.4. Where possible, volunteers should be offered opportunities to expand or modify their volunteer roles to develop new skills and expand their horizons
3.1.3.1.5. Volunteers must be given the training needed to accomplish the job they are doing, and shouldreceive appropriate supervision and support from a trained volunteer manager, including regular feedback and evaluation
3.1.4. People who had worked in a voluntary job said that when they left they had no signed certificate to show potential employers to demonstrate the value of their volunteering experience.(see link page 26)
3.2. Status/Influence/Esteem
3.2.1. Rewarding volunteer activity and helping others improves mental, emotional and physical health (see link; page 12)
3.2.1.1. Get to know more about yourself. (see link; page 13)
3.2.2. Many of the unemployed might be vulnerable or face multiple exclusions.(see link page 9)
3.2.2.1. he raising of the confidence and the recognition of their potential seems to be the most important initial impact of volunteering (see link page 9)
3.2.3. Offer training, experience and feedback the volunteer is looking for. (see link; page12)
3.2.4. Some people who had previous experience of working in professional jobs were not sure they wanted to work without being paid (see link page 11)
3.2.4.1. They balanced the possibility of getting valuable work experience against the idea of working for no pay. (See link page 11)
3.3. Social/affiliation
3.3.1. Some people generally found it hard to meet new people or go into new situations. (see link page 11)
3.3.1.1. For people like this, encouragement from employment advisers and community workers was important. (see link page 11)
3.3.1.1.1. Some people made new friends through their volunteering, increasing their general support network.( see link page 18)
3.3.2. Volunteering has always given people a chance to do something entirely different from what they do at the ‘office’ all day (or all night). (see link; page10)
3.3.2.1. Volunteer work provides an opportunity for people to test their interests, to experiment and to discover whether or not they are really suited for particular field of work (see link; page 10)
3.3.3. Some had images of ‘volunteering’ in their minds that did not match what they themselves wanted to do. They linked volunteering with hospital work or working in the countryside. (see link page 11)
3.3.4. Many volunteers had previously been convinced that volunteering was not for people like them due to the persistent myth that volunteering is an activity largely carried out by white, middle-aged, middle-class. (see link page 2)
3.3.4.1. Advertising and recruitment talks which make it absolutely clear that volunteering is open to everyone. (see link page 2)
3.4. Safety
3.4.1. It’s still common for Job Centre Plus staff to miss-advice people about volunteering and benefits. A myth that you might lose your benefits if you volunteer creates a major barrier to many people offering time. (see link)
3.4.1.1. The research found examples of organisation that make a point of developing a good relationship with local benefits agency staff. (see link page 3)
3.5. Practicality
3.5.1. Must recognise the search for paid employment must come first, therefore, the best volunteer placements for them will generally be flexible, relatively short-term and focused on specific goals or tasks. (See link; page 12)
3.5.2. Organisations make sure they pay expenses, offering flexible types of involvement tomeet the needs and exploit the potential of individuals, organising transport where necessary, creating an open and welcoming environment which works for everyone. (see link page 2)
3.5.3. Some unemployed claim they won't have the time to search for a paid job if they volunteer.
3.5.3.1. There were suggestions that the project would work better if direct help in looking for paid work was also included, along with help in volunteering. This might help people keep paid work in mind at the same time as benefiting from the volunteering. (see link page 24)
3.5.4. It was disappointing for some people not to be able to take part in the social activities because of the timing.(see link page 16)
4. Competence
4.1. Skills/capability
4.1.1. Organisational
4.1.1.1. People who needed to have things explained slowly, in simple language, said it would be helpful if the guidance workers were more skilled in dealing with this. (see link page 23)
4.1.1.1.1. Suggestions included asking people directly at the beginning and during interviews what would make things easier; checking their understanding during discussions, and not covering too much. (see link page 23)
4.1.1.2. Suggestions of help in looking for paid work were also included, along with help in volunteering. (see link page 24)
4.1.1.2.1. Including help with looking for jobs within the volunteering project itself, rather than having links with other organisations who could help with looking for jobs. (see link page 24)
4.1.1.3. Volunteer-involving organisations may not need or may not be able to cope with additional volunteers. (see link page 10)
4.1.1.4. They may be reluctant to accept volunteers from among the long-term unemployed, and may lack the expertise and resources to meet the needs of volunteers who require additional support. (see link page 11)
4.1.1.4.1. Their managers may also harbour understandable concerns about the ability of untried volunteers to ensure that the organisation can deliver the appropriate level and quality of service to users. (see link page 11)
4.1.2. Individual
4.1.2.1. Invest in training for volunteers (see link; page 9)
4.1.2.2. When reading was hard, people could not themselves use the written information or print-outs of opportunities provided by volunteering project staff.(see link page 19
4.2. Knowledge
4.2.1. Organisational
4.2.1.1. Organisations have found it difficult for both claimant and their own staff to get consistent information from different Jobcentres. (see link; page 37)
4.2.1.2. Some people had been asked for references by organisations they had approached with a view to volunteering, and been unable to provide any. (see link page 19
4.2.2. Individual
4.2.2.1. Notification and publicity rules and rule changes affecting voluntary work by claimants to national, regional and local voluntary sector bodies should be enhanced. (see link; page 42)
4.2.2.2. Lack of knowledge about social security benefits. For some people, understanding the impact on social security benefits was one of the most important bits of information in deciding what to do, in terms of volunteering. (see link page 15)
4.2.2.2.1. A myth that you might lose your benefits if you volunteer creates a major barrier to many people offering time.
4.2.2.3. Stereotype that volunteer work is peripheral, a frill, and non-essential (see link; page 9)