Department For Culture Media Sport
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This research was conducted by a consortium led by Basis Social alongside London Economics and New Philanthropy Capital, as part of the Volunteering Research Managed Service.
The research compares the enabling environments for volunteering in England to that in Scotland, Wales, Australia and the Republic of Ireland in order to identify potential policies and interventions to support Englands national enabling environment.
Key findings include:
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Locally-led approaches within the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector can improve efficiency and outcomes in the short and longer-term. Using the knowledge and networks of local organisations helps new initiatives to function effectively. Recognising the importance of place in peoples motivations to volunteer is a route to retaining volunteers who want to support their communities.
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There is valuable data available on volunteering, but it is not accessible to all organisations, and this may disguise evidence gaps. Existing (and future) data on volunteering needs to be made accessible to all interested parties.
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The language used to describe volunteering could be updated to help broaden its appeal. Using language that better reflects how volunteers themselves perceive their role, such as helping out instead of volunteering can make it feel more inclusive.