Charities ‘could not keep going’ without helpers
ALMOST 80 per cent of Yorkshire’s charity and voluntary organisations “could not keep going” without the crucial contribution of volunteers, a new report published today has found.
An estimated 340,000 volunteers in the region work an estimated 25 million hours a year – saving around £300m a year, the IPPR North think-tank has found.
It worked with researchers from Durham University to examine the role of volunteers within so-called third sector groups and found that 80 per cent of third-sector organisations are ‘highly dependent’ upon the contribution of volunteers for their day-to-day activities.
The think-tank is now calling on policymakers to recognise the “considerable value” to the Northern economy of people who give their time to support the causes that they care about; and consider how they can also support those organisations that are most heavily dependent upon volunteers.
Report co-author and research fellow at IPPR North, Jack Hunter, said: “Many of the smallest organisations are often completely reliant on the contribution of unpaid volunteers who give their time willingly and on a regular basis.
“Without them, a vast swathe of civil society organisations would simply cease to exist, with huge consequences for places up and down the North, and for the state of the Northern Powerhouse economy.”
Community First Yorkshire provides practical support to voluntary and community organisations across North Yorkshire, and will next year launch an online directory of volunteering roles in the area. It also works to link up businesses with third sector organisations that are in need of trustees with particular skills – a “crucial” volunteering role that can often be overlooked.
Head of community and volunteer support, Mark Hopley, said trustees could be vital in progressing a small charity, and working with business could “strengthen connections with the broader community”.
“These ‘micro-volunteering’ roles can make a big difference to charities, from working on funding bids to marketing, and provide skills that charities desperately need,” he added.