volunteering and social action presentation
DESCRIPTION
A presentation was given on volunteering and social action. How charities engage with individuals, and businesses was the main topic of conversation. Find out more about NCVO's upcoming events: http://www.ncvo.org.uk/training-and-events/events-listingTRANSCRIPT
Volunteering, social action and
corporate engagement
How can charities engage with individuals, and businesses, most effectively
This presentation covers the second theme of NCVO’s 2015 Project: volunteering and social action.
It explores three topics – volunteering, campaigning and corporate engagement.
The 2015 Project aims to stimulate discussion about what role charities can, and should, have in a number of areas.
The feedback we receive will form the basis of NCVO’s work ahead of the 2015 election.
Levels of volunteering have been fairly stable throughout the last decade. Formal volunteering is probably the most familiar definition of volunteering – through groups and organisations – although more informal forms should also be recognised.
Volunteering
Source: Community Life Survey
We couldn’t discuss volunteering without mentioning the huge successes of the 2012 Games Makers – and the reported increase in volunteering levels immediately following the Games.
Volunteering
Source: Independent
The Games Makers brought volunteering into the spotlight like never before, and allowed volunteering to be talked about regularly in the media, the public consciousness and politics.
There seems to be a movement towards more episodic, short-term grassroots social action, and social media has strengthened this trend.Campaigns are increasingly being established and led by individuals, as well as more traditional campaigning charities and organisations.
New trends in social action
Source: The Telegraph
Case Study: The No More Page 3 campaign, which has used a Facebook page and a Change.org petition to raise support, and has over 100,000 signatures.
Membership of political parties may be in decline, but the expression of political opinion is happening through other routes, including through social movements and one-off actions (eg online petitions).
Changes in participation
Source: NCVO Participation Almanac
The coalition government’s localism agenda has devolved power to local structures, bringing about a greater need for campaigning groups to target local decision makers.
This could potentially help charities have more beneficiary involvement in their campaigns.
Localism & beneficiary involvement
Source: Cambridgeshire County Council
However, some business brands are increasingly taking on campaigning roles – and there is discussion over whether this has begun to create blurred lines between campaigning charities and campaigning businesses.
Campaigning organisations
Source: NCVO Campaigning Effectiveness
Charities are often the best placed organisations to understand the issues affecting vulnerable groups – and they therefore make effective campaigners.
An example of this is Dove and their Real Beauty campaign, which looks to “create a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety”. The company has created a range of advertising and teaching resources to promote a healthy approach to body images.
Campaigning businesses
Source: Dove
Although on a far broader scale than just engaging with charities, the business world has worked on embracing corporate social responsibility (CSR) over the last two decades.
How CSR is evolving
Source: BBC News
Both consumers and employees are expecting more from businesses too – ethically, environmentally and socially.
A spotlight on corporate social responsibility may have triggered a trend towards more meaningful relationships between businesses and charities – whether through employer supported volunteering, or partnerships to deliver similar concepts or goals.
How are businesses going about this?• Using employee skills more thoughtfully when volunteering• Involving social responsibility, including community
engagement, more fully into corporate strategy• The triple bottom line – profit, people, planet
Engaging corporates
How should charities look to capture the 2012 spirit of volunteering?
How can campaigners support one another better, and both charity and individual campaigners work alongside each other?
How can charities convert individual online activists into committed supporters?
Is there a tension between local and national campaigning and how can charities deal with this?
Business interests and charitable aims – how can linking with corporates help to meet your charitable mission?
So what does this all mean?Some food for thought.
If you have 2 minutes - We’d love to hear your ideas in relation to these big debates – contact [email protected]
If you have 10 minutes – Please read our discussion papers and blog posts on each topic, and respond to the questions.Volunteering
Discussion paper and guest blogs from Lord Seb Coe, & Kirsty Palmer – former Chief Executive of Volunteer Centre Kensington and Chelsea
CampaigningDiscussion paper and guest blog from
Corporate engagementDiscussion paper and guest blog from PDSA Volunteer Manager
What next?
Community Life Survey http://communitylife.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/explore-the-data.html Community Action in England http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120919132719/http:/www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/pdf/2056233.pdf NCVO Participation: trends, facts and figures http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/sites/default/files/participation_trends_facts_figures.pdf Cambridgeshire County Council http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/community/localism.htm Guardian - What do statistics tell us about changes to levels of volunteering? http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2013/mar/22/statistics-changes-volunteering-levels Pathways through participation http://pathwaysthroughparticipation.org.uk/resources/summaryreport/ NCVO Campaigning Effectiveness http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/sites/default/files/New_campaigning_landscape_0.pdf
References