1. Meeting needs at both ends: Findings from the HSCVF Volunteers’ Views Survey Gianfranco Giuntoli & Jane South Institute for Health and Wellbeing Leeds Metropolitan University j.south@leedsmet.ac.uk

2. Evaluation design & methods Desk-based Review Workshops (3) Case Studies 2 national 6 local Volunteers’ Views Survey 623 volunteers 468 online 155 paper 70 out of 107 projects 40% response rate National Interviews (9) 37-item self administered questionnaire Volunteers motivations, activities and tasks (5 questions) Training experiences (14 questions) Volunteers background (12 questions) Benefit of volunteering (6 questions) 107 projects - 94 local and 13 national

3. Volunteers background 74% women 74% White British 26% Minority Ethnic Background: – 8% White Other – 8% Black – 5% Asian. 13% regarded themselves as disabled

4. Who received help People with mental health conditions (39%) Older people (39%) People with long term conditions (31%)

5. Benefits associated with volunteering Learning and development outcomes – Having chance to learn new skills (35%) – Broaden one’s experiences (40%) Expanding social networks – Meeting people and makings friends (40%) – Feeling more connected to one’s community (26%)

6. Who saw expanding their networks? More likelyLess Likely Older participants (60 and over) Younger participants (16-29) Wholly retired, carers, permanently sick/disabled Full-time or Part-time employment Who volunteered for more than one organisation Who volunteered only for one organisation

7. Who felt more connected to their community? More likelyLess Likely Older participants (60 and over) Younger participants (16-29) Wholly retired 6 months to 1 year of volunteering experience Who volunteered between 1 and 5 hours Volunteered for less than 1 hour in the last 4 weeks Who volunteered for longer than 1 year Those in education, carers, permanently sick/disabled

8. Impact of volunteering on social networks

9. Summary of findings HSCVF projects were able to support people within communities (including their volunteers) and enhance the cohesion of the wider community by bridging between groups.

10. Questions for discussion