09 November 2002

Hong Kong, China: Association of Volunteer Service
Seminar on Volunteer Service
Robert Leigh - United Nations Volunteers

Hong Kong, 9 November 2002

Of the many issues that arise in discussions around volunteering, it seems to me that the subject of measuring is among the most pressing. One of the more impressive ways of making volunteering count - is to count it. Yet, until recently, there has been reluctance in some quarters to even recognize measuring as a matter worthy of debate. The essential value of volunteerism was the altruism, which led people to dedicate their time to helping others. Putting a figure on this help, it was claimed, detracted in some way from its intrinsic value. I think today it is generally accepted that quantification does not negate the invaluable social contribution of volunteerism, which has been described as the glue that holds societies together. On the contrary, much more also needs to be done to better articulate the many ways that voluntary action promotes social cohesion and combats social exclusion - but this is for a different forum.

I believe the greater attention being paid to measuring volunteer contributions is in part due to the steady growth of research on the topic in recent years. Studies such as the one we are hearing about today are throwing light on the sizeable economic benefits resulting from voluntary action, which, hitherto, has been largely invisible.

Interest in measuring can also be traced to increasing attention being given to volunteering in general on the part of governments. We see a trend towards recognition of volunteerism as a component of social capital and, as such, having much to offer the development process. In this respect, the International Year of Volunteers has certainly been a very positive force in getting volunteerism onto the front page. It is no longer just a question of whether a government takes specific measures to promote volunteering. There is now much more awareness that much government action in the social and economic arenas, even though not directed at volunteering, can impact greatly on the willingness and ability of citizens to volunteer. We still have a long way to go, however, to fully understand the nature of this linkage.

Another reason for increasing attention being given to measuring is of course the fact that volunteer involving organizations themselves are more and more vocal about ensuring that the efforts of volunteers are properly recognized and recorded - and they are taking steps to ensure this comes about. The AVS is an exemplary example of advocacy in this direction.

This afternoon I will touch briefly on why we should measure volunteering. I’ll move on to mention some efforts at measurement, and conclude with an important new initiative being taken by the United Nations Statistical Division.

First, why count? At its most basic I would say that volunteers, while not paid to volunteer, do not work for nothing. They have expectations and one of these is that their efforts be appreciated. All too often volunteering takes place behind the scenes and goes unnoticed - so measuring can be justified as a form of recognition of the extraordinary effort and dedication of volunteers. One hopes that such recognition would also encourage other citizens to volunteer their time.

Second, from the point of view of organizations that involve volunteers, measuring enables them to gain new perspectives on their volunteer programmes; to enhance their public relations efforts; to increase accountability; to expand their options for resource mobilization; and to provide their volunteers with an overall picture of the sum total of their efforts.

Third, at the national level, if policy makers are to adopt measures to enhance the environment within which volunteering can flourish, they have to be convinced of the economic value of voluntary action. They also need, for effective strategy formulation, reliable data on the size and shape of the volunteer community, as well as on trends.

Research on volunteer numbers in past years has been more common in the North than in the South. Part of the reason is that volunteering is seen in many developing countries as integral to the cultural mores of society - it is the shramadana of South Asia, the gotong rayong of Indonesia and the bayanihan of the Philippines. Singling out volunteerism for special recognition, or for the development of policy measures, simply did not feel right. Moreover, in a situation of resource constraints, it has also been difficult to justify the cost of undertaking national surveys into volunteering. Where there has been interest to move ahead with measurement, there has been little guidance available. Empirical evidence on the extent and nature of volunteering remains particularly poor in many developing countries.

And then there is the problem of comparability between countries. In the late 1990s when we were getting ready for IYV, I received a visit from the chairman of the IYV national committee of a small Commonwealth island developing country. He proudly informed me of his country's goal to increase the number of volunteers from 3% to 6% of the population by the end of IYV. I pointed out that in my country, the United Kingdom, 48% of the adult populations already volunteer. Surely, I said, the British are not eight times as generous with the use of their time as people in his country. Of course they are not, but this example does illustrate the difficulties faced in measurement when we do not have even a completely uniform understanding of what we are counting.

It was for this reason that UNV decided, as part of its IYV activities, to bring together researchers from ten countries around the world with experience in measuring volunteering. The task was to prepare a practical Toolkit for use by others who might wish to move along this road. The Toolkit on measuring volunteering was published early in 2001 in English, French and Spanish and has been translated since into Arabic and Russian. It takes readers step by step - from determining the purpose of the exercise, checking available data, finding partners, and assembling resources. It goes on to provide guidance on designing a survey and addresses matters to look out for such as sampling techniques, issues around definitions and how to capture subjective aspects of volunteering. It then moves into a discussion of methods of collecting, processing and, very important, disseminating the results of the survey.

So far the Toolkit has been applied in countries as diverse as Botswana, Kazakhstan, Laos, South Africa and Sri Lanka. One positive element we have observed in every case is that studies have generated considerable discussion over what volunteerism means in the local culture. They have come up with various interpretations, especially in the different weight given to formal volunteering through organizations as compared to various expressions of informal volunteering. We have also noted that methodologies applied for counting have also differed, not only in terms of what is being counted but also the indicators employed to place value on volunteer time. In the case of Kazakhstan, for example, three sets of calculations were made - based on the minimum wage, on the average earnings of the volunteer in paid work, and on the average wage. The result was a variation in the share of volunteering in GDP from under 4% to nearly 14%!

Clearly measurement is still in its infancy - and one cannot deny that it is tricky business. The Nobel laureate in physics, Richard Feynman, suggested that he chose a career in physics over the social sciences because social science problems are more difficult. But good progress is being made and the signs are that we will see a steady growth in attempts at quantification in the period ahead. Certainly the discussions here today add to our feeling of optimism.

I would like now to move from the national to the international level and, more specifically, to recent work of the United Nations Statistical Division to incorporate volunteering for the first time into the System of National Accounts or SNAs. SNAs are a set of international guidelines for the development of economic accounts of member countries - and for reporting such statistics to international organizations in a manner comparable across countries. Because the SNAs do not cover adequately every area of human endeavour the UN has, in recent years, prepared a number of so-called satellite accounts. Two examples are in the fields of environment and tourism.

The latest satellite account to be developed is in the area of nonprofit institutions. The Handbook on Nonprofit Institutions in the System of National Accounts, developed by Johns Hopkins University for the UN, is now available on the UN’s web site and is being applied by government statistical offices in several Europe and North American countries as well as in a few developing countries such as the Philippines and Thailand.

The good news is that the Handbook includes a chapter on volunteering. This is a major step forward when we consider that volunteer work has so far been excluded from labour statistics and national accounts - work having always been defined in terms of engagement in paid work. Volunteering, although generally accepted to be intrinsically a good thing, has been perceived as being marginal to overall national performance.

The Handbook contains a good in depth discussion of methodological issues. It proposes a micro-census of volunteering with coverage of 30,000 or more in OECD countries, and possibly higher in developing countries with heterogeneous populations. It further suggests that this be complimented by organizational studies that look at the role of volunteers in the work context.

I think we can have reasonable expectations that policy makers in countries where the Handbook is applied will gain a better appreciation of the contribution of volunteering to economic performance, at least as far as volunteering through nonprofits is concerned. While volunteering is not the exclusive domain of the non-profit sector, much of the service delivery type of volunteering is undertaken through civil society groups and organizations. I feel, therefore, that this UN publication is important for anyone concerned with raising the profile of volunteering. Its comment that “.virtually no statistical office collects data on volunteering as part of its regular, ongoing reporting” is an indication of the challenge we face. It is a call to action on the part of the volunteer community to work with statisticians and economists to bring volunteerism out into the public domain.

Ladies and Gentlemen
Volunteering has long been underestimated, under-researched and under valued. I believe it is crucial that we come to terms with quantification if the volunteer movement is to gain the recognition and support that it deserves and needs. It was the great Canadian economist John Kenneth Galbraith who said that it doesn’t count if you can’t count it. You are here at the vanguard of efforts to bring greater perspective to the enormous contribution of volunteering. UNV, as the focal point in the United Nations for volunteerism, recognizes the vision of AVS together with its partners in working towards gaining better insight into the profile of volunteering among the population you serve. I have no doubt that the work undertaken on the subject so far, and your discussions today, will greatly enrich our expanding knowledge of the subject.

In closing, I would like to say what an honour it is to be present at this important gathering and to thank you for extending the invitation to UNV to make this keynote address. I wish you every success in your deliberations and in your future work.