Research shows volunteers are active, committed people
Newly released research suggests volunteers can be expected to be people who have active social lives and have passion for their paid work as well as their volunteering according to Tim Burns, Executive Director of Volunteering NZ.
This conclusion has been drawn from the most recent quarterly report of 'How New Zealanders Give', released by Hon Tariana Turia, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector to mark International Volunteer Day, 5 December.
The research is for the quarter ending 30 June 2010 and in the report, the research company, Neilson, analysed the data to find insights about the attitudes of volunteers. It found that the estimated 1,035 000 volunteers were 26 percent more likely to have an active social life.
"It also found they were 35 percent more likely to see their paid work as being more than just a job,' said Mr Burns.
"This suggests that volunteers care about what they are doing whether paid to do the work or doing it as a volunteer and they bring this attitude to their volunteer roles."
The research also found that volunteers are 20 percent more likely to go to the gym twice a week, suggesting they were active in many areas of their lives.
"There is an important point to this research as it can assist those responsible for managing volunteer programmes to understand better who their volunteers - current and potential - are and important factors of what motivates them and their volunteering," Tim Burns said.
The data in the report showed that while the total number of volunteers was a little less than in the March quarter, this was most likely due to a seasonal variation with 'summer' volunteering adding about 100,000 extra volunteers into the community in the March quarter 2010, primarily into sports clubs.
The How New Zealanders Give research also provides data on the numbers of New Zealanders who donate money or give goods. The percentage of those making donations has remained steady over the three quarters of data released this year while there has been an increase in the percentage of people donating goods. This increase was driven primarily by more people donating to the Hospice subsector and education-related subsectors.
"The data we are receiving in these reports is also giving us a better picture of where people are volunteering," said Tim Burns.
"For instance an earlier round of the data has helped indentify that our formal emergency services, civil defence, search and rescue, fire, coast guards and ambulance officers and other total around 80,000 personnel.
"Many of these would have played roles in such events as the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquake," he said.
For more on the How New Zealanders Give research visit: http://www.ocvs.govt.nz/work-programme/building-knowledge/giving-research/quarterly-generosity-indicators.html