Prepared by:

Hadas Haileselassie

Volunteer Research Officer

on behalf of Mary Porter AM

CEO

Volunteering ACT Inc.

Research completed June 2003

Report published July 2003

Executive summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------4

1. Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6
2. Objective ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6
3. Methodology ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6

Part 1 - Environment ACT

4. Findings summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7
5. Analysis - issues of concern ------------------------------------------------------------ 11
6. Recommendation --------------------------------------------------------------------------11

Part 2 - Aged Care Service Providing Organisations

7. Findings summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------13
8. Analysis - issues of concern -------------------------------------------------------------21
9. Recommendation-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21

1. Managers’ Questionnaire
2. Volunteers Questionnaire

Volunteering ACT conducted a pilot research survey to examine the issues and concern in relation to the management of the volunteer workforce in Environment ACT and six organisations providing aged care services.

Volunteers were found to have high degree of commitment, skills. They added a lot of value and were considered as "lifeblood" for some organisations. Volunteers felt they contributed and were valued.

The Managers had long experiences in the management of volunteering. They provided guidance, feedback, and monitoring & rewards mechanisms. Some volunteers said that Managers "make you feel as if what you do matters".

However, there were mixed results. There were major issues and concerns that needed to be addressed. The issues raised by the Environment ACT and aged care providing organisations were quite similar. These were:

• difficulties in recruitment and retention of volunteers

• insufficient volunteers of the type needed

• unclear expectations between the managers and volunteers
• high turnover of Rangers in Environment ACT

• The ACT Government gives more recognition to the value of volunteering services and allocates more resources for the implementation of "An Agenda for Volunteering for the Australian Capital Territory Community", 2003-2007.

• Volunteering ACT and the organisations jointly organise a workshop to identify impediments and solutions to attracting, recruiting and retaining volunteers in aged care services.

• Volunteering ACT, as a Peak body, be provided with adequate resources to oversee the development of policy guidelines and strategies for organisations employing volunteers.

• Aged care services providing organisations take steps to effectively promote volunteering, especially among the working age group. Volunteering ACT should be resourced to be in a better position to assist in this process.

• Review the sustainability of the one-to-one and face-to-face care, and identify options of delivering the services (e.g. team visits, pairing volunteers to deliver services.

This research is part of the required outputs for the 2002/ 2003 report to the ACT Chief Minister’s Department. The findings can only be taken as "a snapshot" of what is happening. The report shows a small picture of a larger situation. The report has two parts. The first section reports on research undertaken with Environment ACT and the second with not for profit non Government organisations providing aged care services.

1. Objective

This aims to enhance Volunteering ACT understanding of the issues and concern in relation to the management of the volunteer workforce in Environment ACT and organisations providing aged care services. It will provide a baseline data for further work in addressing workplace issues for managers of volunteer staff and volunteers.

Volunteering ACT set out to enquire as to the :

• issues of concern to managers and volunteers

• perceived value of volunteering to the management and volunteers

• quantity & nature of volunteer workforce.

1. Methodology

The research involved two questionnaires – one for managers and the other for volunteers (Attachment 1 &2), personal interviews, analysis and report writing. Due to the limitation of time and resources, a small sample was selected. It was not selected at random. Nevertheless, due care has been taken to include organisations of different sizes providing a range of services. Specifically, the methodology involved the following:

• Designed two sets of questionnaires - one for managers and the other for volunteers

- tested the questionnaires for their clarity and effectiveness.

• Chose an ACT Government Department for a pilot - Environment ACT

- Interviewed 2 managers and 2 volunteers

• Selected 6 different not for profit non Government organisations providing aged care services – 2 large, 2 medium and 2 small

- Manager selected the two volunteers

• Interviewed managers and volunteers, mostly at their place of work or at home

• Analysed information (mainly qualitative)

• Wrote up report using data collected - mainly descriptive

1. Findings Summary – Environment ACT

The Environment ACT Managers of volunteers interviewd were of the 35 – 49 age group. They have held these management positions between one and five years. One was a Ranger for 17 years.

1. Number of volunteers and training – Environment ACT

About 300 to 400 volunteers work for Environment ACT (Chart 1). Some of the volunteers are permanent while others work on an ad-hoc basis. There are 250 volunteers that form 15 Park Care groups working in ACT Reserves. They have working parties consisting of 10 to 12 people. The working parties meet monthly to work for 5 hours in weed control, planting and conducting surveys.

There are about 135 Volunteers in the Bush fire Recovery list which participate in erosion control, feral animal surveys and track works. They are called as required.

The Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) and green groups comprise of 10 people per group that work 6 hours per week, 15 weeks per year. These volunteers carry out similar work as the previous groups. Another 5 volunteers work as administrative staff.

Environment ACT provided initial free volunteer training on safety and herbicide. The training courses are provided mainly in-house and some outsourced. One of the Managers said that this area needed improvement.

Both Managers allocated a significant budget and time to manage the volunteer work. One Manager allocated 100% of his budget and 80% of his time, and the other one 30% of his budget and 15% of his time (Table 1).

Volunteers involved in the environment seemed to have enough resources for their environment activities. The Park Care Groups belong to Catchment Groups. The Catchment Groups apply for and manage grant funds. Their main funding is from Commonwealth Government ‘Envirofund’. Viable projects can access grants up to $30,000. Applications are assessed quarterly.

The monitoring mechanisms utilised are sign-on time sheets, monthly reports, and coordinators’ quarterly meetings. However, one of the Managers was of the view that this area needed improving. To this end, a site assessment process had been initiated.

As a reward, volunteers participate in the National and Territory awards systems. However, one of the Managers commented, "often volunteers don’t like being singled out".

Both Managers said they would benefit from Volunteering ACT’s additional assistance. They ranked recruitment and retention as the first and the second areas of need for assistance. Training and evaluation of volunteer program were ranked as third, followed by policy and procedural development.

The positive comments the Managers raised included:

• "high degree of commitment from some volunteers"
• help improve technical skills, as many volunteers have vast experience
• able to get jobs done that paid staff could not do due to shortage of time

The challenges they raised included:

• "maintaining interest and numbers"
• lack of timely reporting back from volunteer groups
• "managing conflicting priorities – volunteers may have higher expectations than we are able to deliver"
• certain individuals in some groups had strong "political views"
• paid staff turnover – particularly with Rangers
• the increasing number of ‘red tape’ forms that groups are required to fill out (e.g. grant applications, insurance needs etc) can be a deterrent to volunteering.

5. Attempted solutions

The attempted solutions to the challenges were mainly providing guidance, training and feedback. Usually, managers and volunteers negotiated to arrive at mutually acceptable solutions. The upper line of management was the next avenue for solutions

The managers attempted to resolve the challenges through:

• guidance
• feedback
• quarterly group coordination meetings
• information to groups through newsletters
• exposure - taking volunteers in a coach tour to show the work area the managers cover

The managers are of the view that there were gaps between what realistically could be done and what the volunteers expected. The suggested solutions included:

• developing "mechanism to allow more time (for planning / liaison with volunteers)"
• to raise awareness of "people perception of what is needed for the environment: ‘everybody wants to plant trees’"

Two volunteers from different Park Care Groups were interviewed. One was in the 18 to 24 year’s age group and another in the 50 to 64. Both had earlier volunteering experience, and each worked 4 and 15 hours per month for the Park Care.

Some of the positive comments of volunteers included:

• gaining experience from volunteering
• achieving what they set out to achieve
• "the regeneration is growing well"

Delays by ACT Forests in felling the pines (cutting down of the young pines growing in the reserves as they are considered as weeds) were one of the challenges raised. The frequent change of paid staff in the Department, and the resulting lack of continuity, and time spent familiarising new Rangers with the project was also raised as a sizable challenge. Managers also reiterated this point.

One of the volunteers became a volunteer to "get a job done". When asked about their feeling about participating in the work, the person said he/she felt part of a team, contributing, recongnised, and planned to stay.

The other volunteer joined to gain new skills, make friends, and make a difference. He/she said he/she liked the job, but might not be staying due to a career move.

9. General comments they provided include:

General comments they provided include:

• Some of the Park Care Group were not as publicised as they should have been in the University of Canberra, Canberra Institute of Technology, and Australian National University.
• Not seeing volunteering as a ‘job’.
• The need of the volunteer to be flexible, to fit in with the organisation that has official responsibility for their area.

2. Analysis - issues of concern

The managers faced problems of recruitment and retention of volunteers. Although many people turn up to help randomly or on an ad –hoc basis, the Managers needed to be certain of a longer commitment to be able to plan ahead.

One of the Managers wanted a mechanism to allow more time for planning / liaison with volunteers. This could facilitate more understanding between Managers and volunteers, and increase the level of consultation in the decision making process. Consequently, it might contribute to attracting and retaining more volunteers particularly the younger generation.

Managers and volunteers seemed to have mismatch regarding expectations. The Managers aim to plan ahead and cost effectively implement those plans in many areas. Some volunteers "want to plant trees " quickly in their local areas or with their group projects.

Managers noted the lack of timely reporting back by volunteers. Environment volunteers seem to prefer open air work in the parks and reserves rather than administrative work, including reporting, filling forms and accounting.

Managers reported that certain individuals in some of the conservation groups had some strong ‘political views’ which did not necessarily agree with the government policy. That caused group disintegration in some instances.

The frequent change of Rangers seems to have become a source of frustration for both the Managers and volunteers. In some cases, the Rangers met the volunteers in one quarterly meeting. When new Rangers were assigned Managers and volunteers spent time in familiarising them with the projects. However, the Rangers did not seem to stay long in the jobs. This had caused the lack of continuity of historical knowledge, amongst the Rangers, regarding the on-going projects. The Managers and Rangers seemed to have only a horizontal working relationship.

Based on the above findings and analysis, it is recommended that:

• Environment ACT outsource the recruitment, retention and training of volunteers to Volunteering ACT. Volunteering ACT should also be requested to provide training to Manager of volunteers. As a Peak organisation for volunteering, it is better equipped to handle volunteer recruitment, retention and training.

• The Managers address the mismatch of expectations with the volunteers through clarifying the aims and constraints of the projects, and the roles / responsibilities of the volunteers in the projects.

• Formalised coordination mechanisms (e.g. cross-functional teams) between Park Care Managers and Rangers should be considered. Managers need to raise the issue of frequent change of Rangers and its impacts with the responsible areas in the Department.

Female outnumbered male in the sample interviewed in the aged care service providing organisations. Out of the 7 Managers interviewed 6 were female. Similarly, 9 out of 12 volunteers interviewed were female.

The age bracket 50 – 64 seemed to predominate. Six Managers fall into this category while one was between 35 to 49. Also, six out of 12 volunteers are within the 50 to 64 age bracket. The other 3 were in the age of 35 to 49 while rest, 3 fall within the 65 and over.

Half of the Managers have been managing volunteers from one year to 5 years, and 3 had been managing over 5 years.

Budget allocation for management of volunteers ranged from 1% to 50%. Similarly, allocated time varied from less than 5% to 50%. Table 2 shows the time and budget allocation by the organisations.

It was difficult for the managers to clearly break down the time and other resources between overlapping needs, e.g. those of aged care and those of people with disabilities in some cases and the needs of families in others. Nevertheless, the above is a report of their best estimates under the circumstances.

Volunteers are provided free training courses. They are delivered prmarily internally, secondly by a combination of internal with external input. (Chart 2).

Chart 2

There is low uptake of external courses. The main reasons given were lack of funding for the training and volunteers unable to attend consecutive of days of training.

Managers reported they would benefit from additional assistance from Volunteering ACT in the following areas. Five out of seven managers reported recognition as an area they require more assistance. Another four managers identified training, planning and policy & procedures as areas where they would require assistance (Chart 3).

Four out of seven managers said they employed reward mechanisms for the volunteers. However, they also said "volunteers don’t like to be singled out" for rewards. The type of rewards included:

• giving certificates,
• awarding life membership to the associations,
• inviting volunteers to afternoon tea and thanking them,
• inviting volunteers to Christmas parties where a dignitary e.g. the Chief Minister was also invited,
• organising senior citizens week.

Six out of the seven managers said they had monitoring mechanisms. These included:

• follow up,
• contacting them on a regular basis,
• monthly meetings.

Some of the positive comments managers raised were that volunteers were:

• "loyal and committed",
• have skills sometimes not available in the paid staff,
• generous and kind,
• each with different skills and attributes,
• "lifeblood " of the organisation.

The challenges the managers raised included:

• unavailability of the volunteers at the times needed
• recruitment
• setting boundaries
• that each case was unique, and "working with volunteers is very challenging"
• in some cases attitude of "you can’t tell me what to do, I am a volunteer"

General comments by managers included:

• could not operate or deliver any of the programs without volunteers
• recruitment becoming more difficult with changing lifestyles of "carer"-volunteers
• volunteers finding it a big commitment to work at a face-to-face, one-to-one level

The attempted solutions to the challenges were mainly providing guidance, training and feedback. Usually, Managers and volunteers negotiated to arrive at mutually acceptable solutions. The upper line of management was the next avenue for solutions (Chart 4).

Seven out of 12 interviewed, have been volunteers for one to five years. These were not their first volunteer position, and they were still carrying out their other volunteering work.

The volunteers who participated in the survey worked an average of about 5 hours per week for their current organisations. Two people worked 10 and nine and a half hours each per week. The lowest was between 2 to 3 hours per week. The total number of hours per week worked by the 12 volunteers was about 60 (Table 3).

It was reported that there are between 241 to 270 volunteers working in the 6 organisations that participated in this survey (Table 4). At an average of about 5 hours per week for each volunteer, the total number of hours worked was 1205 to 1350.

Ten out of 12 volunteers put "to contribute" as a reason of working in that organisation or job. Nine said they wanted "to use their skills" and eight "to make a difference" (Chart 5).

All 12 volunteers said they felt they were "valued", "supported", and were "contributing" in the organisations where they worked (Chart 6).

All the twelve aged care volunteers reported that they like the job they are doing in their organisations. All, with the exception of one, are planning to stay. This volunteer was unsure if he/she could continue to be available for volunteering if the person enrolled at CIT or got a paid job.

9. Positive, challenges and general comments – by volunteers

Positive comments by volunteers included:

• really enjoying it
• the satisfaction of helping others
• gives confidence

• the coordinator makes people feel "as if what you do matters".
• the monthly meetings were good and informative

Challenges reported by volunteers included:

• coping with the "vagaries" of computers
• physical limitation
• sometimes elderly can be "very outspoken"
• "elderly people tend to rely too much [on carers], and sometimes expect more of you"

• finding the time in may schedule

General comments by volunteers included:

• wanting to see volunteering promoted more
• seeking out places which need help which may not be well known to the public
• "concerned that Government uses volunteers to minimise Government funding of charitable and other non Government organisations"

8. Analysis - issues of concern

Managers face uncertainty regarding the availability of volunteers and therefore difficulty in relation to planning the provision of services to the increasing number of persons requiring aged care. The main reasons for this were:

• Physical health among the retired volunteers was one of the main reasons given for not being available at the expected time.
• Volunteers commit themselves to more than one organisation.

• Young volunteers generally used it as work experience and exposure to the workforce, and their availability may be only temporary.
• The participation of working age volunteers in the aged care was minimal. This could be due to family and paid work commitments, and also lack of information abour opportunities.

Recruitment

Recruiting in the aged care services was raised as a major concern of some managers. The number of volunteers compared to the registered members is small in areas of aged care services providing organisations. The reasons were found to be:

• Changes of life style over the years contributed to people traveling more. "They don’t want to start work with elderly and feel they are leaving them when they need them most". "The one-to-one and face-to-face care needs much commitment than the current life style can allow".

• Volunteers developed attachment to their clients, especially to the elderly, and sometimes it was hard to substitute the volunteer with other people at short notice.
• There were suggestions that people were caring for their grandchildren and extended family system in their spare time.
• The aged care seemed to compete with other volunteering work, such as sport and recreation, from the same pool of volunteers. The latter opportunities make less emotional demands on the volunteer.

Managers and volunteers seemed to be unclear of their expectations from each other. Although there appeared to be overall general respect for each other, there were unexpressed expectations and assumptions. These were reflected in:

• volunteers being unclear of their roles and rights

• managers in some cases seemed to have become unsure as to how much they could ask of volunteers. They preferred "to be nice to everybody."

• Need to set boundaries on "dos and don’ts"
• Both the managers and volunteers seemed to appreciate that there were subtle differences in the management style and incentives expected as compared to the paid staff. Those unwritten rules make the volunteering work more flexible in some ways but restrictive in others. However, those unwritten rules could give rise to misunderstandings.

Based on the above findings and analysis, it is recommended that:

• The ACT Government give more recognition to the value of volunteering services and allocate more resources for the implementation of "An Agenda for Volunteering for the Australian Capital Territory Community", 2003-2007.

• Volunteering ACT and the organisations jointly organise a workshop to identify impediments and solutions to attracting, recruiting and retaining of volunteers to aged care services.

• Volunteering ACT, as a Peak body, be provided with adequate resources to oversee the development of policy guidelines and strategies for organisations employing volunteers.

• Aged care services providing organisations take steps to effectively promote volunteering, especially among the working age group. Volunteering ACT should be resourced to be in a better position to assist in this process.

• Review the sustainability of the one-to-one and face-to-face care, and identify options of delivering the services (e.g. team visits, pairing volunteers to deliver services.