Research and Reports on Volunteering

RESEARCH

REPORTS

 

 

 

RESEARCH

TITLE

TYPE

CONTACT/WEB-SITE

The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research 2007

From the Office of Research and Policy Development, Corporation for National and Community Service
Robert Grimm, Jr., Director & Senior Counsel to the CEO
Kimberly Spring, Policy Analyst
Nathan Dietz, Research Associate and Statistician

Volunteering Produces Health Benefits

Source: AmeriCorps

Volunteers help themselves to better health while helping others, according to a study released by the Corporation for National and Community Service that reviews a compelling collection of recent scientific research. “The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research” has found a significant connection between volunteering and good health. The report shows that volunteers have greater longevity, higher functional ability, lower rates of depression and less incidence of heart disease.

A PDF Version


Volunteering Research Framework

By Volunteering Australia 2005

Volunteering Australia has developed the Volunteering Research Framework to help researchers, the volunteering sector, and government and other funding bodies to identify areas for research that focus specifically on the activity of volunteering. By building our body of evidence-based knowledge of volunteering and the factors which impact on it, we increase our ability to build sustainable models of volunteering that benefit the citizen as a volunteer and the community as a whole, A PDF version is available on the Volunteering Australia website at www.volunteeringaustralia.org

'Preliminary Research Findings: Volunteers In Queensland State Government'
Working Paper No. CPNS5

By Denise K. Conroy

14 page report. This research is exploratory and indicative, and its major purpose is to ascertain the extent of volunteers by agency; look at explanatory variables as to why there may be differences; examine the activities the volunteers actually perform; compare data with other studies; and establish a research agenda on volunteers/volunteering.

Centre of Philanthropy
and Nonprofit Studies


Further details and an order form can be found under the Working Papers section.

'Boomnet' Capturing the Baby Boomer Volunteers - A 2001 Research project into baby boomers and volunteering.

50 page report conducted by Team Consultants for the Western Australian Government

http://www.dpc.wa.gov.au/

See OTHER REPORTS section

Volunteering Western Australia has an extensive list of research conducted in the area of volunteering.

http://www.volunteer.org.au
/vrn/research.htm

Monograph entitled 'My time if Not a Gift to Government': An Exploratory Study of NSW Community Centre Volunteers'

By Rose Melville with research assistance for Perkins, R. & Baten,R.

70 page monograph reporting on a study of NSW Community Legal Centre volunteers conducted during 2000. This exploratory study examines the motivation and characteristics of volunteers and their attitudes to the proposed introduction of competitive tendering in CLCs.

 

This document available via:

http://www.uow.edu.au/
arts/iscci/publications/

Invitation to Subscribe to Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS) research publications.

The content of these publications represents current and topical research - produced by renowned academics (from both Australia and abroad) and departmental staff - on issues relevant to social policy.

For more information or to subscribe, please email
publications.research@facs
.gov.au

(Subscription is free and there is no cost per publication)

Volunteering 'boosts community happiness'

Press Association
Monday September 20, 2004

Why should people get involved and volunteer in their local community?

Well a new British study has found that voluntary work may hold the key to happiness which builds on the solid evidence about the health and welfare benefits on involvement in community.

This article is available at http://society.guardian.
co.uk/ volunteering/story/
0,8150,1308716,00.html

Giving Australia: Research on Philanthropy in Australia

Summary of Preliminary Qualitative Findings February 2005

This paper has been prepared by the QUT Centre of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies.

The ‘Giving Australia’ project is an initiative of the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership, and is being coordinated by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) in collaboration with the Centre for Australian Community Organisations and Management (CACOM) at the University of Technology, Sydney, the Centre of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (CPNS) at the Queensland University of Technology, Roy Morgan Research (RMR), McNair Ingenuity Research and the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA).

Giving Australia: Research
on Philanthropy in Australia
Summary of Preliminary Qualitative Findings
February 2005.

A copy can also be accessed via the CPNS web-site at http://www.cpns.qut.edu.au/

Inaugural Address

The resilient society: On volunteering, civil society and corporate community involvement in transition

By Professor Dr. Lucas C.P.M Meijs
Erasmus Research Institute of Management, The Netherlands

Community capacity and management capacity are important building blocks in the arena of involvement. The resilient society: On volunteering, civil society and corporate community involvement in transition is an exploration of the arena of involvement with regard to research agendas: 1. Corporate community involvement as a component of community capacity and 2. Non-profit management as a component of management capacity

Erasmus Research Institute of Management
Erasmus University Rotterdam
RSM Erasmus University
PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam,
The Netherlands
Email info@erim.eur.nl
Web www.erim.eur.nl

Sustainable Consumption
Young Australians As Agents of Change

A report for the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme

By Mathew Bentley, John Fien and Cameron Neil

November 2004

This paper was prepared by the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme (NYARS) and is intended to promote background research and other information as a basis for discussion. Reports from NYARS can be found at www.facs.gov.au/internet/
facsinternet.nsf/aboutfacs/
programs/youth-nyars.htm

Top of page

REPORTS

TITLE

TYPE

CONTACT/WEB-SITE

The economic value of volunteering in Queensland- A report commissioned by the Department of Communities   The economic value of volunteering in Queensland- A report commissioned by the Department of Communities

Churchill Fellowship Report: 'A comparative analysis of international leadership programs in non-profit settings.'

28 page report by Stephen McGarrigle

Churchill Fellowship Report -
Download

'Submission to the Core Consultative Group on Age Discrimination'

10 page submission by Volunteering Australia

This document available from Volunteering Australia Read Submission (uses Adobe Acrobat)

'Volunteers and Volunteering Policy Project : Summary of Submission'

25 page report by the Community Policy Unit Ministry of Social Development - New Zealand

http://www.msd.govt.nz/
voluntary/index.html

'Volunteering : the human face of democracy'

33 page discussion paper (no.114, January 2002) by the Social Policy Research Centre.

www.sprc.unsw.edu.au

 

'Engaging Queensland: A Qld Government Draft Policy and Discussion paper on Volunteering.

The community sector's response facilitated by Volunteering Queensland to the State Government's Draft Policy and Discussion Paper on Volunteering 'Engaging Queensland'

12 page draft policy and discussion paper prepared as part of a Queensland Government response to the International Year of Volunteers 2001.

54-page document

http://www.volunteers.qld.
gov.au/iyv/ policy.html

 

 

Engaging Queensland Together

'Below the Waterline of Public Visibility'

Roundtable on volunteerism and social development.

16 page report

Email United Nations Volunteers at information@unv.org for a copy of report

Compact getting it right together 'Volunteering : a code of good practice' - compact on relations between Government and the voluntary and community sector in England.

 

16 page report by the Home Office Active Community Group, London.

http://www.homeoffice.
gov.uk/acu/goodprac.pdf

'Universal Declaration on Volunteering' adopted by the International board of directors of the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) Jan 2001.

 

http://www.iave.org/kelly/
univdec.htm

 

'Global Agenda for Action to Strengthen Volunteering'

18 page report by the Board of Directors of IAVE. January 2001

Email iave@iave.org for a copy of report

White Paper on the National Lifestyle Fiscal Year 2000 - 'Volunteering Enriches Societies with taste-linked Human Relations'

200 page paper by the Economic Planning Agency,

Government of Japan.

http://www5.cao.go.jp/
seikatsu/index-e.html

The Changing Face of Social Service Volunteering : a literature review'

71 page review by Carla Wilson, Research Unit, Knowledge Management Group, Ministry of Social Development New Zealand. December 2001

www.msd.govt.nz

 

'The Success Factors - Managing change in regional and rural Australia'

50 page report commissioned by the Regional Women's Advisory Council - Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services

http://www.dotrs.gov.au/
regional/rwac/projects/
index.htm

Volunteering and Social Development: A background paper for discussion at an Expert Group meeting, New York, November 29-30, 1999

Prepared by the United Nations Volunteers

The paper has been written by the Director of the Institute for Volunteering Research, Dr Justin Davis Smith. It is based on a thorough review of the literature and discussions with experts at the United Nations, the World Bank, and the various voluntary and community organisations in different parts of the world.

 

http://www.unvolunteers
.org/ infobase/unv_news/
2000/90/00_12_90_ivy
_research.htm

'Research into Older People and Volunteering For the 2001 Premier's Forum on Ageing'

43 page research report prepared by Heartbeat Trends and funded by the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care, September 2001.

For copies of the report contact the
NSW Office of the Ageing by phoning 02 9367 6811 or visit their office at
Level 4, 83 Clarence Street,
Sydney NSW 2002

'Australian Social Trends'

Category Number 4102.0 to be released 4th June 2002

Information released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The publication includes a range of articles and information on current social trends including volunteering.

The publication can be obtained via the Australian Bureau of Statistics web-site.

See www.abs.gov.au/
ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/572
BF249C0590946CA2568 A900143D0B?Open

'Treasurer/Volunteers'

The Hon. Peter Costello MP Treasurer

Inaugural Sir Henry Bolte lecture 'The spirit of the volunteer' Melbourne 15 August 2001

Lecture and media news articles from all state and territories complied by Frank Hunt Media Clipping Service September 2001.

Copy of this document can be obtained by emailing the CEO at vq@volqld.org.au

'Worldwide Directory of Volunteer Centers 2000'

By the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) and the Points of Light Foundation

In 1995, IAVE and the Points of Light Foundation worked in partnership to create the first-ever directory of national and local volunteer centers around the world. This new edition builds on that original work. The purpose is to provide basic information about the work of national and local centres and to facilitate contact with them.

Contact the IAVE Secretariat:
1400 Eye Street NW, Suite 800
Washington DC 2005
Telephone: 202-729-8250
Facsimile: 202-729-8105
Email: iave@pointsoflight.org
IAVE Web:
http://www.iave.org/

Points of Light Foundation web:
http://www.pointsoflight.org/

Volunteering Infrastructure: Shaping the Future - A briefing on current thinking for comment Prepared to inform the development of Volunteering England's capacity building and infrastructure strategy and responses to government consultations. Volunteering Infrastructure:
Shaping the future

Rural and Regional Volunteering Support

By Australia Street Company - Associate Professor Peter Phibbs

In response to the UN declaration of 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers, the NSW Government established a NSW Advisory Committee for the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) to advise on strategic directions for the Year and beyond. Early in the Year, the Government and the Committee prepared a Strategic Agenda to provide a framework for action by all who support volunteering in NSW. The Strategic Agenda identified the major challenges and opportunities facing volunteering and listed a series of Key Initiatives to address these challenges and opportunities. One of these initiatives is the Rural and Regional Volunteering Support Strategy. Rural and Regional
Volunteering Support

Australia's Demographic Challenges


© Commonwealth of Australia 2004

On February 25, 2004, the Treasurer released the discussion paper "Australia's Demographic Challenges". It identifies improving productivity and labour force participation as key priorities in addressing ageing. The discussion paper focuses on three complementary policy areas:

Improvements in the capacity for work, through better education and health
Better incentives for work; and
Improved flexibility in the workplace

This publication is available from http://demographics.
treasury.gov.au

Silencing Dissent: Non - government organisations and Australian democracy.

By The Australian Institute (Sarah Maddison, Richard Denniss and Clive Hamilton)

NGOs play an indispensable role in Australian public debate. This paper discusses the wide - spread alarm among NGOs about their lack of ability to speak out in support of those they represent without being denigrated and having their funding cut.

This publication is available from The Australia Institute web-site at

http://www.tai.org.au/

See publications - discussion paper number 65 (June 2004)

QCOSS Organisational Capacity Building Project 2003

- Towards Sustainable Capacity Building Models for the Community Sector
- Evaluation Report

The Brisbane City Council provided funding to QCOSS to facilitate the Organisational Capacity Building Project. The primary purpose of the project was to offer tangible assistance to a diverse range of community organisations that were asking Brisbane City Council for help in developing their organisation's ability to respond to increased community need and their on-going viability. The project was keen to identify assistance that was going to be sustainable, that is, developmental rather than a "quick fix".

To view these reports visit the QCOSS website at www.qcoss.org.au - see SECTOR RESOURCES

University of Queensland, Australian Centre on Ageing

A report on the proceedings of the
Symposium on Ageing and Cultural Diversity in Queensland: Working Together to make a difference

29th March, 2006
Yungaba Conference Centre, Brisbane

Dr. Visala Rao, Dr. Jeni Warburton, Professor Helen Bartlett

SYMPOSIUM Organisers: Australasian Centre on Ageing, University of Queensland

Background of Project
The project is aimed at developing a research agenda on issues associated with ageing of people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, their families, service providers and policy makers in Queensland and to develop innovative strategies to respond to the needs of older CALD people. The specific objectives of the project are (i) to review the existing ageing research in the area; (ii) to develop a targeted research agenda in consultation with key stakeholders in this area; and (iii) identify the key issues and innovative responses in relation to older people from CALD backgrounds.

To view this document click on the following link

Ageing and Cultural Diversity in Queensland: Working Together to make a difference

Top of page