New Research into Training and Development for People Managing Volunteers

A new report published today reveals the need for more training and development for managers of volunteers. The research by the Institute for Volunteering Research was commissioned by Skills - Third Sector and shows that nearly half of people who manage volunteers have not received any training that would help them in their work, despite the fact that volunteers are crucial to the government’s Big Society. Despite identifying that there is much good practice in volunteer management in England today, it also reveals that volunteer management remains undervalued and underfunded in many organisations, including those with the largest incomes. 42% of people who manage volunteers have not received any training that would help in their work with volunteers

Members of networks were considerably more likely to access training and support than those who weren't members - 74 % compared to 49%

The Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, in the report’s foreword, says: “This research highlights the skills needed and the importance of valuing them…It also highlights the need to think strategically about how volunteer managers are trained and supported. This is vital, whether they are engaged in work to empower and enhance their local communities or to deliver complex public services.”

The report Valuing Volunteer Management Skills is based on a telephone survey conducted in March 2010 with 1,004 people who manage volunteers, representative of voluntary sector organisations of different sizes acorss the nine regions of England, plus an additional ten biographical interviews. The full report is available to download for free at www.ivr.org.uk