The Institute of Fundraising is urging the Government to recognise fundraising as a vital and valid volunteering activity in volunteering initiatives.
Speaking at the Institute of Fundraising’s Working with Volunteers for Community Fundraising Success conference, Megan Pacey, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the Institute of Fundraising is sharing with delegates the results of the consultation that the Institute undertook to in order to inform their recent response to the Department of Health’s consultation “Towards a Strategy to Support Volunteering in Health and Social Care”.
The consultation, which was led by the Department of Health, was also expected to provide a blueprint for Government volunteering initiatives in the future.
According to the Institute, fundraising as a volunteer activity must receive the same investment and recognition as service delivery volunteering, with any Government initiatives encompassing the spectrum of volunteering activities, using existing networks and infrastructures.
Research undertaken amongst the Institute membership revealed the following key findings:
- 89% of respondents felt that fundraising volunteers were important or very important within their organisations;
- Volunteer fundraisers raise more than £100,000 per annum in more than a quarter of the organisation who responded to the consultation;
- 61% of the organisations who responded to the consultation have less than 50 volunteer fundraisers;
- Fundraising volunteers were most valued for the additional income they generated, the role that they played in building awareness of the organisation in the community and the local knowledge that they were able to contribute to an organisation;
- Less than half of the organisations who responded to the consultation questionnaire had a specific budget allocation for investment in volunteer fundraising;
- Only 21% of respondents felt that the investment that they had was sufficient;
- More than 80% of those who responded felt that the potential of volunteer fundraisers was not yet being met.
Megan Pacey, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the Institute of Fundraising, comments:
'Any future volunteering initiatives must encompass the spectrum of volunteering activities. Volunteer fundraisers bring significant income, resource and knowledge to an organisation.
'It is vital to the sector’s health and future that volunteer fundraising activity receives the same investment, support and recognition as other volunteering activities.'
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For further information please contact:
Diana Mackie Tel. 020 7840 1027 / 07793 802 852
Institute of Fundraising
Email Diana Mackie
