Inclusion Group

The Future of Volunteering: Inclusion Group

Psychological barriers to volunteering amongst those at risk of social

exclusion

The significance of psychological barriers to volunteering among groups at risk of

social exclusion cannot be understated. Indeed, Volunteering for All 1states that,
“Many individuals also identified practical barriers, but generally the psychological
barriers were presented as being more damaging than the practical ones.”2

Volunteering for All is the primary study of volunteering by socially excluded groups.
This paper will therefore focus on the main findings of this study with supporting
evidence from additional research publications. The main psychological barriers
identified in Volunteering for All are:

The public image of volunteering

Perceptions of time and over-commitment

Lack of confidence

The attitudes of other people

Fear of losing welfare benefits

i. The public image of volunteering

The stereotype of volunteering is one of white, middle class, middle aged people –
something which many socially excluded individuals do not identify with. One
respondent in the survey commented that,
“Let’s face it, we live in a society that values people by how much they earn, and how
most people get their money is through what they do. If people ask you what you do
and you say “voluntary work”, they look at you as either you are incompetent or that
you are not capable of getting a proper job.” (non-volunteer, disabled)3

There is also a perception that volunteering is work without pay with some
respondents feeling that working without payment is not valuing people:
“I don’t see the point of doing voluntary work. At the end of the day it isn’t going to
pay your bills, is it?” (non-volunteer, ex-offender)4

Furthermore, the survey uncovered a lack of awareness of the range of roles

available to volunteers. Some people assumed that most volunteers raise funds or
are engaged in social care work while others were simply given the work that paid
staff didn’t want to do.

There are specific issues connected to the public image of volunteering relevant to
certain groups at risk of social exclusion. Below are a number of examples:

a. BME volunteers
Within BME communities, volunteering is often seen as an informal activity. It
is the formalising of volunteering that alienates some people, rather than the

1
Institute of Volunteering Research (2004) Volunteering for All: exploring the link between volunteering
and social exclusion
2
Ibid p23
3
Ibid p24
4
Ibid p24

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voluntary activity itself. To some, formalising volunteering equates it with a

job for which they should get paid.

Helping Out5 furthermore found that BME groups were those most likely to
identify concerns about not fitting in as a reason not to volunteer.6 Asian
people were the group most likely to cite concerns about costs and safety for
not volunteering.

b. Disabled volunteers
Many disabled people questioned as part of Volunteering for All found the
term ‘volunteering’ distasteful as it is reminiscent of the traditional ‘helper and
helped’ model which is seen to reinforce unequal power relations in society.
As such, disabled people largely preferred the term ‘activist’ as it implies a
more active and politically directed form of volunteering. Amongst disabled
people that did volunteer, most did so within specialist disability organisations
as these are seen to challenge stereotypes rather than reinforce them as well
as representing a safe environment.

c. Refugees
According to the Good Practice Bank on Volunteering England’s website,
“some refugee communities may see the term volunteering as having military
connotations, so other terms such as help or community involvement could be
used for this audience.”7

ii. Perceptions of time and over-commitment

56% of those questioned for the survey felt that not having enough time deterred
people from volunteering. In fact, the survey concluded that people’s perception of
time i.e. how much spare time they have and how much time they think would be
demanded of them if they volunteered, created a barrier to involvement in
volunteering. The Citizenship Survey 2005 confirms this claiming that the barriers to
volunteering amongst people who didn’t currently volunteer “were mainly related to
the perceived time commitment involved.”8 The truth is that people’s perception of
the time commitment required is far greater than the average amount of time people
spend volunteering. As the authors of Volunteering for All comment, “This reinforces
the notion that time is often more of a psychological barrier than a practical one.”9

iii. Lack of confidence

Evidence suggests that many people at risk of social exclusion do not volunteer as
they are not confident they possess the skills and knowledge needed. However, the
authors note that whilst a lack of confidence in one’s ability is sometimes a
psychological barrier; in other cases it is a practical barrier as people don’t have the
confidence or capacity to volunteer without additional assistance.10 In fact, a survey

5
Cabinet Office (2007) Helping Out. A National survey of volunteering and charitable giving
6
Ibid p68
7
Volunteering England Good Practice Bank. From Barriers to Bridges – involving a broader range of
volunteers
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/Resources/goodpracticebank/Core+Themes/equalopportunitiesdiversity/
diversity-overview.htm
8
Department for Communities & Local Government (2006) 2005 Citizenship Survey: Active
communities topic report p7
9
IVR 2004: 30
10
IVR 2004: 30

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conducted by the National Centre for Volunteering found that, when a sample group
of individuals suffering from mental health issues were asked about concerns they
had regarding volunteering, almost half the respondents said they lacked confidence
in themselves and their skills.11

iv. The attitudes of other people

Some respondents were anxious about how organisations would judge their ability to
volunteer which deterred them from enquiring about volunteering opportunities. Past
rejections had put people off, particularly when no legitimate reason was given for
turning them down.

Amongst ex-offenders there was some recognition that volunteering could help them
find paid work. However, many felt volunteering was an alternative to paid work and
they would not need to, or be able to, volunteer once paid work was found. The
study also found that some ex-offender respondents felt that volunteering was “too
close to what they had experienced as part of the criminal justice system.”12 Some
organisations had found that ex-offenders were suspicious of volunteering, maybe
because they had been on the receiving end of volunteering and had not liked the
experience or because they were sceptical of the response they would receive due to
exclusion from other areas of life. Indeed, Involving Ex-offenders in Volunteering13
states that ex-offenders may be embarrassed about their past offences and are
reluctant to put themselves in positions where they will have to declare this
information. “Many potentially excellent volunteers choose not to get involved
because of their concern about how they will be treated by organisations who
become aware of their past offences.”14 Volunteering for All reaffirms this position
but adds that, whilst many ex-offenders assumed nobody would take a chance on
them, in reality some organisations would not.15 This is very real issue for ex-
offenders as organisational barriers add to and reinforce many of the psychological
barriers to volunteering for ex-offenders.

Another group that experience similar psychological barriers to volunteering are

LGBT individuals. InVolving LGBT Volunteers16 states that,
“Experience of homophobia has led the LGBT community to fear discrimination.
There is an assumption, often based on lived experience, that unless a
service/charity/company promotes the fact that they are inclusive of LGBT people,
they are not. This fear of homophobia is one of the main barriers to LGBT people
volunteering.”17

In common with disabled volunteers, many LGBT volunteers are involved with
organisations championing LBGT issues18 as they value the political focus of LGBT
organisations as well as the safety from discrimination offered by these
organisations. However, LGBT Volunteering & Infrastructure Engagement in Greater

11
National Centre for Volunteering (2003) Volunteering for Mental Health p2
12
IVR 2004: 27
13
Volunteering England/Nacro (2006) Involving Ex-offenders in Volunteering
14
VE/Nacro 2006: 1
15
IVR 2004: 30
16
The Consortium of LGBT Voluntary and Community Organisations (2008) InVolving LBGT Volunteers
17
Ibid p5
18
Tom Grealy (2005) Volunteering England Good Practice Bank: We don’t discriminate , do we?
Welcoming lesbian and gay volunteers
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/Resources/goodpracticebank/Core+Themes/equalopportunitiesdiversity/
wedontdiscriminatedowe-welcominglesbianandgayvolunteers.htm

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London19 states that London faces a unique problem as its vibrant and diverse LBGT
scene leads some people to think there is not much need for volunteering activity.20
Additionally, some LGBT potential volunteers worry about not fitting in and pressure
being placed on them to ‘come out’ or become an LGBT spokesperson.21

The assertion that many at risk of social exclusion have previously been excluded
from other areas of life and that this, in turn, has led to a lack of engagement in
volunteering is further evidenced in the Citizenship Survey 2005. The survey found
that “People who felt that they could influence local decision-making were more likely
to participate in voluntary activities.”22 In short, exclusion from the community leads
to a lack of engagement in community activities which, in turn, results in low levels of
volunteering.

v. Fear of losing welfare benefits

In spite of guidance issued by the Department for Work and Pensions, the message
that most benefits claimants can volunteer for an unlimited period of time does not
always get through. Whilst this is also a practical barrier as some benefits staff are
not aware of the regulations, it is also a psychological barrier as potential volunteers
are too fearful to volunteer for fear of losing benefits.23

Removing psychological barriers

Volunteering for All states that attempts to make volunteering more inclusive highlight
a fundamental issue: exclusion from volunteering mirrors exclusion from other areas
of life. The authors assert that some respondents argued that volunteering and
social exclusion could only be discussed within the framework of a much broader
attempt to tackle inequality. However, the report concludes that, whilst making
volunteering more inclusive may only be a very small step towards addressing wider
issues of inequality within society, “. . . it is a step we have a responsibility to make”.24

i. Addressing the public image of volunteering

One of the major ways in which organisations can assist socially excluded individuals
overcome psychological barriers to volunteering is the way in which they present
their organisation and the volunteering opportunities they offer. Images and
language used in promotional and recruitment materials can serve to entrench
stereotypes about the types of people that volunteer. For example,

“If pictures displayed by the company in posters and manuals only feature white,
heterosexual couples, there is nothing which an LGBT volunteer or BME volunteer
can relate to, and it might suggest that they are not welcome, or at least feel as if the
organisation is not relevant to them. – Age Concern Norwich”25

19
Kim Donahue LGBT Volunteering & Infrastructure Engagement in Greater London (Consortium of
LGBT Voluntary and Community Organisations: 2007)
20
Ibid p11
21
Tom Grealy (2005)
22
Department for Communities & Local Government (2006) 2005 Citizenship Survey: Active
communities topic report p11
23
IVR 2004: 32
24
Ibid p63
25
The Consortium of LGBT Voluntary and Community Organisations (2008) InVolving LBGT Volunteers
p15

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Promotional and recruitment material should challenge people’s perceptions of

volunteering. Volunteering for All suggests organisations should illustrate the
diversity of volunteers within their organisations, highlight the benefits of
volunteering, draw attention to the diversity of activities available and be realistic
about the time commitments required. The use of plain English is also an essential
component of widening the appeal of promotional materials. Targeting specific
groups at risk of social exclusion by using language and imagery most likely to
appeal to them can also assist. However, some respondents to the survey
questioned whether recruitment campaigns should be targeted at all:

“To go out and target BME or disabled people is insulting – we promote volunteering
and people are people.”26

ii. Establishing relationships

Nevertheless, one way of targeting particular groups of people without adapting

materials is though the targeted dissemination of materials i.e. positioning leaflets
and posters where excluded groups are most likely to see them. From Barriers to
Bridges27 suggests a number of places organisations should consider placing
materials e.g. places of worship, adult education colleges, citizens advice bureaux
and hostels. It should be noted, however, that leaflets and/or posters are not the
primary way in which people find out about volunteering opportunities. In fact,
Helping Out found that excluded groups were even less likely than non-risk groups to
find out about volunteering opportunities through this route. Word of mouth was
found to the most common way people found out about volunteering, even more so
for socially excluded respondents.28

One of the key ways to engage with socially excluded groups which can increase
promotion through word of mouth is to establish relationships with community
organisations and informal networks. There are a number of advantages to this,
namely: the profile of the organisation is raised; trust is built up between the
organisation and the individuals in the community; and the organisation is able to
better understand the community. However, this is not an easy option as it requires
significant investment, the returns of which may not be seen for a long time.
However, Volunteering for All found that most that had tried this approach felt it was
well worth the investment. 29

iii. Addressing lack of confidence and the attitudes of other people

Overcoming a lack of confidence and skills is more problematic. Volunteering for All
showcases a number of examples of ways in which this might be tackled: holding
open days to enable potential volunteers to familiarise themselves with the
organisation; running pre-volunteering courses to build people’s confidence and skills
to a level at which they feel ready to start volunteering and assigning mentors to
potential volunteers.30 The report highlighted one particular example of an
organisation working to help volunteer overcome their lack of confidence:
26
IVR 2004: 40
27
From Barriers to Bridges – involving a broader range of volunteers
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/Resources/goodpracticebank/Core+Themes/equalopportunitiesdiversity/
diversity-overview.htm
28
Cabinet Office (2007) p40
29
IVR 2004:42
30
Ibid

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A volunteer-involving organisation developed a partnership with an

organisation that supported volunteering by people with learning difficulties.
The support organisation worked with the volunteer-involving organisation
before the volunteers arrived in order to run awareness training courses and
ensure the site was fully accessible. They then prepared the new volunteers
for the placement by taking them on visits to the organisation and familiarising
them with the bus route. Once in post, the volunteers were able to review
their placement and changes were made as necessary in response to the
reviews.31

Training to assist staff in understanding and appreciating the concerns and needs of
socially excluded groups can be enormous benefit. However, a number of
respondents to the survey felt it wasn’t enough as changing attitudes is something
that happens over a long period of time.32

Good practice will affect an organisation’s reputation and demonstrate that

volunteers will be welcomed from any background or ethnicity without judgment.
Barriers to Bridges states the importance of avoiding the pigeon-holing of roles. In
doing this an organisation can demonstrate that they value people for their individual
skills and abilities rather than labelling people according to their background or ethnic
group and giving them roles that correspond, e.g. matching BME volunteers to a
BME client group.

Ultimately, it is up to the individual organisation to take proactive steps to, eliminate

discriminatory behaviour and demonstrate their commitment to equal opportunities
for all. As Age Concern England comments in relation to LGBT groups,

“It is the organisation that needs to ‘come out’ as gay and lesbian friendly rather than
depending on clients to come out in order to get their needs met. – Age Concern
England – Opening Doors 2001”33

iv. Addressing perceptions of time commitment

From Barriers to Bridges suggests a few ways in which organisations can help
people understand the levels of time commitment required for volunteering roles:

• Your organisation could estimate the likely weekly commitment and include
this in publicity materials used to recruit volunteers or let people know that
they need only volunteer for an afternoon a week for example. However, you
should be careful not to specify a minimum required time commitment as this
could risk creating a contractual relationship.
• Organisations can think about designing different kinds of volunteer roles to
suit different lifestyles. Depending on the tasks involved, you can also create
taster days or one-off volunteering days to get people involved34

31
Ibid
32
Ibid p45
33
The Consortium of LGBT Voluntary and Community Organisations 2008:12
34
From Barriers to Bridges – involving a broader range of volunteers
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/Resources/goodpracticebank/Core+Themes/equalopportunitiesdiversity/
diversity-overview.htm

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There is no escaping the fact that volunteering does involve a regular commitment of
time. However, organisations should be more flexible in adapting their volunteer
roles around the needs of potential volunteers, or as Volunteering for All states,
‘fitting the job to the volunteer’35. Similarly communicating time commitment
expectations associated with different volunteering roles, without stating an exact
minimum number of hours, could help potential volunteers to view levels of time
commitment in volunteering as being more manageable.

v. Overcoming the fear of losing welfare benefits

Jobcentre Plus have recently produced a leaflet for individuals in receipt of benefits
who are thinking about volunteering, entitled ‘Volunteering while receiving benefits’36.
Organisations can direct potential volunteers to this leaflet which explains how
volunteering affects benefits claimants.

Whilst this information is useful, it is clear that benefits claimants are still receiving
conflicting information from Jobcentre Plus staff. The Policy and Information team at
Volunteering England have been working with the Department for Work and
Pensions (DWP) and Jobcentre Plus to resolve this issue. Furthermore, the Public
Sector Action Group consists of representatives from DWP and Jobcentre Plus and
so has also been able to push this agenda forward. At a time when unemployment is
rising, the drive to ensure the workforce remains skilled and competitive is high. As
such, the government has asserted its commitment to train staff in Jobcentre Pluses
to both encourage volunteering as a route back to employment and to provide
accurate and up to date advice regarding how volunteering affects benefits
payments.

Recommendations

It is clear that groups at risk of social exclusion suffer from a variety of psychological
barriers to volunteering. Although some of these barriers are experienced by the
wider population e.g. the public image of volunteering and perceived time
commitments, overcoming these barriers must be approached differently with each
specific group. In addition to these barriers, the fact that some groups have
experienced discrimination and exclusion throughout their lives adds a layer of fear
and uncertainty. Sadly evidence suggests this is being compounded by some
organisations, through lack of awareness, fear of the unknown or discrimination.

The evidence suggests that a public relations exercise for volunteering aimed at
reducing and even removing psychological barriers to volunteering is desperately
required. Messages about the diversity of roles within volunteering as well as its
flexibility and inherent value to individuals and society are not getting through to
socially excluded groups. However, it is also clear that organisations need to fully
appreciate the context of volunteering for specific groups at risk of social exclusion as
well as the benefits offered by involving them.

The key recommendations for the Inclusion Group are as follows:

35
IVR 2004:47
36
Department for Work and Pensions (2008) Volunteering while receiving benefits available online at
http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/stellent/groups/jcp/documents/websitecontent/dev_015837.pdf

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1. The Inclusion Group to liaise with the Promotions Action Group to ensure work
to promote volunteering is accessible to all, in terms of content, dissemination
and media
2. Guidance to be issued for volunteer-involving organisations to explain the
importance of involving socially excluded individuals and how to recruit
volunteers from these groups.
3. The Inclusion Group to work with the Public Sector Action Group and the
Information and Policy team at Volunteering England to influence the ongoing
work with the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus. The
group should ensure, in particular, Jobcentre Plus advisers are aware of the
benefits offered to those at risk of social exclusion of volunteering and are
trained to offer advice to such groups on what volunteering might entail and
how to find out about opportunities
4. Further research on this subject is recommended. Of particular use would be a
deeper examination of the particular psychological barriers faced by different
groups of people at risk of social exclusion. Such research could better inform
any guidance issued to volunteer-involving organisations on how to involve and
recruit volunteers from at risk groups.
5. The Inclusion Group to recommend the Department for Communities and Local
Government make changes to the Citizenship Survey. Other than BME
groups, the Citizenship Survey is particularly weak in its examinations of the
barriers to community engagement and volunteering among socially excluded
groups.

Sophie Pert
Senior Strategy Officer, Volunteering England
May 2009