Volunteering in transition: Three perspectives from Europe

Introduction

As part of the Erasmus+ project Learn to Care we specifically interviewed volunteering experts from Italy, Austria and Spain. The aim of these interviews was to gain an in-depth understanding of current trends, challenges and opportunities in the field of volunteering - particularly with regard to the Recognising volunteers.
The findings from these interviews are directly incorporated into the development of our Guidelines for new recognition models which are intended to provide a basis for decision-making in politics, administration and organisations.

What became clear: Recognition is not just a "nice extra" for volunteers - it is a central element for motivation, commitment and quality. An appreciative culture of recognition plays a key role in determining whether people are willing to volunteer in the long term. The different perspectives of the experts make it clear how important it is to create sustainable, transparent and innovative recognition systems.

In the following, we summarise the most important findings from the interviews and highlight the similarities and differences.

The interview partners:

Martina Gianola (Italy): Specialist for volunteer work at the umbrella organisation for social and health issues in South Tyrol.
Christoph Kutzer (Austria): Project manager at the state of Vorarlberg and coordinator for voluntary work.
Mar Amate (Spain): Director of the Plataforma del Voluntariado de España (PVE).

Personal and community benefits of volunteering

All three interviewees emphasise the high personal and social value of volunteering. Gianola, Kutzer and Amate talk about solidarity, personal meaning and social cohesion as key achievements of volunteering.

Recognising volunteer work

Gianola sees potential for more public appreciation.
Kutzer criticises the frequent lack of financial and structural support despite a positive social perception.
Amate makes a clear distinction between abstract prestige and concrete recognition on a practical level.

Challenges and opportunities

The challengesAgeing, individual orientation of society, overburdening of volunteers.
OpportunitiesDigitalisation, new forms of recognition, increased cooperation between stakeholders.

Volunteering in care and support

All three emphasise the enormous importance of volunteer work in the care sector, with Gianola particularly highlighting the emotional added value, Kutzer the structural relief and Amate the clear demarcation from professional care work.

Volunteer training

There is a consensus that volunteers need comprehensive and practical training in order to be able to act professionally, safely and self-reflectively.

Digitalisation and new technologies

All of them see enormous potential in digital technologies for further education, networking and the dissemination of information. Mar Amate in particular emphasises the opportunities for barrier-free access and flexible educational opportunities.

Recognising volunteers

Gianola and Kutzer argue in favour of non-monetary appreciation through certificates, celebrations or individual recognition.
Amate presents the Spanish programme VOL+ which formally validates the skills of volunteers and can improve their career prospects.

Role of public administrations and companies

The interviewees call for more commitment from the public sector and sustainable, rather than just symbolic, contributions from companies to promote volunteering.

The future of volunteering

Despite social changes, the experts agree that the future of volunteering is promising - provided that modern framework conditions are created that take into account the flexibility and needs of volunteers.

Conclusion

The analysis of the interviews clearly shows: Recognition is the key to the future of volunteering. Without a systematic and respectful system of recognition, it will be more difficult in future to inspire and retain people for voluntary work in the long term.

Our interviews make it clear that recognition should not only consist of symbolic gestures, but must also include formal recognition of competences and commitment. The design of recognition systems must be differentiated - from personal words of thanks and official certificates to structured qualification certificates such as the VOL+ programme in Spain.

Volunteering creates added value for societybut this value must also be visible and tangible - both for the people involved and for society as a whole.

The findings from the interviews have made a significant contribution to developing our new Guidelines for recognition models in volunteer work to develop. In this way, we are helping to make volunteering attractive and sustainable for future generations.