JVN Blog

There is a famous saying about #volunteers: “Volunteers are worthless not because they are no good but,  because the work they do is impossible to cost out – its priceless.” Traditionally, most people volunteer because they will be making a difference to the lives of others, while also generating benefits for themselves – greater confidence, an improved CV, learning transferable skills, and so on. We generally don’t stop to think, what is my volunteering actually worth? Aside from those who fund raise, most volunteers don’t actually know how much money they are generating, or even saving, their #charities.

It’s nice to know, then, that Join In, a charity promoting volunteers’ involvement in grass roots sport clubs, has made some headway in putting a numerical value on volunteers. A blog by Gethyn Williams, the Join In Head of Partnerships, reports on a recent research project entitled ‘Hidden Diamonds: Uncovering the True Value of Sports Volunteers‘. It cites a fact stated by Lord Gus O’Donnell, the former Cabinet Secretary, in November 2014 – that, while the National Office of Statistics’ figures from the illegal drugs trade and prostitution are factored in to enhance the UK’s GDP, the value of volunteering is not given a look-in. One could read this a saying that volunteering has no impact whatsoever on our GDP. 

How can this be right? The simple answer is: it isn’t, and the new economics of volunteering promoted by Join In proves it. Using the value the volunteer puts on their own experience (known as ‘well-being economics’), coupled with the wider return on investment in sport and health that is made possible by the volunteering that takes place, Join In revealed that each of their volunteers enables 8.5 people to become active sportsmen and women. This equates to a value placed on the average Join In volunteer of £16,032 per year.

That’s a figure grand enough to make any volunteer feel valued. But get this: taking into account the 3.2 million regular sports volunteers across the UK, that figure balloons to over £53 billion per year! This is even ignoring all the other volunteers out there caring for the elderly, helping children, raising money, teaching IT skills and the hundreds of other things they do. And it also doesn’t take into account the value those who benefit from the contribution of the volunteers feel, even without realising it sometimes. Consider that sports participation is proven to boost one’s confidence, help with problem-solving, teach leadership skills, encourage team building and much, much more. These factors can easily be translated into savings the government could make on benefits, the health service and so on. And the fact that volunteering teaches the volunteer skills that are necessary in the workplace, thereby increasing employment, goes without saying.

It is not only sports volunteers that make a difference – every volunteer does.

In order to make your contribution to others and  in so doing to yourself and your community and thereby to the wider society, take a look in JVN’s stash of volunteering opportunities. There is something out there for everyone, and everyone has the ability to make a difference. Find the true value of volunteering and do something amazing today – become a volunteer!