In the context of the 2011 European Year of Voluntary Activities Promoting Active Citizenship, the EFC is surveying foundations' involvement and practices in the field of volunteering as well as their views and expectations in relation to the European policy in the field and the European Year.

If you are interested and/or active in the area of volunteering, we would be pleased to hear from you! We would be grateful if you could fill in the questionnaire we have prepared regarding:  

1) Your activities in the area of volunteering

2) The reasons why you work in the area of volunteering and how you do it

3) EU policy and the European Year of Volunteering

Download the questionnaire  

Input received will help EFC have a clear and up-to-date picture of foundations’ involvement in the field and better identify and take advantage of developments and opportunities of relevance in this field, notably in the context of the European Year.

The information received will be used for different purposes during the European Year in the context of the initiatives organised by the EFC (e.g. EFC webpage on the Year and other information sources) or in which it will take part.

About the European Year

The overall purpose of the European Year is to encourage and support — notably through the exchange of experience and good practices — the efforts of the Community, the Member States, local and regional authorities to create the conditions for civil society conducive to volunteering in the European Union and to increase the visibility of voluntary activities in the EU.

The specific objectives of the European Year shall be as follows:

• To work towards an enabling environment for volunteering in the EU and address existing obstacles to voluntary activities. 
• To empower organisers of voluntary activities to improve the quality of voluntary activities, to implement new types of voluntary activities and to encourage networking, mobility, cooperation and synergies within civil society and between civil society and other sectors in an EU context.
• To recognise voluntary activities in order to encourage appropriate incentives for individuals, companies and volunteer-development organisations and gain recognition for volunteering at EU level and in the Member States. 
• To raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering as an expression of civic participation.

 The European Year offers a wide range of possibilities for individual foundations and interest groups interested and/or active in the areas of volunteering and active citizenship to advance their mission by providing an excellent framework for promotion, networking, knowledge-sharing and partnerships both with public and private stakeholders.

For further information, please visit EFC dedicated webpage