On 8 January 2011, the European Commission, and the Hungarian EU Presidency officially launched the European Year of Volunteering 2011 (EYV2011).

In this context, the EFC invited member foundations to share information on their work and experience in the field of volunteering.  To date  17 foundations have already contributed*. Here is a snapshot of the survey outcomes.

What do foundations do in the field of volunteering?

The practical change that foundations seek to achieve in the field is to raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering, to gain recognition for volunteering at national level and to achieve higher engagement of citizens in the development of the local community. Foundations strive to improve both the skills of the staff of the third sector organisations managing volunteering activities and to improve capacity building of youth and adults who decide to invest their personal resources for community benefit. Foundations can function both as ‘sensors’ to notice ‘future’ challenge in the field and as entrepreneurs to test possible solutions.

From the information received it can be concluded that foundations are working with volunteers at different levels:

• Providing financial support for projects of volunteer grass root organisations. Compagnia di San Paolo indicated that in Italy support to volunteering by foundations of banking origin is regulated by law (Art.15 law 266/91).  The ‘special regional funds for voluntary work’, drawn from the foundations’ annual income must be allocated every year.  These funds are meant to provide organizational, training, management, legal etc. support to grass root volunteer associations. The funds are administered by region-based committees that award them to Services Centres whose purpose is to support activities and projects of voluntary work organizations.
• Acting as a match maker between volunteers and non-profit organisations. Fundación "la Caixa" offers volunteering opportunities online, over 3000 people have taken advantage of the prgramme; The Oranje Fonds matches volunteers to organisations during the Dutch national volunteering day NL DOET which was launched 7 years ago.
• Organising special training programmes and capacity building, developing guides and materials on the management of volunteers (e.g. Fundación "la Caixa", Fundación Luis Vives) and schemes to encourage their staff to volunteer (City Bridge Trust).  
• Documenting volunteering.  The Körber-Stiftung and the German Federation of Foundations have launched a survey on volunteer funding foundations in Germany last year.
• Strengthening the infrastructure for voluntary work is a key objective of the Robert Bosch Stiftung's Society and Culture programme.
• Raising standards in the field and as part of the foundation grant application process asking applicant organisations what they do to support their volunteers, e.g. The City Bridge Trust.
• Raising awareness  in cooperation with the national agencies responsible for the implementation of the European Year at the national level and promoting it in their programmes of activities  e.g. Fundação Eugénio de Almeida in Portugal.  At EU level, the  Robert Bosch Stiftung supported the campaign “Towards a successful European Year of Volunteering 2011” and  the Alliance for the European Year of Volunteering 2011, to raise awareness and facilitate networking and cooperation of actors in the field.

What challenges should be addressed?

Foundations were asked to name the challenges they face working to promote volunteering and cited a few key issues as follows:

• Improving NPOs skills in creating networks and partnerships with other third sector organisations, public and private institutions in order to increase effectiveness of their work in the field of volunteering.
• Volunteering should not be seen as a panacea of lack of adequate funding. Therefore the risk of exploitation of volunteers, unrealistic expectations, and burn-out is still a concern.
• Motivating people to volunteer as the volunteer activities are not always recognised by authorities and by the law in some countries.
• Involving young people including children in volunteering. 
• Examining and redefining the boundaries and sustainable transitional pathways between volunteering and wage-paid work, voluntary work and public services.

What can the EU and the European Year help achieve? 

Responding foundations pointed out a few concrete actions that  EU institutions should consider.  These include :

• Encouraging research and actions to experiment tools and best practices.
• Facilitating the exchange of practices in the field as they are not always well known from one country to the next.
• Promoting fellowship opportunities for volunteers and effective solutions of volunteering management.
• Increasing the value of voluntary sector not only at a local level, but as an important factor in order to pursue a social development and cohesion between Member States.
• Gaining full acknowledgement by governments and society of the skills and expertise developed through the voluntary sector.
• Enlarging the financial support for the activities in the field of volunteering.

How can foundations contribute to the European Year?

Respondants stressed the  importance to support  volunteers’ voice in the policy making process and raise awareness of volunteering activities by:

• Sharing good practice, know-how experience, and management guidelines
• Positioning statements about the need to promote the volunteering culture at EU level
• Preparing simple and clear information on what foundations and NGO’s achieve with the cooperation of volunteers in different sectors 
• Proposing special programmes that would support concrete volunteer actions
• Carrying out a survey on volunteer funding foundations across Europe

Background

The year will feature a range of activities at European and national level to highlight and promote volunteering.  Activities at EU level are as follows:

• EYV2011 Tour: EU countries will be toured over a one-year period and will provide volunteers with an opportunity to exhibit their work, meet one another, and engage with policy-makers.
• EYV Relay: 27 “Relay” volunteer reporters will follow the work of 54 volunteering organisations and produce audio, video and written reports to be broadcast by the media.
• Thematic conferences in 2011 to highlight key issues related to volunteering: 
• May/June: Celebrating volunteers and their valuable contribution
• October:  Empowering volunteering organisations
• December: Closing conference on future challenges

For details, please visit the EFC  webpage on the EY2011

*Responding foundations to EFC survey are: The City Bridge Trust, Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca, Fondazione Banco di Sicilia,  Fondazione Cassa dei Risparmi di Forli, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio della Provincia dell'Aquila, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio della Spezia, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Fossano, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo, Fundação EDP, Fundação Eugénio de Almeida, Fundación "la Caixa", Fundación Luis Vives, Körber-Stiftung, Oranje Fonds, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Tuzla Community Foundation.