Around 54 percent of the Drenten say they have done volunteer work in the past year. Nice figures, researchers think, but there is a shift. Many people prefer long -term volunteering to short -term and project -based commitment: micro volunteer work.
The percentage of Drenten that does volunteer work is higher than the national average, just below 50 percent. Volunteers are committed because they feel connected to the purpose of an organization, because they like the work and find it important to do something for society. This is the conclusion of research by Trendbureau Drenthe and Social Planbureau Groningen.
“I met some of my best friends through my volunteer work,” says one of the participants in the study. Another indicates that he does volunteer work to get the feeling that you are participating. “Working with young people I don’t normally come into contact with, gives me the feeling that I still have to play in society after my retirement.”
Why other people do not do volunteer work, for example because they do not want to be bound by fixed tasks. But a lack of free time is also mentioned as a reason. For example, one of the participants indicates: “I have not yet come across anything I would like or it is fun, but more commitment is expected than I can offer.”
Many residents indicate that they need flexible, project -based volunteering. Also a better view of the available range and help with finding suitable volunteering can overlook residents to commit themselves. Because it remains difficult for many organizations to find and retain enough volunteers.
One of the researchers’ recommendations is therefore micro volunteer work. These are short -term, non -binding tasks that match the busy lives of people. Think of: Volunteering at festivals, sports clubs that divide tasks into smaller pieces or split up tasks of board positions.
“With a long -term obligation we see that people can drop out quickly,” says Annemieke Potze from Knowledge Center CMO Stamm. “In Drenthe things are actually going super well, but the form is changing. People want to do short or one -off jobs more often instead of something you have been stuck to for months. You see that quite a lot of vacancies remain open for a long time.”
The research also shows that young people mainly need clarity about how much time they spend on volunteer work and freedom of choice. This is in line with micro volunteer work. The results of the research can be used to give content and shape to policy and implementation by, for example, governments or volunteer organizations.