I Volunteer! I Make a difference! “If we want to sustain the European model of grass root sport participation, we need to find ways to uphold, nourish and reward the willpower of sport volunteers!” Sakis Pappous – University of Kent, UK 35 million European citizens volunteer in sport In most European countries the sport sector relies heavily on volunteers.
Volunteers in sport dedicate 4-5 volunteering hours per week to their organizations This represents a significant social and economic contribution to the wealth of European societies. The proportion of paid staff and volunteers varies widely among European member states: in Portugal 10% of paid staff and 90% of volunteers, in Netherland 13% of paid staff and 87% of volunteers, in France 20% of paid staff and 80% of volunteers, in Ireland 42% of paid staff and 58% of volunteers.
I VOLUNTEER ! I M A KE A DIFFERENCE ! E U R O V O L N E T
92 million adults are involved in volunteering across Europe In Europe the sports organization grounded in culture and practice of the voluntary action represent the social backbone of the sports system at large. Organised sport is the largest sector of volunteer engagement.
Volunteers are multi-billion donors and great educators Based on the number of volunteers and the number of hours dedicated, we can estimate that volunteers create an annual financial value of € 10 billion in France, € 7 billion in Germany, € 5.3 billion in the Netherland. Volunteering is strongly related to non-formal and informal learning, as it contributes to personal development, learning skills and competences, thus enhancing employability. Non-formal education and lifelong learning are important elements in the EU 2020 strategy towards smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The sport sector is the most widespread civil society movement, furthering learning processes both on and off the pitch.
Non-formal learning on a massive scale Millions of Europeans join trainings and non-formal education offers in sport organizations, be it as trainers or leaders. We call it Education for life!
Volunteering comes from Latin from “voluntas” - will, choice. An old proverb says that “where there’s a will, there’s a way”.
Opportunities & challenges in volunteering Definition of volunteering There is no universally accepted definition of volunteering for the sport sector. A majority of countries in Europe either apply the same definition as used for volunteering in general, or vaguely refer to volunteers as ‘people that donate their time to sport organisations, carrying out activities in a field they are passionate about’. (this is the case in Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta and Poland). The sport movement shall work towards a common definition of volunteering, and energetically lobby for recognition and valorisation of volunteering in sport, emphasising the dependence of sport organisations on volunteer inputs.
Education and recognition of volunteering Today, one of the most outstanding aspects of volunteering is its educational value and impact. The recognition and valorisation of the time that citizens invest in volunteering is essential as a motivational factor, in particular among the younger generations as a bridge between voluntary work, education and the labour market. Therefore, special attention must be paid to the recognition of skills and competences developed through non-formal and informal learning experiences. The role of volunteering needs to be fully recognised and supported in national and European lifelong learning strategies and activities.
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The economic and social value of volunteering The social and economic value of volunteering in sport is increasingly being recognised by EU member states, as both household spending on sporting goods and invested volunteering hours represent a multi-billion € economy. Volunteers are an impressive bank of social capital, and we need to nourish their investments to increase the economic value of the volunteering.
Volunteering management Volunteers contribute tremendously to the development of society, and today this requires more than ever specific skills and knowledge. Volunteering is serious business. Voluntary organizations need to market themselves in an attractive fashion in order to enlist new volunteers. Thus, NGOs need efficient and targeted oriented volunteer management systems leveraging the recruitment, training and retention of young volunteers.
New ways of funding There is an increased focus on assessing and redesigning ways of funding for the sport sector. Governments are adopting new forms of tax reliefs, whereas organizations increasingly discover alternative sources of income. However, today the main source of income for grassroots sport is the citizen himself and the concerned local authorities. European member states should promote equitable and sustainable funding mechanisms supporting the sound development of voluntary organizations. National sport organizations and public authorities should support grassroots sport associations by protecting their income, through enhanced guidance on funding streams and income generating activities.
The EuroVolNet project EuroVolNet is a transnational project that fosters the exchange of best practices regarding legal, organizational and financial aspects of volunteering in sport. Project partners form a network of experienced actors involved in the management and running of sport associations. This multilateral cooperation project addresses the priorities set-out in the European Commission’s White Paper on Sport as the basis of its action. Project partners contribute diverse experiences in engaging, managing and retaining volunteers at all levels in their organizations. EuroVolNet enables networking and sharing of best practices in a structured setting. Best practices furthered by EuroVoNet deal with the following dimensions: • Definition of volunteering • Education and recognition of volunteering • Legal framework of volunteering • The socio-economic value of volunteering • Volunteering management • New ways of funding
I VOLUNTEER ! I M A KE A DIFFERENCE ! E U R O V O L N E T
A legal framework for volunteering Inconsistent and inadequate legal frameworks for volunteers create obstacles associated to taxation, social insurance, unemployment benefits, health insurance and the labour market. European member states need to remove these barriers for voluntary work and provide volunteers with the right to operate within a clear and adapted legal framework!
Overall, EuroVolNet will establish a network that develops voluntary competences in sport by: 1 promoting volunteerism with a starting point in sport organizations; 2 engaging national and regional sport organizations from across Europe in networking and exchanging best practices, aiming at qualifying existing and developing new initiatives; 3 collecting, documenting and valorising examples of innovative volunteer engagement, management and retention; 4 identifying and disseminating best practices in innovative volunteer engagement, management and retention; 5 preparing future actions promoting volunteering in sport and society at large. Main EuroVolNet activities Kick-off meeting EuroVolNet Seminar 1 on legal, fiscal and managrial aspects of volunteeering based organisations. EuroVolNet Seminar 2 on educational and political needs, threats and opportunities for voluntary organisations. EuroVolNet Workshop on management of action for improving existing or developing new Voluntary Services. Online Voluntary Services Tutorial featuring leading resources and collected good practices. Consultations between ISCA and project partners fostering the development and dissemination of voluntary services and promoting bilateral match-making with other relevant organisations. Closing Conference promoting volunteering in sports in cooperation with the Danish Ministry of Culture during the Danish Presidency of the European Union.
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Si Ma lvija
Volunteers in Sport across Europe
Pre ced Mit of side oni evs ka a -ci bo nt o a a -ct tion ard f Pa 10 or in , org with rag 25 yea para aniz in t 00 rs glid er 0 in v
Da Sc vis Pr otla S. 40 esid nd 15 yea e 0 r 0 Else Eis e German nbeiß y Trainer e and pre lderly pe o v in Aero ention o ple g f 52 yea ym Gries falls rs heim 8 000 000 volu nte ers
Ward Karssemeijer The Netherlands Netherlands Spor ts Association (NSA), Football trainer Lugdunum, Leiden 6 years 1 5000 000 volunteers
Metod T re Slovenia bičnik Presiden t for all c of Local sp lu 40 year b Gaberje ort s 100 00 0 volu nteer s
Audr Lithu ius Siliuna s Spor ania activ t Trainer o SPAR ities in ru f kids 5 ye TUOLIAI ral spor ts clu a b, 300 rs 0 vol untee rs
Ma Se rina Or rbia Ivan ovi in A ganiz ć for sso er of 6 y all S ciatio spo 20 ears erbi n Sp r t eve a 00 or t nts 00 vol unt eer s
Carm e Italy n Maddaloni Educ a UISP- tor for developm per tu Unione Italiana ent Spor t 10 ye tti a r s 1 00 0 000 voluntee rs
ho va Ma or tch uri t ev irs sm en ka ers “M ts in atc C hir lub ski ”
Hanne Lene Haugaard Denmark Instructor and board member in Vilstrup Gymnastic and Spor ts Association 25 years 600 000 volunteers
Aiga Evertovska Latvia Project manager in Latvian Spor t for All Association 3 years 3000 volunteers
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y odne ew R in Matth d ager Englan and man b r u Traine ts Cl Spor Aston or t4alluk s and Sp s teer r 12 yea 00 volun 0 2 000
Name Country Position and organization Number of volunteering years Number of Volunteers in sport in the country
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Education and recognition of volunteering Today, one of the most outstanding aspects of volunteering is its educational value and impact. The recognition and valorisation of the time that citizens invest in volunteering is essential as a motivational factor, in particular among the younger generations as a bridge between voluntary work, education and the labour market. Therefore, special attention must be paid to the recognition of skills and competences developed through non-formal and informal learning experiences. The role of volunteering needs to be fully recognised and supported in national and European lifelong learning strategies and activities.
ce ea ila & P ber ta V ent em ité apa pm m ia Z elo ard Com Mar in Dev bo ef Spa r t for visor, Unic Spo s ad ator – ject pro llabor ya o n ers & c atalu nte de C ears volu y 0 19 0 00 0 17
Definition of volunteering There is no universally accepted definition of volunteering for the sport sector. A majority of countries in Europe either apply the same definition as used for volunteering in general, or vaguely refer to volunteers as ‘people that donate their time to sport organisations, carrying out activities in a field they are passionate about’. (this is the case in Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta and Poland). The sport movement shall work towards a common definition of volunteering, and energetically lobby for recognition and valorisation of volunteering in sport, emphasising the dependence of sport organisations on volunteer inputs.
uffy Conal D tor s Ireland s Direc e Activitie unity Gam m for Com s 37 year volunteers 0 400 00
Opportunities & challenges in volunteering
Tarmo Meresmaa Estonia organizer of running nordic walking event in Pärnu Two Bridges Club 5 years 12 000 volunteers
Volunteering comes from Latin from “voluntas” - will, choice. An old proverb says that “where there’s a will, there’s a way”.
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Non-formal learning on a massive scale Millions of Europeans join trainings and non-formal education offers in sport organizations, be it as trainers or leaders. We call it Education for life!
SC AL fS ers o nte nt u l s vo 00
vic vina nare ame Herzego er club c is K d Har nia an Girls soc Bos ner of reza Trai za'' – B 'Bre years lunteers 15 000 vo 40
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amoen E. Ma n e v S ay shus Norw rman of Aker al a ch i tskrets (region idret nization of spor ts orga rway) in No ars e 17 y 000 volunteers 200
M Ro iha m Vi Fe ce an d Sp d 15 o 50
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Volunteers are multi-billion donors and great educators Based on the number of volunteers and the number of hours dedicated, we can estimate that volunteers create an annual financial value of € 10 billion in France, € 7 billion in Germany, € 5.3 billion in the Netherland. Volunteering is strongly related to non-formal and informal learning, as it contributes to personal development, learning skills and competences, thus enhancing employability. Non-formal education and lifelong learning are important elements in the EU 2020 strategy towards smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The sport sector is the most widespread civil society movement, furthering learning processes both on and off the pitch.
u aro sp p A a fs len aria er o d to i g M ul iz an B gan ort te Or r sp rs olun v o a f ye 0 5 00 70
The EuroVolNet project
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Project facts Project period: December 2010 - June 2012 Co-funded: European Commission DG for Education and Culture, under the 2010 Preparatory Action in the Field of Sport Agreement no.: EAC-2010-1304 Budget: 223.801 € Project leader
Project manager and contact person Saska Benedicic Tomat ISCA Project manager sbt@isca-web.org Overall project responsible Jacob Schouenborg ISCA Secretary General js@isca-web.org Disclaimer The EuroVolNet project is receiving support from the European Commission, Education and Culture DG, under the “2010 Preparatory Action in the Field of Sport” – Grant agreement no. EAC.2010 - 1304
Project Partners • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Latvian Sport for All Association, LTSA Deutscher Turner Bund, DTB Sport et Citoyenneté NIF (The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sport) University of Kent, UK Community Games, Ireland Italian Sport for All Association, UISP Estonian Sports Association, JOUD Czech Sokol Organization, SOKOL Union Française des Oeuvres Laïques d’Education Physique, UFOLEP Scottish Associations of Local Sports Councils, SALSC Danish Gymnastic Association, DGI Czech Association Sport for All, CASPV Sports Union of Slovenia, SUS Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia Netherlands Sports Alliance, NSA Romanian Federation Sport for Bulgarian Young People Foundation
g r a p h i c d e s i g n & l ay o u t b y b a k f o r m
International Sport and Culture Association Tietgensgade 65 1704 Copenhagen V, Denmark Tel.: +45 33 29 80 26 Fax: +45 33 29 80 28 www.isca-web.org