9. Appendix: More on our research approach

This appendix provides further details of the survey methodology and other details about the approach to this research.

As outlined in section 2.4, this research draws on a number of different sources. More detail can be found below:

9.1. Main research findings and further analysis of Time Well Spent

  • This survey was completed by adults aged 18+ in Great Britain through YouGov’s panel, via an online self-completion questionnaire between 4 and 15 May 2018. The total sample achieved was 10,103 respondents. The data was weighted to reflect the national population by key demographics: age, gender, education level and social grade. The survey focuses on volunteering through groups, clubs and organisations, known as formal volunteering. More technical details can be found in Section 10 of the main Time Well Spent report.
  • Further analysis was carried out by analysing the sub-set of ESV volunteers: those who reported giving unpaid help to a group, club or organisation during work hours and/or organised by their employer in the last 12 months (n=347). We also compared with non-ESV volunteers (n=3498), who were those who did not volunteer but not in the ways outlined above; this, however, excluded those who had never had a job.

9.2. A range of existing research and literature on ESV

To inform the research, we looked at a range of research and literature (such as those listed below, some of which have been referenced throughout the report), primarily those which related to ESV practice within the last five years.

The CVN report was a key piece of research we drew on, as it provided recent evidence from the perspective of volunteer-involving organisations. More on the methodology can be found in the report. The CIPD report was also a key resource as it brought together much of the thinking around ESV at the time where it was under much focus (c.2015). The report includes the methodology used.

Research and literature:

9.3. Primary research carried out specifically for this report

This included qualitative research (interviews, workshops) and written feedback with volunteer-involving organisations, employers and brokers, as well as a round table discussing involving all groups.

  • Participants were recruited through a variety of different ways, including: the Corporate Volunteering Network (CVN), and a call for interest which was shared through NCVO blogs and email campaigns to its members and other stakeholders. We also used a snowballing technique to reach people from all groups, through those already recruited.
  • The fieldwork was carried out between 11 March and 5 April 2019.
  • Workshops, lasting two hours, combined open-ended discussion and interactive exercises for participants to share experiences and generate ideas. During the workshops, researchers also presented some of the key findings from Time Well Spent, to get participants’ responses. Researchers used a discussion guide, based on research objectives to support and structure the workshop.
  • Telephone interviews, lasting 30 minutes, covered key themes from the research, tailored to the audience. Written feedback was captured through a series of open-ended questions on SurveyMonkey, which participants were asked to complete.
  • Finally, a round-table, led by the Volunteering Development team at NCVO included volunteer-involving organisations, employers and brokers. During this round table, emerging findings were represented, followed by a discussion on practice and policy implications.
  • Case examples were provided by selected individuals, most of whom participated in the main-stage research, who were asked to provide more detail on particular aspects of their ESV.

This page was last reviewed for accuracy on 03 June 2019