Measuring the Impact of Volunteering
Measuring social impact is a complex task but a huge amount of work needs to be done in Australia to measure the impact of volunteering, according to Lems Hems from the Centre for Social Impact.
Print
Measuring the Impact of Volunteering
27 October 2010 at 12:57 pm
27 October 2010 at 12:57 pm
Measuring social impact is a complex task and a huge amount of work needs to be done in Australia to measure the impact of volunteering, according to Lems Hems from the Centre for Social Impact.
Speaking at the Volunteering Australia Conference in Melbourne, Hems said he was worried about the
| |
| Les Hems says more work is needed to measure the impact of volunteering. [Photo: Asha Griffith] |
definition of volunteering and those volunteers who are 'left out' of the equation such as those who belong to clubs and societies as well as mentors.
He says ideally Not for Profits and corporates should report on the contribution of volunteers in their annual reports and this should include the number of volunteers and the time they donate as well as how they add to the quality of the organisations's mission.
Hems says that trust is a fragile commodity and must be re-institutionalised in the community.
He says that over the last twenty years in Australia and other societies, there has been a shift away from the trust relationship to a confidence relationship where service agreements and contracts with the Not for Profit sector are the norm.
He says to measure social impact over the long term, the sector must re-establish trust and look to the future.
Pro Bono Australia is a media partner of the 13th National Volunteering Australia Conference in Melbourne with some 500 delegates attending. Follow the conference on Twitter at #VA2010.
