Scottish Charities Call on MSPs to Remember Volunteers in Budget

Voluntary Action Fund have called on MSPs to support funding for volunteering and ensure investment continues from the public sector this International Volunteer Day.

Voluntary Action Fund have called on MSPs to support funding for volunteering and ensure investment continues from the public sector this International Volunteer Day.

MSPs were invited to recognise the return on investment that volunteering provides.
 
The Scottish Household Survey (2012) estimated formal volunteering contributes £2.6 billion per year to Scotland's economy. 
 
Currently, the Scottish Government’s Volunteering Support Fund helps meet this need through small grants of under £10,000. 

The Fund aims to help small to medium-sized charities recruit additional volunteers while also improving how volunteers are supported in their role.
 
Thanks to the Scottish Government, at least 5,063 volunteers have been involved and supported by the Fund within its first six months; providing an average of 7,295 volunteering hours in total per week throughout Scotland. Using Volunteer Scotland's calculations that equates to £5.5 million per year in monetary terms - five times the value of the funding invested in them.
 
VAF's Chief Executive, Keith Wimbles said: "At a time of further budget cuts, this highlights the extraordinary value that volunteering brings to our economy. 

"There's irrefutable evidence that investing in volunteering provides more than five times the economic value of the investment made – not to mention the social benefits to individuals, communities and society. That's a massive return on investment that shouldn’t be ignored."

Sheila Ottiwell, Regional Director for Samaritans in Scotland and volunteer at Kirkcaldy Samaritans, said: "That [funding] would be really welcome because we literally have to go out shaking a can to pay for the heating, lighting, telephone lines, we git a little bit of money from Choose Life but that's very ring-fenced.

"So actually for the running day-to-day we actually have to go out and raise money so any extra funds would be very, very welcome."