Voluntary Organizations in Italy
Results Emerging from First P.A.V.E. Oriented
National Survey
Riccardo Guidi - Volunteering and Participation Foundation (Italy)
Preface
The Policy Agenda on Volunteering in Europe (P.A.V.E.) was approved at the
European Year of Volunteering 2011 Alliance Steering Group meeting in November
2011 and was presented to the European Commission in December 2011. P.A.V.E
provides recommendations for a more efficient and effective European policy framework
to support and promote volunteers, volunteering, volunteer-involving organisations and
their partners. The P.A.V.E. recommendations promote and support volunteering as a
demonstration of European values, providing a vehicle for active citizenship and
contributing to economic and social-capital growth.
Using some P.A.V.E. recommendations as tools for research, Italian Centre of
Volunteering and Volunteering and Participation Foundation carried out a survey on a
national sample of Italian voluntary organizations in 2013-2014.
1. Survey methodology
The survey has been conducted on a national probability sample of 1,900
presidents of voluntary organizations. Frame list is composed by 26.301 voluntary
organizations (DB Italian Centre of Volunteering). The sample has been stratified by
region and activity field. Sampling errors of the different stratums are homogeneous.
The interviews have been carried out through CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone
Interviews) system from December 2013 to March 2014.
A broad spectrum structured questionnarie has assisted the interviews. It has
included the topics of P.A.V.E. sections nr. 1 (Quality f Volunteering) and nr. 4
(Volunteering Infrastructure). It has meant including the following questions (see also
Annex 1):
1. Training initiatives in voluntary organizations: yes/no; kinds of activity, kinds of
recipients
2. Involvement in voluntary organizations decision-making: number of assemblies,
volunteers participants to the last assembly, further decision-making meetings,
level of volunteers involvement in decision-making, initiatives aimed at
1
increasing volunteers involvement in decision-making (yes/no)
3. Social life in voluntary organizations: social and cultural activities, headquarters
destination
4. Volunteers management: strategies of welcome, strategies of coordination.
2. Results
2.1 Volunteers participation to organizational decision-making
In 2013, only 1,2% of Italian voluntary organizations did not carry out any assembly. The
most part of organizations (68,6%) had one or two assemblies in 2013. A significant
minority did better: 14,7% organized three or four assemblies and 14,9% five or more
(Graph.1). The average number of voluntary organizations assemblies in 2013 were 2,9.
Graph 1. Number of assemblies carried out by voluntary organizations, %, 2013 (n=1900)
Considering the last assembly of 2013 only, it involved less than 25% of members in
41,7% of organizations. In almost one in five cases (19,9%), last assembly involved a
percentage of members from 25% and 50%. A numerous minority of Italian voluntary
organizations did better: 18,9% involved a percentage of members from 50% and 74%
of the whole membership and a superior quota of members participated to 17,9% of
assemblies (Graph.2). The average percentage of members involved in the last
assembly of 2013 were 41,0%.
Graph 2. Percentage of members involved in the last 2013 assembly, % (n=1900)
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As well-known, assemblies are not the only decision-making place in voluntary
organizations. Informal meetings can be considered important as well. In 2013 a
minority of voluntary organizations (35,8%) only did not have any informal decisionmaking meeting. 30,6% of organizations had some meetings, whereas these are
frequent in almost one organization in three (32,6%) (Graph.3).
Graph 3. Percentage of voluntary organizations that had informal decision-making meetings in 2013
(n=1900)
We also was interested in knowing if voluntary organizations arranged some initiatives
aimed at increasing members and volunteers partecipation in decision-making. In the
last two-year period, almost two organizations in three (64,1%) have developed focused
activities, whereas one-third about (33,7%) did not conduct any initiatives. We also
investigated the presidents’ opinion about the level of members and volunteers
participation to organizational decision-making. Less than 30% of presidents consider it
low or very low. It is “neither low nor high” for one-third about (32,7%) and it is high or
very high for 37,5% of them (Graph.4).
Graph. 4. Level of members and volunteers participation to organizational decision-making, according to
the presidents, % (n=1900)
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2.2 Training initiatives
In 2013, 52,2% of Italian voluntary organizations carried out some relevant training
activity (Graph.5). The percentage is homogeneous in the different regions. Voluntary
organizations operating in civil protection (69,4%), health (77,5%) and socio-health
(61,5%) fields show the highest values in the sample.
Graph 5. Voluntary organizations that carried out training initiatives, %, 2013 (n=1900)
The most part of 2013 training initiatives (66,1%) were about technical questions. One
training activity in three (33,8%) was about values. Training initiatives about laws and
group management follows (Graph.6).
Graph 6. Topics of voluntary organizations training initiatives, %, 2013 (n=1900; multiple choice available)
Volunteers and organizations members were by far the most involved targets of 2013
voluntary organizations training initiatives. Workers and managers were residual
recipients. Local community and schools were involved by a significant minority of
organizations (Graph.3).
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Graph 3. Recipients of voluntary organizations training initiatives, %, 2013 (n=1900; multiple choice
available)
2.3 Volunteers management and social life in voluntary organizations
Social life is supposed to be a topic of voluntary organizations. Italian ones seem to
confirm this assumption. More than one organizations in three (68,4%) sometimes or
often carried out social activities/events for volunteers in 2013. Less frequent are cultural
and welcome activities, as well as fund-raising ones (Graph.8).
Graph 8. Percentage of voluntary organizations carrying out some activities/events in 2013, %, (n=1900)
Social
activities /
events for
volunteers
Fund-raising
activities/events
Cultural
activities/events for
volunteers
Welcome
activities/events for
new volunteers
In 2013, almost one voluntary organization in two (46,1%) dedicated its own
headquarter to social life beyond organizational activities (Graph.9).
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Graph.9. How much Italian voluntary organizations use their headquarters for social life (n=1900)
Welcoming, tutoring and coordinating volunteers are expected to be a condition for the
effectiveness of voluntary organizations. Thus we asked the presidents how their own
organizations manage welcome/tutoring and coordination of volunteers. The most part
of organizations appointed some specific person(s) both to tutoring volunteers in the
entrance period and to coordinate the volunteers in 2013. One-third about let volunteers
self-organizing, whereas a minority had no persons in charge of these roles (Graph.10).
Graph. 10. Tutoring and coordination tasks in voluntary organizations, % (n=1900)
Who manages volunteers tutoring
in the entrance period
Who coordinates volunteers
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Annex 1
P.A.V.E. Topics
1. Nell’ultimo anno la sua associazione ha realizzato attività formativa?
1. Sì
2. No o nessuna di rilievo
2. (Se 1=sì) Che tipo di attività formativa? Risposta libera
Codifica l'intervistatore a posteriori
a) legata all’attività operativa dell’associazione:
b) tecnica
c) normativa e regolamentare
d) relazioni e valori
e) gestionale (managment, amministrazione, contabilità etc.)
f) gestione dei gruppi (di volontari), motivazione, soluzione dei conflitti
g) altro (specificare : ___________________)
3. (Se 1=sì) Chi sono stati i destinatari prevalenti delle attività formative? (Codifica a posteriori. Sono
possibili più risposte)
a) Nuovi volontari
b) Volontari e soci
c) Dirigenti
d) Personale interno
e) Altro (Specificare : ___________________)
4. Nel corso dell'ultimo anno quante assemblee dell’associazione si sono svolte? Risposta libera
5. Nel corso dell'ultimo anno (risponda: mai; qualche volta (1-3); spesso >3):
a. oltre alle assemblee sono stati organizzati incontri informali con soci e/o volontari a fini di
organizzazione o condivisione di scelte?
b. stati organizzati eventi (cene, feste, manifestazioni) o attività:
a. per favorire l’aggregazione del corpo sociale
b. per raccogliere fondi a beneficio dell’associazione
c. per approfondire temi di specifico interesse dei soci, dei volontari, dell’associazione
d. per accogliere nuovi volontari
6. I locali in cui ha sede l’associazione sono dedicati:
1. esclusivamente all’organizzazione dell’attività e/o all’amministrazione dell’associazione
2. anche alla vita sociale.
7. Chi segue all’interno dell’associazione:
1. L’inserimento di nuovi volontari:
a) una persona o un gruppo di persone con un incarico dedicato
b) il gruppo dei volontari in maniera autonoma ed informale (ad esempio attraverso i
volontari più anziani ed esperti)
c) nessuno in particolare
2. Il coordinamento dei volontari
a) una persona o un gruppo di persone con un incarico dedicato
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b)
c)
il gruppo stesso dei volontari in maniera autonoma ed informale (ad esempio
attraverso i volontari più anziani ed esperti)
nessuno in particolare
8 La partecipazione di soci e volontari ai processi decisionali dell’associazione (si sottolinea processi
decisionali, non all’attività in generale) è?
1. molto bassa
2. bassa
3. né bassa né elevata
4. elevata
5. molto elevata
9. Nell’ultimo biennio sono state prese iniziative per cercare di aumentare la partecipazione dei soci e dei
volontari ai processi decisionali?
1. sì
2. no
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