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Voluntary & Charity

Organisations which constitute the Voluntary Sector may have hundreds of employees, six-figure turnovers and national or even international recognition (eg. The National Trust, the NSPCC, Greenpeace, Oxfam). At the other end of the scale, they may have no paid employees, a tiny budget and exist for a short period of time only to tackle a single local issue. Many fall between these two extremes but the majority are small with few paid employees, short term funding which has to be replenished annually or project by project, and a constant need to keep their cause in the public eye, encouraging support and ensuring they serve the purpose for which they were established.

By definition, voluntary organisations or charities are independent of government or business and non-profit making. Collectively they form a very big, vibrant sector, contributing significantly to the national economy and delivering a range of services which provide benefits to relevant sections of the public not just the members of the organisation.

Growing numbers of people are employed in this sector and, in recent years, it has become more professional and "managerial" in culture, especially where organisations have taken on government contracts and accepted statutory funding to provide a range of public services such as day care facilities, helplines or advice centres.

A major activity of most voluntary organisations is the recruitment and deployment of the many volunteers who give their time and skills to the sector. Some organisations are run entirely by their volunteers but even relatively small, local charities may have sufficient funding, albeit sometimes rather precarious, to employ a core of paid staff in key roles such as policy and administration, campaigning or fund raising. Most places will have a volunteer bureau or equivalent which can give leads into the work available. A study by the Economic and Social Research Council found a strong link between voluntary activity and overall life satisfaction.

Graduates keen to join the sector may have to consider different ways of getting in, depending on their qualifications, skills and experience. Professionally qualified staff (social workers, nurses, accountants, for example) may be employed directly; long standing volunteers may gradually acquire relevant experience and skills and find themselves "in the right place, at the right time" when a paid position comes up; graduates with experience in other sectors (eg. the Civil Service, PR and marketing, retailing, information and administration) may find their expertise highly transferable into the voluntary sector.

Voluntary organisations reflecting the full spectrum of causes, from international to local, can be found in Yorkshire, the mix varying from city to urban to rural context and need. The sections here define and link to some of the key opportunities for graduates in the voluntary sector in Yorkshire. For further information about the voluntary sector as a whole, see the sector briefing on htto://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/occupations.

Useful links:

National Association of Voluntary and Community Action

NAVCA is the national voice of local voluntary and community sector infrastructure in England. Their 360 members work with 140,000 local community groups and voluntary organisations which provide services, regenerate neighbourhoods, increase volunteering and tackle discrimination, in partnership with local public bodies.

Telephone: 0114 278 6636

NAVCA, The Tower, 2 Furnival Square, Sheffield S1 4QL

Yorkshire and Humber Regional Forum

The Yorkshire and Humber Regional Forum is a strategic organisation with a membership of around 250 local and sub-regional umbrella and intermediary organisations in the Yorkshire and Humber region. The Forum's objective is to become the recognised channel of communication between voluntary and community organisations in the region, providing information on issues which affect members and encouraging the development and exchange of good practice. They are also developing a regional voice for the sector, enabling it to play a key role in planning and development throughout the region, in partnership with Yorkshire Forward, Government Office for Yorkshire and Humber, and other regional bodies such as the Regional Assembly and Regional Chamber.

Telephone: 0113 3942300

Suite D10 Joseph's Well, Hanover Walk Leeds LS3 1AB

National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)

NCVO works with and for the voluntary sector in England by providing information, advice and support and by representing the views of the sector to government and policy-makers.

ncvo@ncvo-vol.org.uk

Telephone: 0800 2798798

Regent's Wharf, 8 All Saints Street, London, N1 9RL