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Day Conference Abstracts, Report and Papers
Report from Rob Macmillan
The December 2009 Day Conference was hosted by the
Third Sector Research Centre at the University of Birmingham, although the
conference itself was held at Network House, a refurbished building now run as a
church and conference venue owned by Vineyard Network Church in Birmingham.
Forty-three people found their way to the venue from the City Centre to assemble
in a large room, facing a stage complete with drum-kit. But rather than take a
turn, Pete Alcock, Director of the Third Sector Research Centre, opened the
proceedings by welcoming everyone, introduced each of the speakers and chaired
the discussions. Five quite different papers were presented, but together they
all reported on recent and ongoing empirical work examining aspects of the third
sector – volunteering, impact, income inequality, wages and managing change in
the third sector.
Geoff Nichols from Sheffield University presented the first paper on event
volunteers, using a case study from
Manchester to illustrate the complex relationships between volunteers, event
managers and a brokerage organisation – in this case Manchester Event
Volunteers. The paper sought to apply and adapt psychological contract theory as
a framework for understanding the management of volunteers, in particular the
sets of expectations different participants have of the relationships. Geoff
concluded that the idea of a psychological contract, whilst useful, overlooks
many of the social aspects of volunteering, particularly as a form of ‘serious
leisure’.
The second paper focused on identifying the value of voluntary sector
preventative services in the NHS. Bryan Collis, from the Welsh Council for
Voluntary Action, outlined the context for an examination of case studies of two
projects in Wales which might demonstrate the added value of voluntary sector
provision, particularly through a holistic service ethos, in a situation of
constrained budgets
 and
the need to demonstrate value for money. He introduced the two projects by
outlining headline costs and suggested savings to health service budgets. In the
time available Fiona Zinovieff of Bangor University then outlined some of the
rich qualitative findings of the study around the person-centred added value of
the projects.
The annual general meeting of VSSN was held just
before lunch. The retiring Chair of VSSN, Peter Halfpenny, noted a range of
 successes
for VSSN during 2008-09 – a growing membership, successful seminars in
Manchester and Belfast as well as the two day autumn conference held at Warwick
University in association with NCVO, enhancement of VSSN’s website and a
discussion list with around 430 members. But in particular Peter drew attention
to two new ventures for VSSN – the establishment of the
online members directory
and the development of the new journal
Voluntary Sector Review, the first issue of which is due for publication
in March 2010. Peter was formally thanked for all his much appreciated hard
work, commitment and enthusiasm for VSSN stretching over many years.
After lunch and ample time for networking, the afternoon session consisted of
three further papers. Peter Backus and David Clifford, from the Third Sector
Research Centre at Southampton University, gave a presentation exploring data on
income distribution within the third sector. The paper was couched around
so-called ‘Tescoisation’ - the popular notion that the largest third sector
organisations were taking an increasing ‘slice of the pie’ in terms of income in
the sector. Peter and David discussed how such a claim could be tested using
available data sources. In doing so they demonstrated the complexity of the
debate by identifying related issues of trends in income concentration,
differential growth rates and mobility across the distribution, including a
remarkable graphical illustration of how a small but methodologically important
change of assumptions can yield strikingly different results. They concluded by
outlining further questions, including analysis by sub-sectors and
organisational types, by different funding streams and how trends relate to the
aggregate growth of the sector as a whole.
Then Alistair Rutherford, a PhD student from Stirling University, presented a
paper based on his doctoral work examining the effect on wages in the voluntary
sector of the large expansion of its workforce over the last 10 years,
associated with the growth of public service contracting. In particular Alistair
wanted to consider whether the transformation of the workforce affected the
so-called “warm glow” effect where mission-motivated voluntary sector workers
might accept lower wages. Labour Force Survey data was used to examine pay
levels and sector differences, noting faster wage growth in the voluntary sector
and thus a degree of
 convergence
between the voluntary sector and the public sector. He concluded that insofar as
wage trends were linked to the growth of public service delivery, the cost
efficiency gains of delivering services through the voluntary sector may be less
than anticipated by policy-makers, and contracting out services may weaken the
sector’s “warm glow” comparative advantage.
The final paper of the day was given by Pauline Munro from Glasgow Caledonian
University Business School on managing change in the voluntary sector as seen
through the experiences of Chief Executive Officers of voluntary organisations
in Scotland. Pauline presented initial findings from an online survey and
interviews as part of an ongoing research project exploring whether there is a
specific voluntary sector change model. The preliminary findings suggest some
parallels with approaches to change management in the private sector, but this
may create some tension with the mission and values of voluntary organisations.
Abstracts
Geoff Nichols and Rita Ralston -
Understanding the management of volunteers through a three way psychological
contract: Manchester Event Volunteers
Manchester Event Volunteers (MEV) was set up following the 2002 Commonwealth
Games in Manchester (Ralston, et al. 2004). It acts as a broker between
volunteers and event managers. It presently maintains a data base of 1,700
volunteers and assists 150 events per year. The events range from national
sporting events to small community based ones. This research explores the
relationship between MEV, the volunteers and the event managers; understanding
this within the theoretical framework of the psychological contract - a set of
shared expectations (Rousseau, 1995; Rousseau & Tijoriwala, 1998). The research
used focus group interviews with volunteers, a questionnaire survey of over 250
volunteers, interviews with the MEV manager and with eight event managers. It
builds on previous exploratory work with a similar programme, Newham Volunteers
(Nichols, 2009; Nichols & Ojala, 2009). Organisations such as MEV allow
volunteers to select both the events they volunteer for, and the number of
events – this flexibility being highly valued by the volunteers. For event
managers, MEV provides a very easy way of contacting a large number of
volunteers, who bring particular contributions to the events.
The presentation is available
here (Powerpoint).
Dr Fiona Zinovieff, Dr Catherine A Robinson and Dr
Bryan Collis - Preventing delayed transfers of care: person-centred voluntary
sector services
The paper reports on a study which explored the role of two voluntary sector
organisations in providing transfers of care from hospital to community based
care and in the prevention of readmission to hospital. The schemes were
operating in different geographical locations. Reflecting the strong
person-centred approach adopted by each of the schemes, we explored the schemes'
added value both to the NHS and other commissioning organisations, statutory
sector staff and service users. Adopting a case study approach we developed a
detailed understanding of each of the two services, moving from a rich
description of the service, through its history and development and culminating
in an analysis based on the perspectives of key stakeholders. We interviewed
service users, volunteers and workers, scheme managers and service commissioners
and referrers. We also detailed the cost of providing the service within the
context of hospital bed-days saved.
The presentation is available here (Powerpoint).
Peter Backus and Dr David Clifford - Changes in income
concentration in the charitable sector: considering 'inequality', 'differential
growth' and 'mobility'
The received wisdom is that the charitable sector is undergoing a process of
increasing concentration where the large charities continually crowd out the
smaller charities. We examine this issue by looking at three distinct facets of
changes to the income distribution of charities.
1) 'inequality': overall trends in income concentration - is there a tendency
for the 'biggest' charities, as defined in a particular year, to account for a
growing share of total charity income over the analysis period?
2) 'differential growth': do 'small' (low-income) charities, defined at the
beginning of the analysis period, tend to grow slower or faster than the 'big'
(high-income) charities?
3) 'mobility': to what extent is there 'leapfrogging' during the analysis
period, as initially smaller charities overtake the incomes of those that were
initially larger?
Considering only overall 'inequality' (1) can mask its constituent dynamics (2
and 3). Instead, all three facets are of substantive interest in their own right
and together contribute to a nuanced understanding of changes in relative
income.
We use data from GuideStar and Charities Aid Foundation. Analysis is based on a
large panel of charities for which we have consistent financial information over
a number of years.
This is work in progress, so results are preliminary, but we would be very
interested to hear your feedback.
Alasdair Rutherford - On the up: changing trends in
voluntary sector wages in the UK 1998 - 2007
Since 1997 the UK Government has sought to expand the provision of public
services by the independent nonprofit, or “voluntary”, sector. As a result, the
voluntary sector has grown dramatically as the increasing use of commissioning
and competitive tendering has exerted many market forces on the sector from
which it had previously enjoyed some shelter.
The value of government contracts with the voluntary sector increased from
around £2 billion in 1996/97 to £6.88 billion in 2005/06. This has increased the
importance of the sector, both as a significant employer in the UK and as a key
part of public service provision. In 2003 earned income overtook donated income
as the most significant source of funds for UK charities.
Much has been made of the distinctive advantages of the voluntary sector, rooted
in the profit-distribution constraint and the “warm glow” of motivated workers.
We ask, what effect has the expansion of the sector had on the make-up of the
voluntary sector workforce?
This paper examines the effect of the sector’s growth on pay levels and the wage
differentials between sectors. Using data from the UK Labour Force Survey (LFS),
we find that while there is evidence of lower voluntary sector wages in 1998,
this gap has been closing over the past ten years as the sector has experienced
faster wage growth than either the private or public sectors. The convergence of
voluntary sector wage levels on the public sector wages has significant
implications for the contracting-out of public services.
The presentation is available here
(PDF).
Pauline Munro - Managing change in turbulent times
The purpose of this paper is to present the initial findings of research
exploring the process and management of change as experienced by Chief Executive
Officers affiliated with ACOSVO. The central themes explored are drivers for
change, experience of change, identifying and overcoming barriers to change, and
resultant success.
An online survey was conducted with ACOSVO members regarding the nature,
progress, consequences and perceived success of their change efforts. These
findings illustrated the often rapid nature of change which must be managed by
inclusion of stakeholders. Effective, unambiguous communication coupled with a
clear rationale was cited as the most fruitful approach to initiate and
introduce change in a non-threatening, positive way. All respondents considered
their past and present change efforts to have been successful.
The themes of the questionnaire were then explored with individual chief
executives to provide more contextual and operational detail. This was achieved
by a series of one to one interviews where drivers of change, outcomes and
operational analysis were discussed. In harmony with the survey findings there
was significant emphasis on communication, trust and the need to have all
stakeholders on board. This was deemed to be essential in order to work within
volatile funding environments and required legislation.
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