Britain's Voluntary Organisations

Argument

Philanthropy, donating volunteering, fund raising, these are words that have been used in Romanian only recently. However, in Great Britain and The United States these are not mere notions, they exist in real life, in the names of some real organizations that really work

They cover a large area of fields such as : education, economic development, health, human rights, conflict resolution, disaster relief and so on.

I have chosen this topic for its humanitarian aspect, bearing in mind the volunteers themselves. There are many aspects to be taken into consideration. A young volunteer traveling internationally by himself makes a huge jump in gaining a lot of confidence in himself, making friends and getting a sense of community. It is basically a way “to give back” yet, intending “to give” they end up by receiving more from the community than they ever could have imagined.

Universal giving is dedicated to making giving and volunteering a natural part of everyday life !

1.Introduction

Voluntary work has been an important feature of British life for centuries. Most of today's major social services, such as health, education and social welfare, were built on foundations laid down over generations, first by the church and later by individuals who gave their lime and effort voluntarily for the good of the community.

In Britain today one in four people, of all ages and backgrounds, regularly gives

up their lime, effort and skills to support good causes -helping those in need or distress, improving the quality of life for individuals, groups and the community at large and caring for the natural and built environment. These people and their groups and organisations together make up the voluntary sector.

The number of voluntary bodies is large and growing. The exact total is not known, since only those which have the status of registered charities in England and Wales or of a 'recognised body' in Scotland can be counted accurately. In England and Wales their number increased from approximately 132.000 in 1979 lo more than 170,000 in 1992 and about 4,000 are registered each year. It is estimated that there are at least as many voluntary organisations which are not registered charities.

Voluntary organisations take many different forms and engage in a wide range of activities. Some are small community groups, others national organisations and they operate at all levels, from the street to the international arena. Some are permanent, some short-term. Some have few- resources, others are well-provided. Some are very small; others resemble multi-million-pound international corporations, employing many full-time salaried staff as well as volunteers. Their activities range from running a village hall, to helping and caring for disadvantaged people, to protecting the global environment. A recent survey by the Charities Aid Foundation found that 183 of the top 400 fund-raising charities in Britain employed a total of nearly 37,000 staff. The figure for the whole voluntary sector may be as high as 250,000.

The Government is committed to encouraging a healthy and growing voluntary sector and has established an increasingly close and productive partnership with it. It recognises that joining in voluntary activity helps to create or enhance a sense of belonging and of community. For many people, voluntary activity is an important way lo make a positive contribution to their community and to influence it.

The Government considers that the statutory services cannot provide for all society's needs, and that this would not be desirable even if it were possible. It regards the voluntary sector as a powerful third force in society, occupying the ground between those areas which are the responsibility of individuals and those which are the responsibility of Government. It considers that it would be unhealthy and damaging lo the independence of the voluntary sector for it lo rely too heavily on direct government support. The Government's role is to encourage the development of a climate favourable to support from oilier sources; lo establish an appropriate framework for partnership and encourage partnership between government, business and voluntary organisations wherever possible.