It is difficult to keep pace with the number of government initiatives encouraging people to volunteer. But it seems that many organisations already have all the free help they can handle.

A survey by the Institute for Volunteering Research reveals that 60 per cent of volunteer managers could manage fewer than ten volunteers on their budgets and 27 per cent would not take on more recruits even if they had the money, reports Third Sector (April 23).

Mike Locke, the assistant director at Volunteering England, says that government and charities should focus on the quality of volunteering opportunities rather than the quantity. “It's not a case of groups getting more money and then being able to take more people on; it's about how many volunteers they have the resources to manage,” he says.

Community Care Online focuses on another aspect of the Institute's research, which suggests that up to 58 per cent of mental health service users see their condition improve as a result of volunteering. “It is clear there are significant benefits for service users and the NHS by investing in volunteer programmes,” says Bill Garland, deputy chief executive of CSV, a volunteering charity.

Marks do not make a degree

Academics believe the obsession with grades encourages students to adopt a strategic approach to their studies at the expense of real learning

BACKGROUND

• Don't all put your hands up

• Palliative care is affordable

• Initiatives for infrastructure

• What worked for us

Related Internet Links

• Public sector jobs

• Snakes & Ladders

In his citizenship review, the former attorney-general, Lord Goldsmith, called for council tax rebates in return for volunteering. But Justin Davis Smith, chief executive of Volunteering England, tells Charity Times (April) that this could create a “hierarchy of altruism” where people volunteer for the most financially rewarding positions.

www.ivr.org.uk

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