Girlguiding impact report
Girlguiding girls really trust and value volunteers
Girlguiding girls really trust and value volunteers. 95% of Girlguiding girls agreed ‘I respect my leaders and my helpers’.
“It’s a lot of fun for the girls, but it’s also a lot of fun for me.”
Volunteer
The impact we have on the lives of girls is only possible thanks to 70,000 volunteers sharing their time, enthusiasm and support. Girlguiding volunteers are amazing, and the girls they support agree.
When we asked Girlguiding girls to what extent they agreed with the following statements, the results were clear:
agreed ‘I can talk to my unit leaders and helpers if I need help’
agreed ‘My unit leaders and helpers make me feel like I matter’
agreed ‘My unit leaders and helpers treat me with respect’
agreed ‘I respect my leaders and my helpers’
“If I ever had any problems or anything I'd definitely feel comfortable talking to my leaders about it.”
Ranger
And the feeling is mutual. Out of the volunteers we heard from:
agreed with the statement ‘I feel valued by the parents in my unit’
agreed with the statement ‘I feel welcomed in Girlguiding’
agreed with the statement ‘I feel valued by the girls in my unit’
“I once had a child say to me about their school residential, 'I just wish you were coming because when I go away with you I feel safe'. And that really touched me.”
Volunteer
Girlguiding volunteers are passionate about what they do
Many of our volunteers sign up because they are asked to help, but stay because they enjoyed giving back and working with girls. They are motivated to help others, learn new skills and build lasting friendships.
“I was given such amazing opportunities as a child that I found it important to be able to give that to the girls I now lead.”
Volunteer
What motivates Girlguiding volunteers
Compared to volunteers at other UK youth organisations, Girlguiding volunteers are 5 times more likely to say they joined to learn new skills.
They are 6 times more likely than other youth volunteers to say they joined because they’d been helped by Girlguiding in the past.
And they are 4 times more likely to say things in their life are worthwhile than those who volunteer at least once per year elsewhere, and those who never volunteer.5
“Some of my closest friends have been made through guiding.”
Volunteer
Girlguiding volunteers also stay in Girlguiding twice as long as the average UK volunteer. On average, our volunteers stay for 13.5 years compared to the UK average of 6 years, and they give around 12 hours each month compared to the UK average of 8 hours.6
Girlguiding volunteers are happier
Girlguiding volunteers report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction than the average UK adult who does no volunteering, as well as those who volunteer less frequently with other organisations.7
Girlguiding volunteers’ happiness is 5 times higher than those who volunteer at least once per month elsewhere, and 4 times higher than those who volunteer at least once per year elsewhere.
They also report higher levels of life satisfaction. For Girlguiding volunteers, it is 4 times higher than those who volunteer at least once per month elsewhere, and 4 times higher than those who never volunteer.
Continually improving our volunteers’ experience
Without our volunteers our impact wouldn’t be possible, which is why we’re always working to make sure volunteers are fulfilled and happy in their roles. Our volunteers told us they want to spend more time with their girls doing the things they love, and less time on admin. So we’re trying to make volunteering as easy as possible by streamlining processes and offering flexible volunteering opportunities. We also want to do more to celebrate our amazing volunteers and make sure they feel listened to and appreciated for all that they do. And of course, we need to attract more volunteers to join us so we can keep providing great experiences for girls.
“It just makes you feel happy that you're helping out your community.”
Volunteer
5 Girlguiding volunteer data (sample size 7701) compared to data from DCMS Community Life Survey 2020/21 (2021), sample size: 10,917
6 Girlguiding volunteer data (sample size 7701) compared to data from NCVO Time Well Spent Survey (2019), sample size: 10,103
7 Girlguiding volunteer data (sample size 7701) compared to data from DCMS Community Life Survey 2020/21 (2021), sample size: 10,917
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