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Description
The VOAHR Interior – Volunteer Organized for a Reference Humanitarian Action project aims to train 30 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) from north to south of mainland Portugal that have an infra-municipal territorial base and a community dimension, operating in low-density, interior geographical areas, away from large urban centers, contributing to an humanitarian action focused on the real needs of fragile populations and according to the fulfillment of the mission of each organization, seeking to create a strong impact on people and their territories. The partners on this project are EAPN – European Anti-Poverty Network, the largest European network of national, regional and local networks of anti poverty and social exclusion active organizations, with 1547 Portuguese associates in 18 districts, and Sector 3, directory specialized in social investment analysis that gathers 85 Portuguese organizations.
Summary of project results
The project, VOARH Interior, directly addresses the challenges identified in the "Diagnóstico das ONG em Portugal" conducted by UCP and FCG (2015). This study highlighted that civic participation in Portugal is significantly lower than the European average (11.5% in Portugal vs. 24% in the EU). It also noted that while many NGOs have volunteer boards and some volunteers, these volunteers are often few, lack contracts, and receive no training.
NGOs that rely heavily on volunteer work expressed a need to develop volunteer management skills, as many organizations lack structured processes for recruitment, training, follow-up, evaluation, and recognition of volunteers. Few NGOs reported having substantial experience in volunteer management, emphasizing the importance of training and attracting volunteers with the right technical, human, and maturity skills. Regularity, attendance, punctuality, and promoting volunteer autonomy were also highlighted as critical needs.
NGOs that use less volunteer work identified difficulties in attracting volunteers with the appropriate maturity, commitment, and resilience. They expressed a desire to improve their volunteer management strategies. The study also noted a decrease in the number of volunteers and a decline in the quality of younger volunteers, but an increase in societal awareness of social issues and the need to contribute.
Considering that the largest group of Portuguese NGOs (68.1%) consists of local NGOs that emerged from collective mobilization to provide social services, emergency responses, and artistic and cultural expression, there is still much to be done in terms of capacity building for staff and board members.
The project, which ran from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, executed several activities. In the preparation phase, the project was communicated to partners, strategies were defined, locations for roadshows were selected, contest regulations and registration forms were created, project and press dossiers were developed, the project website was launched, three videos were produced, communication materials were created, roadshows and contests were conducted, NGOs were selected, and all parties were informed of the jury''s decisions.
In the capacity-building phase, online training in volunteer management was provided. During the experimentation phase, action plans were designed by NGOs based on initial self-assessments, and consultancy was offered for creating personalized volunteer management programs.
In the impact phase, self-assessment questionnaires were administered after training, after experimentation, and six months post-experimentation (the third assessment for the South & Islands stage will be conducted in April/May 2022). Results were analyzed, an impact report was prepared, a survey on best practices in volunteer management among participating NGOs was conducted, and a best practices guide was developed.
In the closure phase, the final project meeting was held online, the impact report and best practices guide were disseminated, and the final report was drafted. Communication activities included promoting the project, roadshows, and contests through newsletters, websites, social media, and partner directories; sending press releases; updating the website and project dossiers; producing videos; and communicating project results to partners and participants. The project stages included in-person and digital roadshows, selection processes, online training, consultancy sessions, and multiple self-assessments to ensure continuous improvement and impact measurement.
The preliminary impact assessment indicates that the pandemic and consequent public health measures significantly affected the execution of the VOAHR Interior project and the dynamics and functioning of the NGOs, forcing them to undergo structural and organizational changes. Despite these challenges, the NGOs managed to follow the proposed activities and, based on an initial diagnosis, improved the implementation of effective volunteer management practices. Out of 42 NGOs that responded to the third self-assessment, 30 fully implemented effective volunteer management procedures and tools, compared to only 6 at the initial stage, highlighting the project''s impact on Portuguese NGOs.
The external evaluation report concludes that the project achieved very positive results in increasing the number of NGOs with effective volunteer management procedures, meeting expected outcomes, and generating impact in the implementation and optimization of effective management procedures. The project aimed to involve 30 NGOs but reached 44, creating 44 volunteer management programs. Even NGOs not located in low-density or insular territories had a territorial reach in these areas. The average participation per NGO was reduced from 4.5 to 3 people due to pandemic-related changes, reaching 191 people out of a target of 255. Training hours were reduced from 108 to 88, while consultancy hours increased from 360 to 476. Within six months post-project, 29 out of 44 NGOs integrated 298 new volunteers, showing improved performance. Four initiatives were conducted, involving 382 people. The project''s "interior dimension" reached approximately one-fifth of municipalities classified as low-density territories by CIC Portugal 2020, as well as insular and ultra-peripheral regions. Based on a 20% increase in NGOs with effective management procedures, the baseline was set at 26 NGOs, with 38 achieving this goal.