Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
The purpose of this study was to construct a typology of local voluntary organisations; to investigate the formal and informal, educational and educative impact which they make on individuals, groups and communities, and the extent and methods of transmission and the effect on the quality of life; to note the origins and characteristics of good practice; to put forward any recommendations, from the findings, on the implications for national and local policy and for training and development.
Main Topics:
- learning and change experienced by members and staff of a sample of 31 LVOs, sub-divided into social and group, content, occupational, political, and personal learning; transmission of LVOs' impact to individuals and communities, and the effect on the quality of life and citizenship; networking of VOs, among themselves and with statutory bodies, professionals and local business, with reference to the parts played by enabling organisations and individuals; characteristics and development of LVOs; learning in relation to LVOs' characteristics; comparison of men's and women's activities in LVOs; terminal educational age; leadership in LVOs. Categoric variables were constructed from the data of the two Surveys: forms of learning; methods and extents of transmission; strengths of links in networks; specialist/generalist VOs; inward/outward-looking VOs; dynamic/static/divergent VOs; degrees of incongruence in LVOs; leadership; participation in voluntary activities.
Purposive selection/case studies
- National Survey: A typology of LVOs was constructed, based on 343 possible characteristics, by forming a 7 by 7 matrix with axes of organisational and personal objectives, and associating with it 7 features of LVOs such as size, staff, funds and area served. A sample of 31 case studies was chosen to illustrate primary and secondary objectives not once but several times. After the satisfaction of these requirements, successful and more economically accessible LVOs were preferred. 2. Locality Survey: The town of Retford was chosen so as to be rich enough to yield fruitful results and small enough to be within the scope of the resources and time available. A few of the LVOs in the National Survey were in Retford.
Face-to-face interview
Telephone interview
Postal survey
Self-completion
Observation