the european volunteer measurement project

Launched during the European Year of Volunteering 2011, the European Volunteer Measurement Project is a collaboration between the European Volunteer Centre (CEV), Centro di Servizio per il Voluntario del Lazio (SPES), and the authors of the ILO Manual on the Measurement of Volunteer Work, the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies (CCSS). The aim of this project is to disseminate this Manual and promote its implementation throughout Europe to provide better information and to help ensure effective management of volunteering and the development of a supportive policy environment.

Collecting accurate, comparable data on volunteering is the best way to ensure effective and enabling policy and management on the regional, national, and Europe-wide level, and to allow this crucial renewable resource to realize its full potential for social and environmental problem solving. However, in all but a handful of countries, the existing information on the extent and character of volunteering is anecdotal in nature; as a result, volunteering remain under-valued and its potentials under-realized. This is the problem that drove the development of the ILO Manual, which was officially published in March 2011. 
 
Because the release of this Manual coincides with the 2011 European Year of Volunteering, we have a unique opportunity to establish a permanent system for data gathering that will boost the visibility and credibility of volunteering across Europe. A sister project, the Global Volunteer Measurement project (GVMP), has likewise been formed to coordinate these efforts in countries outside Europe.

We cannot do this alone. We need the help of volunteer promotion agencies, policy makers, and civil society organizations across Europe to bring this Manual to the attention of statistical authorities, to encourage them to implement it, to monitor the implementation process, and to help disseminate the resulting information. This site will provide you with the information and tools you need to get involved and help us to get the ILO Manual implemented in your country. Please explore the pages linked below.

Get the project overview

Become a supporter

Read the latest at our blog

Get information about meetings and events

Learn about the ILO Manual

Meet our partners and supporters

Track our progress

Frequently Asked Questions

Information for statistical officials

Volunteering data and resources