Voluntary Action Volume 1 Number 3 Autumn 1999 55

This article discusses some of the consequences for volunteering of the move towards ‘professionalism’ in the charity shop sector. It is based upon interviews at the headquarters of six leading charities, subsequent interviews with local managers, and the responses to a questionnaire distributed to volunteers at seven of the charities’ shops in the Ruislip area.

The findings confirm that, despite the growing presence of paid staff in charity shops, there continues to be a demand for supplementary volunteer effort. It is suggested that this is for more subtle reasons than simply keeping costs down. Moreover, as more paid managers are appointed, so the support volunteers are likely to take on a different profile. This trend, together with the mixture of paid and unpaid staff working in close proximity, will bring new challenges. Charity shop volunteers: a ‘no- cost’ option? Roy Whithear, Self-Employed Charity Consultant

Introduction of charity shops. Blume (1995) notes that The charity retail sector has grown these shops have mushroomed and significantly in the past ten years or so, suggests that they are now primarily a and is continuing to develop its own British institution. The Evening Standard particular presence in the charity world. reports that: Income from shops is now an important source of charity funding. Charity shops are now considered a permanent and increasingly upmarket Kay (1989: p 17) commented that: feature of British retailing.

The gaps in the high street were being There are now estimated to be almost six filled by building societies, estate agents, thousand shops owned and run by wine bars and take-away food. charities and converting donated goods into cash. They trade principally, but not Ten years on, this observation would exclusively, in second-hand clothes. have to include the ever-growing number According to NGO Finance’s Charity shop volunteers 56

annual survey of charity shops, the top The article attempts to give a rounded twenty charities in terms of income picture of volunteering by combining the account for more than 4500 of these views of the larger charities with those shops. If the expansion plans of the of their Ruislip shop workers, managers larger charities are realised, and and volunteers. In doing so, it examines smaller charities also continue to open some of the issues raised by the shops, the total may reach ten introduction of ‘professionalism’. thousand shops within the next few years. It is legitimate to ask whether Research methodology this inexorable growth can be It was decided to conduct the detailed maintained, and when saturation point survey of volunteers in one suburban will be reached. Currently, however, town to the west of London. The exact there seems to be no let-up in the location would depend upon how far ambitions of charities in this sector of charities in any particular place were the retail market. willing to put up with interviews and questionnaires. The top seven charities Alongside this growth, there is an active in the charity shop sector were increasing use of paid staff in the shops approached. Five agreed to be – a trend that clearly has implications involved. Of these, four were for the future of volunteering. For represented in one suburban high instance, will charity shops become so street, that of Ruislip. The street ‘professional’ that volunteer effort is contained five charity shops in all, and shunned? Or perhaps, more sinisterly, the fifth shop also agreed to be part of will volunteer staff come to be seen the sample. A total of six charities were merely as a cost-saving device? If, as is therefore studied; between them they more likely, a mixture of paid and had 2,300 shops and an estimated unpaid staff is the result, are the 50,000 volunteers (NGO Finance, tensions inseparable from this mixture 1998). This was regarded as a good fully understood? Given this scenario, representation of the sector. what help is the local shop manager given in creating a setting for effective Each of these charities gave permission voluntary effort? for an interview with someone at head office – often the most senior staff Any attempt to answer these questions member responsible for retail is complicated by the size and rapidly- management – for subsequent changing nature of the charity shop interviews with shop managers and for sector. Although some of the leading a questionnaire to volunteers co- charities that run shops were involved ordinated by these same managers. in this review, it should be seen One of the charities offered two shops, essentially as a snapshot based on so seven shops in all were surveyed; as observation rather than a structured we have seen, five of these survey over time. represented the charity shop sector’s total presence in Ruislip. V olunt ary Action Volume 1 Number 3 Autumn 1999 57

The initial interview was structured so The Ruislip shop volunteer as to gain an insight into the charity’s Data from the interviews with shop perceptions of its volunteer workforce managers gave a general background and the importance it placed upon them. into which the profile of the volunteer The subsequent interviews with shop could be fitted. All the shops were in managers were designed to test primary locations and were in close whether the high-level view of proximity to each other. They were open volunteers and volunteering matched during normal retail hours six days of the reality at grass-roots level. The the week. None closed for lunch or for a questionnaire enabled a profile of the half-day, and none opened on a Sunday volunteers to be constructed. (although some had tried this over the Christmas period). Two of the seven shops were run by volunteer managers. This offered a The managers considered their main valuable opportunity to compare competitor to be another charity shop, volunteer management and volunteer although they did mention the adverse profiles in these shops with those in the effect car boot sales were having on the shops managed by paid staff. The total volume of donated goods. workforce of the seven shops was 143 and sufficient forms were left for 116 The profile of the Ruislip shop volunteer, volunteers. Of the forms distributed, 74 based on the five shops located there, (52%) were returned in useable form. is given in Table 1, on the next page.

Around ten weeks (22 January-2 April The average number of volunteers per 1988) elapsed between the first head- shop was 17, but this figure was office interview and the receipt of the skewed by the fact that one shop was last batch of questionnaires. staffed entirely by volunteers; excluding this shop, the average was 14. Presentation The findings of this research are It is not surprising that 95 per cent of presented as two profiles of volunteers: the volunteers were found to be female; the Ruislip Shop Volunteer and the compare the Horne and Broadbridge Volunteer-Managed Volunteer. This (1994) survey of a Scottish chain, where latter profile contributes to our 98 per cent were female. Women seem understanding of how groups of to dominate the volunteer effort in volunteer may differ, and offers a pointer charity shops. to further research. The main body of the article is given over to a discussion The age profile in Ruislip was also of the issues arising from the payment similar to that in Horne and of local shop staff. Broadbridge, where 90 per cent of the respondents were over 45 and just two per cent were under 24. Charity shop volunteers 58

Table 1: Profile of volunteering

Number of volunteers 87 Number surveyed 82 Number returned 60

Profile per cent Under 21 - 21 to 50 17 Over 50 83 Male 5 Female 95 Married 45 Widowed 35 Single 20

How long with the per cent charity? Under 1 year 12 1-5 years 38 5-10 years 32 over 10 years 18

Average hrs 7.5 per week

Two of the charity shops visited in Although no specific questions about Ruislip had all the characteristics of a ethnic background or class were asked, club for their volunteers. Many of these the volunteers were observed to be volunteers were also members of predominantly white and middle class. another institution and their work in the shop was clearly an extension of their The typical Ruislip volunteer shop social circle. Recruitment was worker – a white, mature, middle-class predominantly by invitation (78 per cent woman – thus fitted the stereotype, but of respondents) rather than a more some of the charities did say that the formal process. A quarter of the profile of their volunteers could well be volunteers said that they had offered different in other towns. Research at their services at the suggestion of a local level might uncover some interesting friend. contrasts to the findings of the Ruislip survey and of Horne and Broadbridge. V olunt ary Action Volume 1 Number 3 Autumn 1999 59

As 50 per cent of the Ruislip shop A significant proportion of the volunteers volunteers had been volunteering for (63%) chose to work for a charity in order more than five years and a further 38 to do something useful. The cause itself per cent for between one and five was less important to them (30%). This years, they were clearly very was in contrast to the findings of Horne experienced. This evidence of a stable and Broadbridge (1994), where the core of volunteers is consistent with, cause dominated the volunteers’ but more impressive than, the Horne choice of where they worked. and Broadbridge study, which found only 13 per cent of volunteers with more The volunteers did, however, express than five years’ service. loyalty to the cause; only 23 per cent said that, given the chance, they would People who volunteer in charity shops work in another charity shop. Quite a are encouraged to work a particular large proportion (42%) said they would morning or afternoon shift each week. not take their interest elsewhere. The average number of hours each volunteer put in per week was 7.5, but In Ruislip, the reason most frequently this figure was inflated by two given for choosing to work in a shop volunteers (one of them a manager) was ‘to meet other people’ (63%). This who did a full working week. In was also the most common reason general, volunteers gave four hours a given in the Horne and Broadbridge week on a regular basis; this (1994) survey, but only by 33 per cent corresponds quite closely with the of respondents. 1997 National Survey of Volunteering’s notional mean of 4.05 hours per week Many of the volunteers commented for volunteering generally. that retailing gave them an opportunity to work for the charity in a positive way. The majority of volunteer shop workers One made the interesting observation (63%) had no prior retailing that the volume of sales provided experience. Only a few (8%) had immediate feedback which enabled her worked as a shop volunteer previously. to quantify her efforts. And for 57 per cent, volunteering in a charity shop was their first experience The volunteer-managed volunteer of formal voluntary work for a charity. The interviews with shop managers and the responses to the In the shops surveyed, the paid questionnaires indicated that there managers tended to be ex-retailers, were some important differences whereas the unpaid managers were between the volunteers co-ordinated by a long-serving volunteers. This trend paid manager and those who were part of towards using experienced retailers as an all-volunteer operation. shop managers, and paying them, was confirmed by the headquarters of the For instance, the volunteers in the various charities. volunteer-managed shops were Charity shop volunteers 60

generally older and longer serving and offered more unsolicited reasons for had less previous retailing experience working in a shop; these were usually than those in the shops run by paid variants on the theme that shop work managers. The ‘club’ affiliation was was ‘the most positive way to work for a stronger in this group of volunteers. They charity’. offered ‘working in a team’ as a strong motivation. They also asked for more Altruism was particularly strong among training opportunities to remedy their lack the volunteers in the volunteer-managed of shop experience. shop, with 68 per cent (compared to 42%) stating that they would give the Whithear (1999) observed that money back to the charity if they were ‘concentric recruitment’ was likely to be paid. Indeed, only 6 per cent of this more successful in the volunteer- group (compared to one third) would managed shops, where recruitment is accept payment for their work were it to less formalised. Certainly in this survey be offered. the recruitment process in the volunteer- managed shops was seen as informal During the management interviews a by the volunteers themselves. Most of distinction emerged between the their colleagues were drawn from attitudes of ‘professional’ (i.e. paid) amongst friends or came through other managers and volunteer managers personal links. when recruiting volunteers. Volunteer managers were more likely to accept an There was an impressive core of long- hour or so of someone’s time, whereas serving volunteers in these volunteer- ‘professional’ managers look to recruit managed shops. More than a third of for an entire shift. The volunteer their volunteers had over ten years manager seemed more accepting of a service. However, concerns were ‘pair of hands’, whereas paid managers expressed about the ageing of the tended to look for some previous teams; in this survey 90 per cent of the retailing experience in their volunteers. volunteers were over 50. This preference was confirmed by the responses to one of the questions in the Two further differences between the two questionnaire, where the incidence of sets of volunteers emerged: in the previous retail experience was ‘typically’ strength of their loyalty and the extent of higher in the shops run by paid their altruism. managers.

Around 40 per cent of all the volunteers It was also evident that, to volunteer surveyed said that they would not work managers, the cause was more in another charity shop, but this relevant. The paid managers were more proportion was much lower in the likely to talk about the opportunity to ‘run volunteer-managed shops: 13 per cent their own show’; they did mention the as against 26 per cent. The volunteers cause, but perhaps more out of loyalty in the volunteer-managed shops also than a genuine calling. V olunt ary Action Volume 1 Number 3 Autumn 1999 61

The volunteers in the volunteer-managed The paid and unpaid mixture shops are possibly more committed to Volunteers may view their contribution the group they work with. There is and their position in the hierarchy anecdotal evidence that teams in somewhat differently from paid hands volunteer-managed shops disintegrate doing a similar task. This may place when a paid manager is introduced. Large some obstacles in the way of progress, numbers of volunteers leave and the paid particularly if the objective is operational manager often has to set up a new group. excellence. In this study the immediate This same phenomenon was not supervisor – the local shop manager – mentioned as a consequence of a change seemed more acutely aware of this than from one paid manager to another. the people at head office.

McCurley and Lynch (1998) have noted For instance, a balance needs to be a clear shift to what they call ‘short term struck between the desire for excellence volunteering’ among the total volunteer (or even effectiveness) and the reality cadre. They argue that the ‘long term’ that some volunteers are less than volunteer is dedicated to a cause or competent but very willing, while others group, whereas the ‘short term’ volunteer are competent but unwilling. With paid wants a well-defined job, is actively staff, there is the ability to discipline and recruited and has a general interest in correct mistakes in order to ensure co- the cause, but not necessarily a very operation. In extreme cases, dismissal is deep one. In the charity retail sector, the an acceptable solution. Not so, it seems, former type of volunteer tends to be with volunteers. found in volunteer-managed shops and the latter in those co-ordinated by a paid manager. This is a dilemma that the shop manager must resolve. Neither the paid nor the If, then, there is a general shift from ‘long volunteer managers in this study stated term’ to ‘short term’ volunteering, this that they would use a disciplinary might be accelerated in the charity shop procedure; they would normally work sector as charities bring in paid around difficulties. By way of illustration, managers to run their shops. Probably one of the shops failed to maximise its because of their age and the location, sales when a certain volunteer operated there was little evidence that the the till. This volunteer was very slow, volunteers in Ruislip viewed working in a verging on the incompetent. Potential shop as a worthwhile way of gaining buyers left the premises empty handed work experience. But that is not to say it rather than join a queue of increasingly is untrue of the inner city or other annoyed shoppers. The manager did not deprived areas. The increase in paid feel able to counsel the volunteer, but positions in charity shops does provide resigned herself to an occasional period an opportunity to observe the paid and of frustration (and lower sales) whenever unpaid and mixture. she was unable to divert this volunteer’s energies away from the till. Charity shop volunteers 62

One of the conclusions of the St Leger All the charities interviewed wished to (1993) study was that the right mixture project an air of ‘professionalism’ in of salaried and voluntary staff, and each of their shops. They found it where each is located, appear to be easier to direct managers towards a critical: common goal. It is easier to manage paid staff; volunteers are generally It would seem salaried staff should be more independent of mind. It may be located at head/regional offices rather this which led some of the shop than individual shops. managers to declare a personal preference for paid staff. The trend towards more paid staff at the individual shop level may create But there is a suggestion that mixing tensions for the manager. If volunteers paid and unpaid staff can lead to and paid staff are seen to be doing the difficulty. So long as there is some same work, it may also lead to differentiation in professional expertise questions about the purpose of between the two, then the iniquity of job volunteering. substitution, for instance, can be avoided. But if the volunteer workforce One assertion usually made during any disputes the significance of that discussion of this issue is that pay is in expertise, tensions are likely to arise. some way a better guarantee of good The degree to which jobs can be performance. Such a view is likely to categorised as ‘paid’ and ‘unpaid’, and rankle with the volunteer workforce. their proximity to each other, seem to Although there is general acceptance be important considerations here. that managers should be paid, the practice of paying other shop workers Most of the charities interviewed have is a matter for careful consideration. made a policy decision to pay all their shop managers and are steadily The rationale for paying managers can replacing volunteer managers as they be the need for continued presence and stand down. But all these charities have accountability. As a rule, even shops also decided to pay other – albeit with a team made up entirely of ‘senior’ – shop workers. There is a fairly volunteers have one of these volunteers predictable financial model these accepting the role of manager. charities can employ. However, this could just as much be a concession to the hierarchical demands If paid staff will bring in more income, of the organisation. A pyramid then so long as their cost is more than management structure was a consistent covered, the decision to employ them feature of the charities involved with this makes economic sense. The 1997 study. As Handy (1988: p 113) NGO Finance charity shop survey observed, voluntary organisations fall provides fairly conclusive evidence of a back on hierarchy as a simple device correlation between more pay and more ‘to hold things together’. revenue. Charities have, with their V olunt ary Action Volume 1 Number 3 Autumn 1999 63

individual shops, a stable situation that injustice is being done. allows for effective ‘before and after’ comparison. The situation in one shop All the charities interviewed forecast is not likely to be so unique that it that the trend towards using paid staff cannot be replicated in others. would continue. One of them predicted ‘Success’, or verification of the that, as jobs in the shops became more hypothesis, can easily be achieved specialised or were identified as through the chain. essential to success – for instance, window display, clothes sorting or shop But there is a hidden – or less layout – then payment may feature. But identifiable – cost if the workforce of the fact that many tasks can be the local shop becomes more of a performed by either paid or unpaid staff mixture of paid and unpaid staff. That may suggest that shop volunteers are cost is the necessity to manage and viewed as a ‘no-cost option’. motivate a disparate workforce, a task that falls to the shop manager as the None of the charities agreed with this first line of supervision. Volunteers suggestion. They all predicted that their could be seen as ‘icing on the cake’, shops would continue to involve but only if they are not essential to the volunteers for other reasons. For efficient running of the shop. instance, more than one suggested that, in marketing terms, volunteers No shop in this survey claimed that it were a unique selling point. It was also could operate independently of said that a lack of volunteer volunteer input. However, one shop involvement might lead to fewer with three paid staff saw the shortage donated goods to sell and/or fewer of volunteers, and the difficulty of customers willing to buy. There was recruiting them, as more of an also the more philosophical observation inconvenience than a potential show- that volunteer shop workers were an stopper. ‘essential part of the ethos’ of charity retailing. Whichever view prevailed, all This echoes what many observers say charities saw a need to improve the is happening in organisations affected general skills level of their shop by the contract culture. In these volunteers. Some saw this as a organisations, as reported by the 1996 question of selection, others as a Commission on the Future of the training issue. But bringing the skills Voluntary Sector and by Russell and level of volunteers up towards that of Scott (1997), volunteers are in danger paid staff may result in the purpose of of being squeezed out. volunteering being called into question.

To those volunteers who remain – and Phelan et al (1998) report that there is a huge force of them in the ‘progress towards greater charity shop sector – payment of a fair professionalism is now almost taken for reward is unlikely to be important granted’. Are current volunteers unless they perceive that some sort of concerned about developments in the Charity shop volunteers 64

sector, particularly this trend towards problems, demanding a commitment of ‘professionalism’? The present survey more hours per week and a higher asked a question that might be standard of service delivery. interpreted as both a source of comfort and a cause for concern: ‘With the The task of resolving these problems charity shop becoming more and more will be dumped at the shop manager’s a professional retail outlet, is this to be door in much the same way as the encouraged or curbed?’ On the bags of donated goods. In the same positive side, nearly two-thirds of the way as the manager has to collect, sort volunteers felt it should be encouraged. and use effectively her share of a finite However, nearly 20 per cent of the supply of quality donated goods, so too sample had no opinion, and of the rest does she have to obtain quality from one in three thought it should be her share of the volunteer effort curbed. Is there a worrying message available. here? Could developments in the sector lead to disaffection among a Conclusions significant proportion of the current Despite the trend towards paid managers workforce? and the demands for increased productivity, the charity shop chains are Moreover, trends in volunteering as a not abandoning unpaid help. Rather they whole are likely to be reflected in the are attempting a pragmatic balancing charity shop sector. For instance, the act in which the volunteer is seen as trend towards paying staff and/or an important part of the overall staffing developing their skills level is already needs. As a result, the blurring of the affecting the voluntary sector in distinctions at shop level between general. Moreover, Davis Smith (1998) those who are paid and those who suggests that voluntary organisations volunteer is accelerating. are now in the difficult position of needing more volunteer input to help There is little doubt that volunteers will deliver ‘quality’ but in practice having to continue to work in high street charity do so with a declining workforce. This, shops, but they will probably have he concludes, will require asking more different characteristics and contribute of those who are willing to volunteer. in a different way. Their total number may be higher, but the number per There is, however, no evidence that shop might be lower. Moreover, as the absolute number of volunteers in shop trading makes a significant the charity shop sector is declining. But contribution to charity coffers, the even if they are increasing, they could charities themselves may look more well be spread more thinly as the closely at outcomes. The ideology of number of shops in the sector the contract culture may permeate continues to grow too. So individual through to the charity shop sector: in shops could be facing recruitment particular, the need to deliver quality V olunt ary Action Volume 1 Number 3 Autumn 1999 65

rather than quantity in what is likely to At the end of the day, it is the individual be an extremely competitive shop that is being measured. It is the environment. Sitting in the middle, as performance at unit level that really the fulcrum, is the shop manager who counts. But the shop manager is given will sustain (or not) the success that is no help in understanding volunteer expected. motivation, working with a variety of Volunteers are not a ‘no cost’ option work ethics, managing the tensions but an essential component of the between volunteers and paid staff, charity shop scene. All the shops in this developing skills and recognising survey said they could not run development needs. They muddle effectively without volunteer effort. But through, some more successfully than the warning (Russell and Scott 1997) others. The pressures placed on them that the contract culture could squeeze by the management hierarchy are all out volunteers has to be noted. too often orientated towards getting Volunteers confer a ‘legitimacy’ on the commercial results, rather than towards process of turning donated goods into team building and team working. But as charity funds. The distinction between shop volunteers move towards the paid and unpaid jobs, as well as their status of the ‘short term’ volunteer, the proximity at the workplace, need to be need to balance the needs of the monitored to avoid potential tensions. organisation with the wants of the volunteers will become more of an As the profile of the manager changes, issue. The ‘club’ atmosphere of the so too does the profile of the volunteer. volunteer-managed shop will need to Paid managers are looking for greater be replaced by a strong esprit de corps; commitment, in the shape of working it is a more difficult task to recruit talent full shifts (as opposed to occasional rather than friends. hours) and perhaps having some retail experience. Shop volunteers who can References offer a substantial contribution in terms Blume, H. (1995), The Charity Shop of effort or skill (preferably both) are Handbook, Charity Advisory Trust. likely to replace those that just ‘lend a Commission on the Future of the hand’. The new breed of volunteer is Voluntary Sector (1996), NCVO. less closely identified with the cause. Davis Smith, J. (1998), The 1997 As a consequence, more effort will be National Survey of Volunteering, required in defining meaningful tasks National Centre for Volunteering. and roles if these volunteers are to be Handy, C. (1988), Understanding retained. Voluntary Organisations, Penguin. Horne, S., and Broadbridge, A. (1994), The managers of local shops are ‘The Charity Shop Volunteer in essential to the future effectiveness of Scotland: greatest asset or biggest shop volunteers, as it is they who must headache?’, Voluntas 5 (2). shoulder the burden of supporting the Kay, W. (1989), Battle for the High volunteers. Street, Corgi. Charity shop volunteers 66

McCurley, S, and Lynch, R. (1998), Essential Volunteer Management, Directory of Social Change. NGO Finance (1997), Charity Shop Survey 1997 in July/August issue. NGO Finance (1998), Charity Shop Survey 1998 in July/August issue. Phelan, D. (1997), ‘Coming of age in the high street: a brighter future for charity shops?’, NGO Finance 7 (4). Phelan, D., Lamont, H., and Howley, P. (1998), ‘Charity Shops sailing fair – but storm clouds blot retail horizon’, NGO Finance 8 (5). Russell, L., and Scott, D. (1997), Very Active Citizens: The impact of contracts on volunteers, University of Manchester. St Leger, M.M. (1993), ‘Shops Operated by Top 400 Charities’ in Researching the Voluntary Sector (1st edition), Charities Aid Foundation. Whithear, E.R. (1999), ‘Charity Shop Volunteers: A case for tender loving care’, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 4 (2).