Research and analysis

Evaluation of the 50+ Volunteering Programme

Final reports of the 50+ Volunteering Programme evaluation

From:
Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, The Rt Hon Nadine Dorries MP, and Nigel Huddleston MP
Published
6 December 2021

Applies to England

Documents

50+ Volunteering Final Report

PDF, 2.45 MB, 210 pages

Learning from the 50+ volunteering programme to support COVID-19 recovery: age-friendly and inclusive volunteering

PDF, 677 KB, 15 pages

Details

The 50+ volunteering programme was a government initiative focused on harnessing the skills and experiences of volunteers aged 50 and over. The programme ran from March 2017 to June 2020 and was part of the second phase of the Centre for Social Action Innovation Fund (2013-2020), which was funded by DCMS and managed by the innovation foundation Nesta. In total, £5.2 million was awarded to 39 organisations to test and develop ideas or grow existing models involving volunteers aged 50 and over. In addition to the innovation funds, the 50+ volunteering programme included an evidence review on community contributions in later life, which was undertaken by the Centre for Ageing Better.

DCMS commissioned Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to undertake an evaluation of the 50+ volunteering programme. The evaluation used a mixed methods approach and aimed to:

  • assess the impact of the 50+ volunteering programme on volunteers, the organisations that volunteers work with, beneficiaries and the wider public services
  • identify what worked well and less well with the programme design and implementation to help inform future funding approaches and strategies
Published 6 December 2021