Background
UNV is the United Nations programme that supports sustainable human development globally through the promotion of volunteerism and the mobilization of volunteers. It operates against a background of growing recognition that volunteerism brings benefits to both society at large and the individual volunteer; that it makes important contributions, economically as well as socially; and that it contributes to more cohesive societies by building trust and reciprocity among citizens. Universal and inclusive, UNV embraces all types of volunteer action while holding to the values of free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity, which are the foundations of volunteerism.
UNV engaged 7,521 UNV volunteers in 2007, on a total of 7,766 assignments. With an average of 39 years and the requisite professional skills and qualifications of some 5 to 10 years relevant experience, UNV volunteers served in 139 countries in 2007 and came themselves from 162. The majority – 77 per cent – come from developing countries themselves. One third of UNV volunteers served in their own countries, with the others carrying out international assignments. The financial equivalent of programme activities exceeds US$150 million annually.
UNV is headquartered in Bonn, Germany and has approximately 150 staff positions – the majority in Bonn with some dozen positions in different UN peacekeeping missions, and other Headquarters locations (e.g. New York and Tokyo). The major organizational groups within UNV are:
- The Office of the Executive Coordinator, comprising also Special Operations, and units for Evaluation and Management Support;
- The Programme Development and Operations Group (PDOG) comprising three geographical sections, as well a Volunteer Resources Unit and a Research and Development Section;
- The Support Services Group (SSG) comprising sections for Information Support Services, Finance, Human Resources, as well as Units for Common Services and Administration; and
- The Partnerships and Communications Group (PCG) comprising units for Partnerships and for Communications.
Organizational Setting: The State of the World’s Volunteerism Report
This first State of the World’s Volunteerism Report produced by the United Nations will present an alternative vision to the one widely prevailing today as regards what volunteerism is and why it is important. Using a broad brush, it will address first what is meant by volunteerism, why people volunteer their time, what are the manifold ways people choose to volunteer, and the impact of this volunteer engagement. The Report will then take up a number of key global issues that intersect with volunteerism, selected because of their critical nature and/or because of ongoing polarized discourse around them. The final section of the Report will be forward looking with conclusions and recommendations that should assist policy makers, practitioners, researchers and all other concerned stakeholders; including the people who participate in and direct the benefits from volunteer action, to arrive at a better understanding of what volunteerism is about and to come up with suggestions on ways and means to ensure that it’s potential to contribute to some major issues of our time is properly addressed. The report will be launched on IYV+10 International Volunteer Day (December 5, 2011) around the world, including at the UN General Assembly.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the general guidance of the UNV Office of the Executive Coordinator, the researcher is responsible for producing a synthesis background paper that will be used to inform and strengthen the State of the World’s Volunteering Report. The review will follow the guidelines described under the working title of each paper detailed below. Each review will include:
1. Background and introduction to key issues and terms.
2. Comprehensive literature review on the identified subject matter.
- Where possible, pay particular attention to key issues of relevance to the development community, including the relationship of volunteerism to gender, age, poverty, ethnicity and religion, inclusion/exclusion, and other relevant topics.
- Provide global perspectives on the issue—with particular focus on research from the global South. Much scientific research on volunteerism focuses on aspects of volunteering in the global North while evidence from the global South (with a few notable exceptions) tends to be based on anecdotal sources. In the South, volunteerism still flies largely under the radar of public visibility. Since most of the studies on volunteerism focus on developed countries, the SWVR will emphasize developing and transition countries while also drawing on examples from the developed world.
- The text of the paper should be 7,500 to 10,000 words in length (excluding references).
3. Implications and recommendations for research, practice, and policy, as well as looking into the trends and future of volunteering within this topic.
4. Conclusions about the identified synthesis topic, based on a comprehensive, global literature review.
5. Include a full reference list (bibliography) of documents cited in the text, using Author-Date reference format (see reference citation guidelines in the annex). In addition, highlight 20-30 key references on the identified topic (with at least six references coming from the global South).
This contract also covers the potential participation of the author(s) of this background research in consultation(s) during the research process, in launch activities/events (of limited duration), as well as reviewing relevant segments of the draft for SWVR.
Time-frame
The consultant shall work from contract date until December 15, 2010 with the following schedule:
Task Due Date
Outline of Paper Themes 14 days from the date of contract
SWVR Feedback on Outline One week from submission of outline
First Draft: November 22, 2010
Inputs from SWVR Team December 1, 2010
Final Draft: December 15, 2010
An outline identifying key themes and directions will be due 14 days following the signing of the contract. The consultant will receive feedback on this outline within one week. The first draft of the paper will be approximately two months after the contract date (November 22, 2010). Detailed comments on the first drafts will be provided by the SWVR team or outside experts to the consultant after each submission within two weeks’ time (December 1, 2010). After receiving the comments from SWVR team on the first draft, the author(s) is (are) expected to revise the draft according to those suggestions, and resubmit the final draft by December 15, 2010.
Brief Annotations of Synthesis Papers
The following annotations describe the specific requirements of each review in brief. Contracted consultants will receive a more expanded description following the date of contract. The consultant will also be required to participate in regular electronic consultations with the SWVR team to discuss the work and clarify key issues. The final version of the background paper may also be published on the UNV or World Volunteer Web website.
E.1. Volunteering in the Global South, and World-Region Effects on Volunteerism:
This review paper will investigate general world regional effects in volunteerism (i.e., African, Islamic, Latin American, etc.), with the purpose of identifying and synthesising research on volunteerism in the global South. This literature review should seek to identify published documents and grey literature (unpublished reports). It should include relevant studies (both quantitative and qualitative) based on smaller samples or segments of a country / region -- it is not necessarily a review of survey data and polls. The research should pay particular attention to how volunteerism is described and measured in the global South, contrasting this with alternative terminology, meanings, descriptions and data for the global North. It will identify and synthesise critical issues related to volunteerism in the global South as they relate to poverty, the impact of transnational volunteering on host communities, volunteering as paid versus unpaid labour, and other relevant issues.
E.2. The Economy of Volunteerism:
This synthesis review will look at various methods of attributing economic value to volunteerism. It will discuss the relative merits of the alternatives and suggest the best methods to use for the State of the World’s Volunteering Report (SWVR). The paper will also include summary imputed values of volunteerism in a few countries / regions representing each of the World’s major regions (including paid work versus leisure time / recreational imputation approaches). The consultant is expected to find relevant data on which to perform imputations for one or more countries in all global regions, where possible. Although admittedly difficult, it would attempt to estimate the economic value of volunteering in the global South. The paper should provide rough estimates / extrapolations regarding the value of volunteer time, using two or more key alternative imputation approaches, for all global regions and for the world as a whole, in keeping with the general aims of the SWVR.
E.3. Informal / Non-Organised Volunteerism.
This review will address informal / non-organised types of volunteering, which involves individuals doing volunteer work or activities outside of a formal group context. It will cover many forms of informal volunteering, such as informal service volunteering, informal political participation (conventional and unconventional), informal religious activity, informal interpersonal participation and engagement, etc. The review should also cover other special forms of informal volunteering with an emphasis on alternative terminology in the global South. Some examples of the latter will be supplied to the consultant writing this review. The paper will provide specific examples from the literature about how informal and non-organised volunteering is used among the poor, how it can contribute to social inclusion, and other potential contributions to the UN Millennium Development Goals. This paper will also look at the outcomes and impacts of informal / non-organised volunteerism.
E.4. Formal Self-Help and Mutual Aid
Although much self-help and mutual aid is informal, this review will be synthesise research on self-help / mutual aid volunteer activities in a group or organisational setting. For instance, the review should look at various major forms of volunteering in self-help groups, with a focus on their central issues such as health, recovery, economic support for others in same occupation, consumer and community cooperatives, solidarity and conscious-raising groups, and similar topics. It should provide specific examples of how self-help and mutual aid can contribute to the UN Millennium Development Goals. If possible, estimates should be made for selected countries in all global regions (and for whole global regions, to the extent possible) of the levels of activity in self-help groups generally and for major analytical and purposive sub-types. The review should also pay attention to infrastructure organisations that facilitate the work of self-help / mutual aid groups or keep track of data and information on such groups. This paper will also look at the outcomes and impacts of formal self-help and mutual aid.
E.5. Formal Advocacy / Campaigning Volunteerism.
This review will look at all kinds of formally organised political and civic engagement, whether it is an informal group or a more formalised organisation. This includes investigating forms of, and critical issues related to, advocacy volunteering and social movement activity. The paper should address the spectrum of societal / public / government acceptability of the various forms of advocacy volunteering, ranging from very conventional political activity and engagement to very unconventional / activist / social movement activity. If possible, estimates should be made for selected countries in all global regions (and for whole global regions, to the extent possible) of the levels of activity in formal advocacy / campaigning volunteerism generally and for major analytical and purposive sub-types. The paper will provide specific examples from the literature about how informal and non-organised volunteering is used by those in poverty, youth, women, and different ethnic and religious groups. It will provide additional examples of advocacy-related volunteering as a force for social inclusion, as a means for promoting good governance and environmental responsibility, and other related issues. Where possible, it will also identify how advocacy is used with special forms of volunteering such as online and international volunteering. This paper will also look at the outcomes and impacts of formal advocacy / campaigning volunteerism.
E.6. Less-Recognised Impacts of Volunteerism.
This review will explore the full range of the outcomes and impacts of volunteering, with an emphasis on less-obvious impacts. The literature review will identify internal impacts (within individual volunteers) such as increased tolerance, happiness, trust, social cohesion, stimulation, health (both physical and mental/emotional), satisfaction, etc. The paper should also examine the full range of external impacts (outside the individual volunteer or group) such as the influence on political system, citizen empowerment, the responsible expression or channelling of dissent, social innovation and entrepreneurship, the unintended consequences and shortcomings of volunteerism. In some cases, this may require a review of popular literature, grey literature, and alternative media sources.
Competencies
- Research & writing skills, such as demonstrated through having successfully formulated background papers, campaign materials and case studies.
- Strong analytical skills.
- Ability to work independently
Required Skills and Experience
Qualifications:
Education:
- Advanced university degree in social sciences, such as in the field of human/community development, international development, research, communications or related topic.
Experience:
- At least 7 years relevant work experience.
- Experience with an international or regional volunteer association and knowledge of volunteerism for peace and development with its diverse manifestations and cultural settings required.
- Previous published materials/research on volunteerism, required.
- Previous work experience in the global South an asset.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in written and spoken English is essential;
- working knowledge of, or access to, additional language resources would be useful for a comprehensive literature review.
Cumulative Analysis
The contract shall be awarded to the consultant who is the most technically qualified and provides the best value for the money. Only those who pass the 70% technical evaluation score will be considered. Only consultants with relevant experience in supplying similar services will be considered qualified.
Evaluation criteria and weights for Cumulative Analysis:
Evaluation Criteria Weight
Planning and Organizing 50
Review and Synthesis 200
Volunteerism for Development 100
Writing and Editing 50
Grand Total 400
How to apply
Applications should be submitted on line and include an up to date CV. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Please send application to XXX. The applicant should clearly specify the paper s/he is interested in writing in the subject of the email (e.g. SWVR: E.5. Formal Advocacy / Campaigning Volunteerism)
If you submit an application, UNV expects that you have read and agree with the TOR and the UNV Terms and Conditions, available online: http://unv.org/fileadmin/docdb/pdf/2008/SSATerms2007.pdf