Voluntary workers prefer the personal touch when it comes to travel

At a time when the not-for-profit sector is facing huge cuts, charities need to be aware of cost-cutting measures available to them and be on the lookout for a good deal. Whether this is sourcing cheaper supplies or finding resourceful ways of delivering their services more efficiently, the pressure to reduce costs and increase effectiveness is being felt across the voluntary sector.

A recently published survey, conducted by Key Travel, provides insight into the travel habits of the sector, highlighting how charities plan, organise and spend on travel - an essential part of service delivery for many not-for-profit organisations.

The survey, which received over 1,000 responses, reveals that just 16 per cent of respondents prefer to book their travel online, with 44 per cent preferring email and 39 per cent opting to book over the telephone.

When asked how much travel they intend to book in the next 12 months, 91 per cent say their travel bookings will increase or remain the same and only nine per cent expect them to decrease, showing that overseas travel continues to be integral to the sector's work. Summers says, "clearly this is a tough time for the not-for-profit sector but, with travel so essential to the work of organisations in the sector, we are encouraged that so many are maintaining their travel plans for the year while improving internal awareness of their travel policies."

While 84 per cent of respondents say they are aware of their organisation's travel policy - up from 72 per cent in 2008 - 16 per cent are not and nearly a third of these say that it has never been communicated to them. Improving awareness of the organisation's travel policy is therefore crucial to keeping costs down and avoiding financial or reputational damage when staff face difficulties abroad.

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