Is volunteering really in crisis?

Much of the conversation about volunteering in the UK right now points to a sector in crisis. Formal volunteering rates are falling, and key leadership roles in larger organisations are being lost in restructures. Traditional service delivery roles that charities have relied on for over a century — roles like running local groups, fundraising, campaigning, and putting on events — are now among the least appealing to new volunteers.

In my own research for organisations involving volunteers, I often find a different picture. When I ask people from cold audiences — those not currently volunteering or who never have — whether they would consider it, typically more than 90% say yes.

So what’s happening? If most people want to volunteer, why are numbers falling?

We’re Asking the Same Questions – And Using the Same Tactics

When I started working in volunteer engagement 20 years ago, the sector was already grappling with the same questions we still ask today:

• How do we recruit more volunteers?
• How do we succession plan for older volunteers?
• How do we retain people?
• How do we make volunteering more inclusive and flexible?

Many of the tactical fixes — matching platforms, volunteer passports, ad campaigns — resurface again and again in new forms but rarely shift the needle.

That’s because we’re often trying to solve a strategic problem with operational solutions.

What Does a Strategic Approach Look Like?

Every volunteer-involving organisation — from grassroots groups to global NGOs — exists to create change. Whether it’s ending poverty, protecting wildlife, or providing a space to play football, that mission should guide everything — including how volunteers are involved.

Most volunteers are driven by a personal connection to a cause. But many roles feel disconnected from that motivation. When I browse opportunities looking for my next volunteer role, it’s often hard to see how completing the tasks listed would make me feel part of a cause I love.

No matter how committed we are as volunteer engagement professionals, we can’t transform volunteering alone. It takes a whole-organisation approach — one where we all step back and reposition volunteering as a strategic priority, providing the foundation that informs operational tactics.

In organisations where volunteering is thriving, there’s often common threads:

1. They Start With the Purpose

Whether through a standalone volunteer strategy or by embedding volunteering into the wider organisational plan, these organisations align volunteering with their core mission. It’s not a side activity — it’s central to delivery.

2. Trustees Champion Volunteering

The people shaping strategy — trustees — are volunteers themselves. It shouldn’t be a hard sell, but often there’s a disconnect. When senior leaders work with trustees to champion volunteering, it’s far more likely to be recognised and resourced.

3. They Harness Marketing Expertise

Volunteer recruitment often sits with engagement teams — yet few of us have marketing backgrounds. Meanwhile, our marketing colleagues are sitting on gold: newsletter subscribers, social followers, donor databases — warm audiences already engaged with the cause, and they have the access and agency to convert them to volunteering.

If someone doesn’t care about butterflies, homelessness, or historic buildings, no clever ad will persuade them. But if they already care enough to give their contact details, one well-crafted email can do more than months of cold outreach.

4. They Join Up Supporter Care

Volunteers and donors are often the same people. Research shows up to 80% of volunteers also donate to organisations they support. But we rarely track this, and fundraising and volunteering teams are often siloed. That means missed opportunities to engage people already invested in the cause — and it also means volunteers don’t receive the same purpose-led communication as donors.

As a donor, I’m told:

“Your £5 helped protect endangered species.”
“You’ve joined a movement for prison reform.”

I feel valued and part of something. I’m more likely to give again.

Organisations that apply this approach across all supporters including volunteers build stronger, more connected communities around their mission.

To Grow Volunteering We Need to Go Back To Purpose

I don’t believe people no longer want to volunteer — I think we’re using the same tactics in a world that’s moved on.

If we go back to our purpose, and use it to inform tactics — we can unlock volunteering for more people.

Laura is speaking at Volunteering in 2025 and Beyond – Online Conference

Laura is taking the opening keynote “The Future of Volunteering: Building Strategies for Success in a Changing World”.

Join us for a transformative day as we look at many aspects of volunteer management including recruiting, engaging and retaining volunteers and how to manage challenging situations. We will also examine emerging trends, the role of digital inclusion and AI in volunteering.

Register here to join us on Thursday 22 May.