From: nfpResearch
About: Trustees govern charities and are accountable for their direction – yet for most people, they remain almost invisible. Understanding what the public knows and feels about trusteeship matters, not least for efforts to recruit more diverse boards.
In January 2026, nfpResearch polled 1000 members of the general public in the United Kingdom on their attitudes to trustees, working with the Association of Chairs and Interims for Impact.
Read the reportFrom: The Young Foundation, funded by the GLA
About: Commissioned by the GLA and developed by the Young Foundation, the Civic Strength Index is a report and tool that aims to begin to measure what makes a strong community, to ensure it is understood and valued.
The Civic Strength Index and its accompanying report are a key pillar of the Building Strong Communities mission of the London Recovery Programme.
Key Findings
- The Civic Strength Index highlights the significance of volunteering as a key component of civic strength, which is defined as the state in which communities are supported by robust public and social infrastructure to build strong relationships and feel empowered to meaningfully engage in the issues that matter to them.
- For example, in Camden Town with Primrose Hill, high levels of formal volunteering, high density in charities, as well as grassroots activity were observed. This is a stark difference to the northern fringes of London, where relationships, social capital, and overall civic strength appear to be significantly weaker.
- Another example includes the transformation of Liberty Hall in Clapton Common. Volunteers assisted in the transformation of this building from a disused toilet block to a flexible shared space, community kitchen, and meeting place. This space can now be used to address social isolation and health inequalities in the neighbourhood.
- These examples emphasise the importance of volunteering and the positive impact it has on civic strength and community well-being.
From: Pro Bono Economics (PBE)
About: Civil society and volunteering are widely recognised as important generators of social value. From food banks to cancer research, local sports teams or youth clubs, it’s clear that civil society provides vital services, makes our communities stronger and boosts our wellbeing. But civil society is rarely recognised for its economic contribution. This is a missed opportunity.
In the most direct sense, official statistics undervalue the activity of civil society by excluding the value of volunteering from measures of economic activity (as international guidelines dictate). But doing so means that official statistics exclude a massive contribution to the UK economy – around 688 million volunteer labour hours in 2024.
Key Findings
In 2024:
- Civil society contributed £39.5 billion to the UK economy
- Civil society represented 1.5% of the UK economy
- Civil society’s paid workers and volunteers contributed 1.414 billion hours of work to the economy
- Civil society’s paid workers and volunteers delivered 2.5% of total annual hours worked in the UK economy
From: Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, and Office for Civil Society
About: The Community Life Survey is a key evidence source for understanding more about community engagement, volunteering and social cohesion, sampling adults (aged 16+) throughout England.
Key Findings
In 2023/24:
Formal volunteering
- 16% of adults in England had taken part in formal volunteering at least once a month, the lowest rate since 2013/14
- Older adults and those in higher socio-economic groups were more likely to formally volunteer at least once a month
Motivations and barriers to formal volunteering
- The main motivations for formal volunteering were centred around wanting to help others, having spare time, and strong alignment to the cause
- The main barriers to formal volunteering were work commitments and personal responsibilities such as having to look after children
Informal volunteering
- 24% of adults had taken part in informal volunteering at least once a month
- Younger adults (aged 16-24) older adults (aged 65 or over), disabled adults, and women were more likely to informally volunteer at least once a month
London-specific findings
- The London Datastore hosts a London-focused overview of the main findings from the Community Life Survey 2023/24. Explore the survey’s main themes: Support, Neighbourhood, Civic Action, and Volunteering. You can view borough-level data by selecting the London bars in the bar charts.
From: The National Lottery Community Fund
About: The Community Research Index is an annual survey of over 8,000 adults from across the UK. It reveals people’s thoughts about their community – including what makes them proud, and what they are concerned about – and how they would like the future to look.
Key Findings
- Six in 10 people (61%) said that they felt part of their local community, both across the UK and in each individual country
- The majority (64%) of people surveyed said they were willing to work with others to improve their local area, with half (50%) planning to volunteer in 2024
- People felt positive about their communities, rating their local areas favourably in categories including access to green space (80%), overall quality of life (70%), and education opportunities (68%)
- Communities were motivated to tackle the effects of climate change, with half (50%) saying that they felt personally motivated to engage in climate action, and a similar proportion said they were optimistic that the worst long-term impacts could still be prevented (48%)
- The majority of people said that they wanted to see increased access to affordable housing (58%) and reduced poverty and deprivation (57%)
- When asked what was most important for community wellbeing, people’s top priorities were support with the rising cost of living (30%), looking out for one another (25%), reducing loneliness (23%), and preventing youth violence (20%)
From: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
About: This research was conducted by a consortium led by Basis Social alongside London Economics and New Philanthropy Capital, as part of the Volunteering Research Managed Service.
The research compares the enabling environments for volunteering in England to that in Scotland, Wales, Australia and the Republic of Ireland in order to identify potential policies and interventions to support England’s national enabling environment.
Key Findings
- Locally-led approaches within the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector can improve efficiency and outcomes in the short and longer-term. Using the knowledge and networks of local organisations helps new initiatives to function effectively. Recognising the importance of place in people’s motivations to volunteer is a route to retaining volunteers who want to support their communities
- There is valuable data available on volunteering, but it is not accessible to all organisations, and this may disguise evidence gaps. Existing (and future) data on volunteering needs to be made accessible to all interested parties
- The language used to describe volunteering could be updated to help broaden its appeal. Using language that better reflects how volunteers themselves perceive their role, such as ‘helping out’ instead of ‘volunteering’ can make it feel more inclusive
From: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
About: This research was conducted by a consortium led by Basis Social alongside London Economics and New Philanthropy Capital, as part of the Volunteering Research Managed Service.
The research explores how digital tools are currently supporting volunteering in England, and how their role in sustaining and promoting volunteering in the future could be improved.
Key Findings
- There is wide-ranging consensus among experts, digital tool providers, volunteer-involving organisations (VIOs) and volunteers that digital tools benefit volunteering. Yet there remain barriers to the access to and use of digital tools for many
- The digital marketplace is fragmented, with limited interoperability between tools. This could be acting as one of the barriers to the use of digital tools
- Experts, digital tool providers and VIOs called for digital tools and a digital tools marketplace that is: strategic; financially sustainable; open to new market entrants, innovations and technologies; easily navigable and better sign-posted; and, interoperable and integrated with local volunteering infrastructure organisations such as Volunteer Centres (VCs) and Councils for Voluntary Services (CVSs)
From: Royal Voluntary Service
About: The Royal Voluntary Service commissioned the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) to explore employee volunteering in the UK, and the motivations and rewards it delivers.
Key Findings
- Nearly two thirds (62%) of UK businesses now offer paid volunteering days to their employees
- This surge is being driven by a desire to tackle employee burnout (34%), re-engage staff (30%) and boost performance (25%), as well as to deliver social impact
- 87% of businesses agree volunteering is important to their company purpose and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals
- Employers offer an average of 2.3 days annually, but the study showed more than 140 million hours of gifted time went unused last year
- Not all employees are being given equal access to volunteering opportunities – less than one in five (19%) firms with programmes offer it to all their employees. On average, just half of employees receive the benefit
- Reasons businesses cited for not realising the potential of programmes included a lack of flexible one-off volunteering opportunities (28%) and team activities (17%), difficulty finding the right roles (21%), and not knowing where to start (12%).
- Further data shows that businesses with a higher uptake of volunteer days also report stronger cultural outcomes than their peers
- The UK economy could benefit from productivity gains worth £32.5 billion each year if employee volunteering days were fully used by those in professional and managerial roles
From: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
About: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) commissioned London Economics, working with Basis Social and New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) to monetise the economic and social value of volunteering in England.
The research examines the benefits of adult formal volunteering, and estimates the monetary value of formal volunteering activity in England in 2021/22. During that period, approximately 12 million people formally volunteered at least once.
Key Findings
- The total economic impact of formal volunteering activity in England in 2021/22, was estimated at £24.69 billion, representing an average economic impact of £2,012 per volunteer
- The cost of replacing volunteers with paid staff in England in 2021/22 was estimated at £16.43 billion, equivalent to £1,339 per volunteer, highlighting “the importance of retaining the most frequent volunteers, and encouraging more frequent volunteering”
- The wellbeing benefits experienced by volunteers in England in 2021/22 was estimated at £8.26 billion, equivalent to £673 per volunteer
- Volunteering at least once a year leads to a small increase in life satisfaction, and this effect is largest for those who volunteer at least once a month but less than once a week
- There were positive effects on employment for those aged 16 to 25, but a negative effect for those aged 46 to 65
- Volunteering in the last 12 months is associated with 1.2% lower pay than non-volunteers – and this effect is strongest for those who volunteer at least once a week. However, this effect does not persist over time, except for the most frequent volunteers
From: Written and prepared by Dominic Pinkney (Works4U), with support from the London Volunteering Strategy Group (London Plus)
About: The London Vision for Volunteering aims to provide a blueprint for developing volunteering in London. With 36 recommendations, the goal is to make meaningful change, while also understanding that more work and time will be needed in some areas.
Key Findings
- With volunteering being a key ingredient of London society we therefore need to have a plan to support and develop it, particularly at a time when rates of formal volunteering are dropping
- The production of this report has been a fully collaborative process and its recommendations are based on the views and feedback of stakeholders across London, with contributions from every single borough
- A set of 36 recommendations has been developed as a blueprint for strengthening volunteering across the capital. These cover key thematic areas such as:
- DBS & Safeguarding
- Funding & Investment
- Value & Impact of Volunteering
- Raising the Profile of Volunteering
- Flexible Volunteering
- Volunteer Management
- Volunteer Infrastructure
- Employee Volunteering
- Trustees
- Health volunteering
- Student Volunteering, Technology, Community Resilience,Language
- London Volunteering Strategy Group
From: Works4U by Dominic Pinkney
About: The Monetary Value of Charity Trustees report is an analysis of the monetary value of charity trustees that will change perceptions of the value and importance of volunteering to the UK economy.
Key Findings
- The total monetary value of all Trustees in England and Wales is £33.17 billion – the equivalent to 1.7% of UK GDP
- The estimated total value of volunteering for England and Wales is £324 billion – the equivalent to 14.7% of UK GDP
- In London, the monetary value of Trustees is calculated as £4.1 billion, and the monetary value of volunteering is calculated as £35.9 billion
- Are the numbers too big? In 2014 Andy Haldane, Chief Economist at the Bank of England, estimated the contribution to the UK economy of volunteering at £200 billion, and has recently stated he thinks this figure should be far greater
From: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
About: This research was conducted by a consortium led by Basis Social alongside London Economics and New Philanthropy Capital, as part of the Volunteering Research Managed Service.
The research explores the effectiveness of different interventions and practices in equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), with an emphasis on smaller volunteer-involving organisations (VIOs) and those led by minority or minoritised communities. It aims to identify what types of interventions government and wider stakeholders should champion and support others in the sector to implement.
Key Findings
The effectiveness of different interventions and practices in EDI varies across different sized VIOs. It is dependent on the following themes:
- Relatability: when volunteers connect with the EDI cause, and when leadership and teams reflect and represent the community.
- Commitment and resource: investment of time, money and skills in EDI – in particular from leadership.
- Inclusive culture.
- Wider context: factors like the pandemic, cost-of-living crisis and decline in supportive infrastructure.
From: Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR)
About: The Power of Youth Volunteering report captures insights from 32 NHS Trusts who developed youth volunteering programmes with support from the Pears #iwill Fund.
The report explores the meaningful contribution and impact of young volunteers – supported by statistics, stories and learning. It also includes practical advice on how to embed and sustain youth volunteering programmes that would be useful for both health and voluntary sectors.
Key Findings
Part 1: Key Messages
- Success depends on dedicated Voluntary Services Teams, with time and resources to support young people
- Investing in young volunteers brings value, benefiting young people, staff, patients, and the wider community
- There is no “one size fits all” for youth volunteering
- Collaborative spirit and partnership working are crucial
- Youth volunteering programmes are more sustainable when aligned with wider strategies from the outset
Part 2: Achievements of the Network and its impact
For young people:
- Improved confidence and skills
- Helped prepare for future careers in healthcare
- Built a sense of connection and purpose
For medical staff, patients, and NHS Trusts
- Improved patient experience and reduced staff pressure
- Embedded youth volunteering in strategy
- Widened access to volunteering opportunities
- Improved partnership working
The report also draws out learning on developing, embedding, and sustaining youth volunteering programmes from the experience of participating NHS Trusts for:
- Individuals and teams setting up/designing a youth volunteering programme in NHS Trusts
- Individuals and teams directly supporting young volunteers
- Organisations funding or looking to support youth volunteering
From: NCVO
About: The Road Ahead 2025 is NCVO’s annual report on the changing landscape for NCVO members and voluntary sector organisations.
Key Findings
Check out our blog on the key takeaways from NCVO’s Road Ahead Report (2025)
Read the reportFrom: nfpResearch
About: This report pulls together some of the threads and trends for the current demographic profile of volunteers, as well as analysing recent initiatives, and setting out some hallmarks of good practice for individual charities. It also sets out the elements of a strategy for developing volunteering in the first year of a Labour government in Westminster.
Key Findings
This report has a number of sections:
- Part 1 looks at volunteering trends over the last decade based on data from nfpResearch’s regular tracking of public attitudes and behaviours towards charities
- Part 2 covers the different organisations, initiatives and research in relation to volunteering and volunteering management
- Part 3 explores the role and rise of digital technology in volunteering recruitment and management
- Part 4 looks at what might be the key elements of a strategy to increase volunteering levels
- Part 5 summarises some of the key learning from the last decade of volunteering research and experience
From: NCVO
About: Time Well Spent is NCVO’s biggest research programme on people’s experiences of volunteering. With a better understanding, they aim to provide rich and practical insights that will inform practice and policy, address knowledge gaps, and generate new evidence.
Key Findings
Across England, Wales, and Scotland:
- 92% of volunteers they are very or fairly satisfied with their volunteering, although this has decreased since 2019
- Younger, public-sector volunteers, and disabled volunteers continue to be less satisfied
- 67% of volunteers say that those volunteering alongside them are from a wide range of backgrounds, however, this has decreased since 2019
- Almost a third (31%) of volunteers carried out their volunteering activities either over the phone or online, making it the third most common place to volunteer
- This is important for those with accessibility issues, such as people with disabilities, as 36% of disabled people said they have volunteered remotely compared to 29% of non-disabled people
- 31% carried out their volunteering activities remotely
- 36% of disabled people volunteered remotely compared to 29% of non-disabled people
- Also, for those who do not currently volunteer, flexibility with where and when people volunteer was cited as the factors most likely to encourage them to start volunteering
From: Pro Bono Economics and Pilotlight
About: This report explores workplace volunteering as a solution to boost the wellbeing and productivity of employees in the UK. Workplace volunteering is where employers use policies and processes to support their employees to participate in volunteering during work time.
Key Findings
- Between 17 million and 23 million employees do not currently have access to workplace volunteering opportunities
- Expanding workplace volunteering opportunities to cover all employees in the UK could generate £1.2 billion to £3.6 billion in wellbeing benefits per year to the individuals themselves
- Ensuring all employees have access to volunteering opportunities could save between 1.4 million and 2.5 million working days of sickness absence per year
- Workplace volunteering has been shown to drive up productivity through better health and improved skills, as employees learn from the experience
- Beyond the benefits to employees and employers, charities gain too due to an influx of new volunteers who could provide much needed additional capacity at a critical time for the sector
From: NCVO
About: First published in 1996, the Almanac gives an overview of the voluntary sector’s scope and characteristics.
It draws upon a unique historical dataset based on charity annual reports and accounts, data and evidence from government and sector research, and NCVO’s own research.
Key Findings: Volunteering
- An estimated 14.2 million people in the UK have volunteered through a group, club, or organisation at least once in 2021/22
- Levels of formal volunteering have continued to decline, and remain well below pre-pandemic levels, although the rate of decline has slowed
- People living in more deprived areas face greater barriers to volunteering
From: Works4U
About: The UK Employee Volunteering report analyses the current state of employee volunteering in the UK.
Key Findings
Employee volunteering, also known as corporate volunteering, is an excellent initiative that gets businesses and employees involved in voluntary work for one or more days per year.
- Employee volunteering has increased significantly compared to before the pandemic
- Almost 95% of survey respondents stated that employers should do more to promote volunteering opportunities for their employees
- Barriers to participating in employee volunteering include being too busy at work, not being invited to take part, and needing to organise opportunities themselves rather than through their employer
- Nearly three-quarters of respondents rated the impact of their employee volunteering as high
From: Pro Bono Economics and NTU National VCSE Data and Insights Observatory
About: The Voluntary, Community or Social Enterprise organisation (VCSE) Barometer Survey is a quick ‘temperature check’ of what’s happening in the VCSE sector right now. It aims to build insights into real-time trends, changes and challenges in the UK voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. Findings are shared every quarter with national policy and decision-makers, local infrastructure organisations and the VCSE sector.
Key Findings
The latest findings from the VCSE Barometer Survey are presented in ‘Tethered fortunes: The threat to charities from trouble in local government’ from February 2024, which reveals the depth of the entanglement between charities and councils and emphasises the risk that creates as councils struggle to stabilise their budgets.
- 28% of charities that work with local councils predict their funding from them will fall over the next 12 months
- Four in ten charities that work with local councils say that doing so is critical to their operations
- Finance crisis in local government is a moderate or high risk to over half of charities that work with local councils
- Local government funding of charities fell 23% between 2009-10 and 2020-21
- Money from councils currently responsible for 13p in every £1 of charity income
From: Research Works Limited for The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
About: The concept of volunteer passports has long been a topic of debate in the volunteering community. This study was commissioned to help build an evidence base for understanding the present landscape of volunteer passports and passporting, and areas of demand and opportunities for volunteer passports and passporting to support volunteering, as well as the perceived challenges involved.
Key Findings
- The literature review found a range of volunteer passport initiatives in the UK and internationally, which shared two broad aims: to improve volunteer portability, and to validate and value volunteers’ experience, skills and contribution
- There was also consistency in the key elements of each volunteer passport initiative such as shared volunteer vetting and training standards, volunteer matching, and a volunteer profile or portfolio
The qualitative research with volunteers, volunteer involving organisations and stakeholders highlighted what they perceived as key areas of demand for volunteer passports and passporting to support volunteering. For example:
- Portable ID and DBS checks were welcomed as a core element of a potential volunteer passport to reduce duplication in volunteer recruitment and onboarding
- Having a shared pool of volunteers was perceived as important for particular types of volunteering: emergency, event-based, micro, place-based, task-based volunteering
- Standardisation of volunteer training and skills was of interest to some in two areas: standardisation of entry-level volunteer skills and sector-specific standards for specialist skills
- Validation of volunteers’ experience and skills was perceived as beneficial for particular groups of volunteers, where volunteering was also a potential route to employment
