Maximising the impact of volunteering

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the BHF. It simply would not be possible for the BHF to raise money to fund lifesaving research without our volunteers supporting us in almost 700 retail outlets, through community fundraising and events, and other volunteering opportunities.

Insights from across the charity sector and surveys of BHF volunteers throughout 2022 clearly show the benefits of volunteering. These benefits are not only for organisations like the BHF who can deliver on their charitable mission through the power of volunteering but also for volunteers themselves. 

The BHF’s recent volunteering strategy, Easy, Flexible and Inclusive, sets out the changes we are making to adapt to a new volunteering landscape. This report explores the external changes we think are needed to maximise the impact of volunteering.

Our recommendations

1. Build systems to allow volunteers to move easily between different charitable organisations.
   Volunteers are increasingly looking for shorter-term, ‘informal’ roles, but moving between organisations creates burden on charities and volunteers alike.
2. Maximise the benefits of volunteering to level up people’s health. Social prescribing can significantly reduce the pressures on GPs and volunteering is a key yet underused component of this
3. Strengthen data around the value of the charity sector and of volunteering.
   Government should maximise the impact of the third sector ‘satellite account’ within Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.
4. Capture information about Government-supported volunteers.
   Government departments who support people to volunteer should provide meaningful data on the onward journey of those referrals.
   
    

Volunteering since the pandemic

The pandemic brought significant and rapid changes to the volunteering landscape. More informal volunteering during lockdowns coincided with fewer formal volunteering roles. The pandemic also threw volunteering into the spotlight, and Government recognised its importance. But the data to back this to properly quantify the value of volunteering is piecemeal. These factors are having a lasting impact, changing the face of the volunteer workforce. 

The sector is facing a challenge to recruit and retain volunteers, and more volunteers are looking for shorter-term volunteering roles. But there are also opportunities coming from this. For example, an increased focus on shorter-term more ‘informal’ types of volunteering has attracted a younger group. Organisations therefore have more diverse skills and views within their volunteering teams but also need to support volunteers in moving between organisations more easily. 

Benefits of volunteering

Our surveys with the BHF’s volunteers have shown the significant benefits that people gain by volunteering with us. With almost 700 BHF shops across the UK alongside other volunteering opportunities, these benefits can reach people across the length and breadth of the UK. 

Some key findings show that:

• Giving back and making a difference was a strong outcome that volunteers noted. 98% of BHF volunteers agreed that volunteering enabled them to help their local community.
• 94% of BHF volunteers agreed that volunteering had helped them to feel less isolated or lonely. This has risen from 52% in our 2019 data.
• 92% of BHF volunteers agreed that volunteering had helped their mental health. This rose to 98% of those who volunteered over 30 hours per week.
• 80% agreed that volunteering had helped their physical health. This rose to 86% of those volunteering in our home stores.
• 91% told us that volunteering has improved their employability skills. This rose to 98% of 16-17 and 97% of 18-24 year olds.
  
   

Opportunity for change

Critical conversations about the future of volunteering are happening across the sector. These are focused on harnessing the changes we have seen to maximise the benefits of volunteering. 

The Government’s Levelling Up White Paper (February 2022) set out ambitions to use volunteering to empower communities and deliver local solutions to complex problems. The sector-led Vision for Volunteering (May 2022) gives an aspirational view of how volunteering can develop over the next 10 years. 

These key documents highlight areas of common ground between sector and Government ambitions. This sets a strong foundation for close working to address these issues to maximise the benefits of volunteering across the sector. In this report we explore some ways we think this can happen through the recommendations outlined above.