The social and economic impact of volunteering in the UK

The UK Civil Society Almanac 2021 estimates that volunteering contributes around £20bn a year to the UK economy, or 0.9% GDP. This figure captures only organised volunteering and not the informal volunteering that happens in countless social and familial situations every day in the UK. In 2023, just under a million people worked in the voluntary sector.

Where volunteering makes an impact

Let’s look at where volunteering makes an impact think of volunteers staffing charity shops, food banks, organised group street or beach cleaning, citizen scientific projects, community gardens and heritage projects or businesses. But how would the NHS fare if volunteers did not donate their blood? The infected blood scandal answers that question. What about the many hours of informal childcare or care for the elderly and sick?

The cultural life of the UK would be immeasurably impoverished without volunteers. Theatres, art groups, singing groups, cinema enthusiasts – even the Bylines Network – are run by volunteers. There is a wide range of culture depending entirely, or in part, on volunteers. As the state retreats from culture on the grounds of cost or as part of a political policy, the voluntary sector is forced to step into the breach so that every town, village or community has some art and culture in its social life.

Rural life relies heavily on voluntary bodies and volunteers to sustain churches, pubs, community centres, green spaces, etc. I think there is a link between community cohesion and volunteering. Places where there is a strong community spirit will have a solid core of volunteers doing things to foster community cohesion.

Where would we be without volunteers?

Suburbs and urban centres are often portrayed as places where people do not know their neighbours, but there is plenty of evidence to show that community enterprises are working in the community in the form of community gardens, cafes, self-managed allotments and libraries are now staffed with volunteers. It is often said that the council should implement and run projects, but often it will be a community group, on its own or working with the council, that takes action.

What volunteering does is prove the truism that nobody is an island. Oligarchs and tech billionaires may believe that shareholder value and money is what makes the world go round, but in fact it is volunteering. Without volunteering we would be a much poorer community or nation. Even in deprived areas, volunteering is often all that is stopping those areas from falling further into decline as government and council services are cut or withdrawn.

Politicians who believe in the form of government where a charitable whip-round is seen as being better than levying a tax to deliver public services often overestimate what charities and volunteering are capable of. There is nothing more demoralising for volunteers than to feel overwhelmed and out of one’s depth because a charitable organisation is being asked to do more than its resources allow. Volunteers should be seen as an addition to full-time paid staff, not as an alternative.

The benefits to volunteers are well known in that they can improve social contact, networking, and wellbeing. For those who have become isolated and possibly fearful of the outside world, volunteering in a controlled, safe and rewarding environment can enhance their wellbeing immeasurably.

Give recognition to good work

It is important that charities and voluntary organisations employ volunteers with care, respect and kindness. Organisations who expect their volunteers to do the work the organisers can’t or won’t do soon start losing support. Therefore, managing volunteers is often a compromise between achieving the objectives of the organisation and ensuring that the volunteers are part of that process of achieving an objective.

Volunteers have lives to live, and while they may wish to support the aims and objectives of the charity they can only do so much. While volunteers join up with no remuneration in mind, a charity should be mindful to recognise their work in some small way. An occasional thank you or some small form of recognition will not go amiss. The efforts of an unseen brigade of volunteers have made a significant contribution to the success of many charity organisations.

Britain is rich in voluntary activity and it needs to be nurtured and not assumed both within organisations and in other social settings. While there has been much written about conflict within generations and the alleged privileged life of baby boomers, it might be forgotten that the boomers are a significant cohort in the voluntary sector, both formal and informal.

The importance of funding

We should plan to ensure that voluntary activity still happens far into the future because we will need volunteers despite the rapid advances in modern technology; AI, robots and drones cannot replace the voluntary spirit. I fear for the state of the heritage sector, for example, which is heavily reliant on volunteers. What will happen when the workforce can no longer recruit volunteers in the numbers they once did? How will they cope? Are we facing a long-term reduction in the number of heritage attractions and cultural institutions?

Hospice UK recently reported that 20% of hospices are under severe financial pressure which means they will have to cut back on care. The voluntary sector can help, but not unaided. If vital services like hospice care are to grow or keep pace with demand, the state also needs to step up to the mark.

In terms of volunteering, we are in a period of plenty. We must not assume that this will always be the case, so we should use our existing voluntary workforce carefully and encourage future generations to volunteer by showing the benefits to both society, and individuals, of volunteering. Voluntary organisations will always need support in the form of state funding and as Hospice UK reported, vital services are at risk if that state funding is inadequate.