Why do so few people volunteer now?

For anyone with a laptop an interest in reading skills for children and a bit of time to spare I think Bookmark are a really welcoming and supportive volunteer opportunity . It’s brilliant as it can be accessed from workplace , holiday , a friends living room, or your own . A DBS check is necessary but not a problem and you can choose days/ times to suit you . I really enjoy the different interactions with children in school and it fits around all the other things I want to do .

www.google.com/gasearch?q=bookmark%20reading&tbm=&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5

Anyone worried about a DBS check, I've administered many for a charity, they are quick and easy, as long as you have your ID sorted. They are much cheaper for charities to do for vilunteers most use a service which costs approx £10, if you sign up for the free update service any other charity can use the check free provided you have the right ID again, it rarely takes long for them to come back.
It's important for you and the charity and anyone who you come into contact with through the charity that you know what your limits are, and that you know what to do. Becoming a hospital volunteer it was important to learn about the fire safety and infection control, as well as manual handling so volunteers knew how to do things safely safeguarding, you come into contact with lots of vulnerable people. If you were a patient you'd want to know your volunteer has been checked out and knew how to do things safely. It's not a big deal really

My parents were heavily involved in local organisations, as a result I followed in their footsteps, Guides and Scouts, local museum conservation and digitising... I loved it.
But, working full time, being mum to 3 sons and having a partner who worked anti social hours meant I was just trying to spread myself too thinly, eventually, I snapped 😞
I think today, with so many couples both working, meaning family time together is rare, volunteering is being squeezed out 😞

I've been volunteering in a community library since 2017 and I love it. Without the group which set up the community staffing, the library would have closed and an important resource lost in that area. I think it's so important to keep providing access to books and computers for disadvantaged people/families so I'm happy to give my time even though I still work. Yes, you need to go through the DBS checks and interview process but surely all our life experience enables us to cope with that. Older people with accumulated wisdom are a huge, precious resource: it's rewarding to be able to share some of that. The other thing I've been involved with is volunteer dog-walking with a charity called The Cinnamon Trust. You get put in touch with a dog owner who needs help, either because they're ill or have had an operation and can't take their dog out at the moment. The volunteer arranges the actual schedule with the owner so you're largely in control of how often and for how long the walks are arranged. Sometimes, there are opportunities to foster an animal if the owner needs to go into hospital. Not for everyone but if you're a dog-lover...

I also think from reading posts on G'net that many retired people are almost full time carers for grandchildren or parents and unable to take on a fixed commitment.

I've been at my voluntary 'job' at a community garden this morning. I think volunteering is in our genes. After she retired, Mum and one sister ran a local charity shop for many years. Another sister (retired) volunteers in the local food bank 2 days, and does a half day helping at a centre for dementia clients and their carers.

The community garden was started up about 4/5 years ago, with many volunteers in the beginning, but the initial work was heavy going so many volunteers dropped away.

Now, years down the line, the garden is much more do-able but we have never regained the volunteers we lost.

I like the work, being outdoors, the company and the satisfaction of growing fruit, flowers and veg. We can take produce home too.

What is getting harder though is the feeling that each year we struggle to cope with the garden work as there are so few of us volunteers who actually get dirty hands and 'garden'.

We are definitely outnumbered by the 'Chiefs' (as opposed to Indians). The chiefs are mostly in paid roles but we have many others who like to appear when there are any visitors or reporters.

I would add that I am 70 (and reasonably fit) but my sister is 78 and not so fit . Most of our gardening volunteers are in the older age range. I just feel there must be younger people out there in our wee town who have some spare time. (we do a session on a Saturday) But how do we attract them?

It will be sad to give this up, but I do see the day when I feel just too overwhelmed by the work. It will be sad to walk away and leave what we have created.

When that day comes I hope to become a volunteer in some other role, a charity shop perhaps. Something to give me purpose, and get me up and out the door.

Hopefully the red tape i've been reading about on this thread won't put me off.

At the local charity where I volunteer there are over 200 others and so although committing to one or more 3 hour sessions it is very easy to be flexible. I volunteer in the donations centre where we receive the donations from the general public , sort them and classify according to age, size etc.
We are well supported by local companies many of whom allow their employees to volunteer for a day on full pay. These people get an experience of volunteering and and see how enjoyable and worthwhile it is. I thoroughly enjoy it and have always found the other volunteers very friendly and helpful . It is a fun place to be.

I run a community library which is all volunteers, people can do as many or as few hours a week as they like and there are so many libraries that would close down if it wasn’t for the volunteers maybe this would suit people who don’t want to commit to set hours?

I do volenteer work at 3 local foodbanks and I enjoy it very much it gets me out of the house also mixing with others and feeling useful
I love it

I have thought about it but I am not really the type, unlike my mother who was always volunteering for different organisations.

Churches have many volunteers and welcome more. From cleaning the church to Readers to administrator's. Oh! the choir too. Children groups, soup kitchens. Food for the hungry.
Schools usually need volunteers to help listening to children reading (they prefer native accents) If someone has a strong accent it may not be what the children need. Not a popular thing to say but it’s in the child’s interest.
Visiting the housebound or walking with the lonely.
Rough sleepers- refugees. lots to do.
Book clubs, or play reading at homes.
Reading to those in nursing homes.
Just popping into those living alone for a cuppa and a biscuit (bring a packet in case they have none and this avoids embarrassment)
Visiting nursing homes.
Visiting children homes asIndependent Visitor.
The list is endless IF someone genuinely wants to help others and keep themselves active and young. You of course have the usual Charity shops, hospital volunteers etc.
Some of these but not all, require a BDS check.
If we are housebound then phone others similarly blessed and try to abound your own health problems. We don’t want others to feel down by our phone call.
I send you my good wishes to volunteer. It can be good fun and free entertainment. Enjoy old age!!

I am in my eighties but still do a lot of voluntary work. For twenty yearsI was at Citizens Advice and now, after helping to take over our library to stop it closing, work there and am also a trustee of our Village Hall and do a lot there. I love to volunteer, I get out of the house, meet people, hopefully do something useful and do not have the pressure of being employed. People say they do not like having to guarantee being available on specific days but As long as you let the organisers know when you are not available I have never found it a problem.

I have considered doing some kind of voluntary work since retirement but frankly I've heard so many horror stories about people being treated very badly by various charities, sometimes by paid employees, sometimes by other 'Queen Bee' type volunteers, with bad atmospheres, rows and flouncing all too common.
In addition it often seems that volunteers are pressured to do more work than they would like and think they are being rather taken for granted, or feel unappreciated.
I've now read here about humungous, instrusive application forms, DBS checks and long waiting times to hear whether you have been accepted or not. I realised DBS checks are necessary but there must be ways to make the whole process easier and more applicant friendly if they want to attract people.
With all that, I'm not at all surprised volunteers are getting thin on the ground. More power to the lovely people that do it but it's no thanks from me.

I've volunteered now for over 30 years.
School PTA
School Governor
ICV (Independent Custody Visitor)
Hospital Radio Recruitment Officer
Trussell Trust Foodbank

Each role I've enjoyed immensely but just writing down what I've done over this time period is staggering.
Without volunteers where would all of these organisations be. Its increasing difficult to recruit newbies as others have said.
Times have changed and younger people no longer have the free time my generation had or can afford to give their time 'free and gratis'.
It's a difficult one.

@kittylester if you can gift aid a donation you have to completely claim the money and donate it back. It can't be just a paper exercise
I'd encourage anyone who can claim expenses to actually claim them. If you don't want to keep the money then gift aid it back to the charity, assuming obviously you are a taxpayer. If you do that then the charity benefits because it gets the extra gift aid income. It benefits you because you pay less tax
And it benefits the charity in another way too. The charity needs to know how much it costs to run the charity. Also volunteers who need to claim expenses who can't afford not to need to be able to do thstz there needs to be a culture of claiming even if donated back so that anyone who can volunteer is not prevented from doing so by not being able.to afford to

I should say that I am religious in claiming mine but the form does not allow me to gift it back. I donate it to a different, smaller, very deserving charity

When I first started volunteering we were encouraged to claim all expenses but often the claim form would have a box to tick if you wanted to donate it back.

The theory was that claiming expenses reflected the cost to the charity of using volunteers.

If people are on a low ish wage, with high costs, then it's pretty clear why they don't volunteer.
They will do extra, paid work.

I think that there are many 'hidden' volunteers, especially in churches.
When we moved 200 miles from our previous home I decided that I was going to cut down on my volunteering at church, just carrying on being Circuit Safeguarding officer and a Lay preacher---both fairly time consuming.
However, once here I was drawn into other areas that needed attention, clearing and maintaining the church garden, starting Warm Space, were just 2.
Then my daughters marriage ended, entirely unexpectedly, and my focus has to be supporting her and her 2 young children.
The only thing I have given up is my stint at Warm Space, but I am still asked to become involved in other schemes.
It's hard to say no, but at times I feel overburdened.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons people either don't volunteer, or give up.
It's a matter of ---those who do will be asked/expected to do more and more

JaneJudge

I think it could be as simple as people need to be paid for employment

I did many years volunteering whilst in full time employment, and with young children.

I would love to volunteer more but I had to work an extra 5 years for my pension so my remaining years are to be enjoyed!

I volunteer for a charity shop and absolutely love it - meeting the public, camaraderie, teamwork and we all feel appreciated by the manager. It’s increased my confidence, satisfaction levels and feeling of well-being and the sense of contributing to society, albeit in a very small way. My husband, on the other hand, has no desire to volunteer for anything! He says he’s worked all his life and wants to enjoy life in the way he wants to. We’re both retired. I can understand people who don’t wish to volunteer. Even though for me, it’s been wonderful. We also provide some childcare for our grandchildren (which we love to do!) and DH does some DIY for our daughter. So I think there’s many reasons why some people don’t volunteer, most of them highlighted by other GN contributors. For me though, I love it, but I’m lucky as it’s only 6 or 7 mins walk away, so no petrol or parking costs and I’m still fit enough to walk there - thankfully!

I used to volunteer. After being taken advantage off by a client I gave up. This particular client wanted about I hours help shopping. I ended up giving up 4 hours, and being exhausted. She expected me to take her on a shopping trip, not just the supermarket as arranged. She was quite a large lady who needed a wheelchair. After getting her in and out of the car and her wheelchair out of the boot 3 times, and needing to push her around various shops, I told her I had to take her home as my daughter was waiting on me. She was not very happy.

carers allowance is pitiful too, it all makes me so cross

TinSoldier

The NCVO publish a UK Civil Almanac. For 2023, it reported on how things were in 2021/22. Bear in mind, that covers the period of the tail end of the pandemic and beyond.

There were almost 164,000 voluntary organisations from micro (income less than £10,000) to super-major (income more than £100 million). See the chart.

This suggest to me that human resources are being spread a little thinly.

NCVO report that:

•An estimated 14.2m people in the UK have volunteered through a group, club or organisation at least once in 2021/22.

•Levels of formal volunteering have declined since 2020/21. They remain well below pre-pandemic levels, although the rate of decline has slowed.

•Slightly over a quarter (27%) of people over 16 years old in England have volunteered formally with a group, club or organisation at least once in 2021/22. Based on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) population estimates, this means 12m people in England have formally volunteered at least once in the last year, which which is estimated 14.2m people in the UK.

•Under one in five (16%) people report volunteering formally at least once a month, about 7m people in England, (8.3m in the UK).

Importantly:

•Informal volunteering (giving unpaid help without being involved in groups, clubs, or organisations) is less visible. In 2021/22, 46% of the population (approximately 21m people in England, 25m in the UK) have volunteered informally at least once a year and 26% (12m in England, 14.2m in the UK) did so at least once a month.

• Informal volunteering includes activities like going shopping, providing childcare or doing housework for someone for free who is not a relative or a friend.

Your last paragraph is a definition of an unpaid carer so yes a volunteer, but these numbers are being omitted from the national survey and we have found numbers of unpaid carers have dropped drastically although we know this is not the case. Interesting to see I quoted on here . People doing this who are under pension age can register as a carer with the local councils. if they do 35 hours of that type of unpaid work a week they can claim carers allowance.