Why do so few people volunteer now?

My friend worked in a charity shop for years. Then when covid started they insisted she had to wear a mask despite being exempt due to health problems. So they told her to leave and not return. She was very upset at the time.
It really put me off ever doing it tbh.
I do sponsor my DGCs school buying lots of books each year. Also house sit for AC when things are being delivered or tradesmen coming for repairs etc. Also look after DGC quite often.
I do have a lung condition which limits how long I could work for anyway unless it was sitting down or WFH job.

My husband is looking to do some volunteering but like a previous poster is struggling to find something that interests him/uses his skills and who is taking on volunteers.

No one should be made to feel guilty or judged for not wishing to vounteer. We all have different commitments.

If you have to find bus fare or petrol money to get to a venue then thats an expense which may cut out some people who have spare time but little money.

I think it’s time.

It’s now unusual for one parent to stay at home in the week once the children go to school, and grandparents often seem to have childcare responsibilities which cut across their free time.

I’ve done a lot of volunteering in the past, but my health isn’t very reliable now, so I’m having to take some time out.

I have volunteered most of my life until the pandemic. I made a lot of friends through volunteering. Some I am still in touch with. Started off with things the boys were involved in. Then the local League of Friends,( then they closed the hospital!) Home Start, NEWCIS, NSPCC etc. Since the pandemic some of the things I did never restarted. I still do some things for dementia.

It is sad that even for some simple things there are all the regulations, form filling, safety etc. Things were held on trust years ago now because of the abuse of this trust everything has had to go to the other extreme.

It has also gone very difficult to put on events to raise money. Coffee Mornings and things aren't supported as they once were. If you are only a small group it is hard to find enough people to help with a large event.

In a local town there are no less than thirteen charity shops, Needless to say all asking for volunteers The Oxfam shop has been closed for several months. They are advertising the post of Manager for £28,000 per annum. Some of these charities must have to make a huge amount of money to cover the overheads let alone the charity?

biglouis

No one should be made to feel guilty or judged for not wishing to vounteer. We all have different commitments.

If you have to find bus fare or petrol money to get to a venue then thats an expense which may cut out some people who have spare time but little money.

I agree with this. Most of us have gone through our lives with commitments and there are always people saying we should do this or that, and being superior when we don't do things in the same way as we do.

When we retire is the time we can, if we are lucky, decide for ourselves how to spend our time. Some have more spare time than others, some are committed to looking after children, partners or parents, some live near more opportunities for volunteering and others struggle with transport. People have different levels of health and fitness, and more or less money to spend, and different skills to offer. The last thing people need is more to feel guilty about, and none of us needs to justify why we do or don't volunteer.

My husband is a volunteer driver for RVS. He mostly takes people to hospital for radiotherapy, waits and then brings them home. He meets lots of interesting people and they often treat him as a sort place to off load. He loves it. RVS have lots of opportunities for volunteering as do AgeUk - volunteering isn't necessarily about working in Charity shops and cafes.

I love my charity shop volunteering job and feel really appreciated.
It is quite hard work and quite physical for the hours I am there and up and down steep stars quite a lot. When I am on the till too involves a lot of standing. I’m a reasonably fit 77 but anyone less so than me would find it difficult.
I previously applied to my local hospital for a ward trolley person. This had to be a 9 am start which for me would needed me leaving home soon after 7 and catching two buses and paying the fare. This would not be practical for me nowadays and no flexibility over time so job continued to be advertised. Shame.

I agree that the application forms, DBS checks, being expected to commit to a specific number of hours, etc do seem more like applying for a job without the pay! My DH and I moved house when we retired at 66, so that he would be near enough to volunteer on a steam railway - he'd been thinking about that for years. He was shocked to discover, when he met his first railway volunteer, that he worked about 50 hours a week, every week. We do help look after GC, and support our autistic DS. The level of commitment expected seemed out of the question. Both of us are now volunteering, in other projects, but we've taken our time and found things that are a bit more flexible and understanding.

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kittylester

As I said in the OP, I love my volunteering and I think it gives me structure to my week.

I get a reasonable amount per mile if I have to travel and I can claim car parking if necessary. The paid staff are lovely and appreciate all the volunteers.

I was a SAHM and have volunteered since the youngest of my children started school.

I have never been a SAHM....worked mainly full time bringing up 3 DC ...Will be 60 this year and still working ( although part tine) .....when I finally retire the last thing I want is structure to my week .....Volunteering is not and never will be on my agenda

If you work anywhere near children you have to have a working with children card . Even if it is a very peripheral contact. I can’t be bothered renewing mine anymore,too much trouble and cost so I no longer volunteer for crèches etc at church. Not just a police check, this is something extra. Funny that the child abusers just get away with it, they seem to be able to bend the rules somehow.

I volunteer but am getting fed up with the compulsory annual Safeguarding course, Equality and Diversity training, team meetings etc. If you go to a different charity you can't ‘carry over’ your courses/training, made even more frustrating by the fact that up until a couple of years ago I used to deliver the courses myself!

I'm pretty sure the many certificates and courses required (as noted by previous posters) have deterred a lot of people. However, I also believe that the whole structure of society has shifted.

Traditional volunteers were from the retired population and more often than not were women. The new "batch" of that demographic is now either still working or caring for grandchildren.

That same group were also often widows as men's life expectancy was historically lower than women's. It is still not an equal playing field but it has improved and many more women have someone to share their retirement with.

The next assertion is contentious but I feel that there are more financially better off pensioners than there used to be. The benefits of private pension schemes set up in the 80's have come to fruition and/or they have benefitted from the housing market. A lot of pensioners are not caught in the dire poverty trap of old when it really was a stark choice between heating or eating.

As a result senior travel is now big business and retirees are booking holidays abroad, weekend breaks and belong to golf clubs and the like. Sometimes they own second homes too. They are effectively busy enjoying themselves and no longer have the need to fill a void.

M0nica

I think one reason is that many more people over pension age are working, at least part time, the other is the lack of people of working age at home during the day and fit and healthy and thirdly, I think charities are becoming more and more dependent on volunteers doing work that they previously would have paid workers to do

Finally, there are so many charities now using volunteers that demand just outstrips supply.

This and the invisible army of grandparents doing lots of childcare

I volunteered with WRVS. I helped to deliver meals on wheels, I took people to appointments. I took a few elderly people to do their weekly shopping. I thoroughly enjoyed doing it I would recommend it to anyone who is fit and able. It's not always easy.

-most (lots of?)people have households where both parents have to work full time
-grandparents often have to spend their free time providing childcare
-cost of living means paid work is taken over unpaid work
-illness/disability
-laziness/CBA attitude

What puts me off is the way you need references and have to commit to 6 to 12 months.

If I didn't like it , then I'd feel obliged to stay as I've given my word so the commitment puts me off.

Also I don't want to use my work References, I want to save for work and some voluntary places want work References for the past 5 years.

For a few years I was a lay advisor on mylocal MAPPA board.
This was giving an ordinary person's view about difficult Public Protection Arrangements re violent offenders and sex offenders. There were quarterly meetings to attend and (unfortunately) serious case reviews, working on a couple of subcommittees, looking over the public statements and checking accounts etc. Holding the various services to account on behalf of "ordinary people".

It involved a lot of sensitive and gruelling information which was highly confidential and the role was not something to do to join a friendship group.
I did it for 4 years which was then the maximum term.

That was a public appointment and did involve a lot of paperwork in the application process but was challenging and stimulating and definitely a "public service".

You can find it and other government jobs here:

apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles

You can skip the bit where you choose a role and just put in your area (lower down) and see what comes up.

For example this is a current East Midlands option:
Lay Members - Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire & Northamptonshire Recruitment Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace

And this:
Workplace Transformation Board: Non-Executive Member DWP Departmental Board
comes up in London.

Public appointment applications may be on hold till after the election.

BTW. I was not supporting the government!

Good work there NotSpaghetti. Mappa was very helpful during my final working years.

When we came to Australia in the early 70 s it was very noticeable that many more people here volunteered than in the UK. Not sure if this would still be the case. One of the biggest volunteer agencies is the CFA , country fire fighters, who put their lives on the line, literally, for others. When there are natural disasters help pours forth from all directions, it is part of our psyche I think. My family got heaps of assistance when they lost everything in a bushfire, it really brought tears to our eyes. Much of it was anonymous,too.

All the early years of retirement were taken up with GC care, now I don’t have the energy. I am sure the change in retirement age must be making a big difference

Thank you Iam64.

The good bit was that it was actually eye-opening to see that the people "at the top" were really (on the whole) extraordinary, hard working, deeply thoughtful and engaged people and genuinely worked together across situations in a way that middle management seemed unable to do.

It was hugely reassuring.