Volunteering levels have been falling over the long-term and this was accelerated by the pandemic, plus we are yet to see volunteering return to pre-pandemic (November 2018-19) levels, as there are still 1.7m (4.8%) fewer volunteers compared to seven years ago (November 2016-17).
This decline is not unique to the sport and physical activity sector.
The Community Life Survey, which measures volunteering across sectors is also reporting that levels of formal volunteering have been in decline, suggesting that there are wider social and economic factors at play.
Our recent State of the Nation report points to some of the wider changes we’ve seen that provide interesting context for the data.
There has also been little change in who volunteers.
Women, people with disabilities or a long-term health condition and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds continue to be underrepresented in volunteering, plus those with two or more characteristics of inequality are least likely to volunteer.
The data shows that, in many ways, volunteering mirrors the stubborn inequalities that we see in sport and physical activity participation.
As a result, community sports clubs and community groups continue to miss out on the valuable skills and experiences a more diverse volunteer base could bring.
It also means that the volunteers who help deliver sport and physical activity are not always representative of the communities they serve, which can pose challenges in staying relevant to the changing needs of diverse participants and communities.
Changing this is fundamental to creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.
Making a difference
A good starting point, and our focus in Uniting the Movement, is to focus on the volunteer experience; on changing culture and practices to enhance it, and on making it more inclusive and welcoming.
We recently commissioned Leeds Beckett University to complete an evidence and scoping review to understand the existing evidence and insights out there on the volunteer experience in sport and physical activity.
We’ll publish more details from this work as soon as we can, but it felt relevant here to share a snapshot of what the existing evidence tells us works to enhance the experience of volunteers, particularly those from underrepresented groups. These include:
- supporting the development of feelings of connection to the purpose, values, work or people of the organisation
- ensuring roles align with the individuals’ motivations to volunteer and that these roles are suited to their skills and experience
- making sure volunteers feel able to manage role demands with their available personal resources and know where and how to access support
- establishing an organisational culture that is welcoming, caring, safe and inclusive
- creating environments volunteers feel seen, heard, known and valued throughout all stages of their volunteer journey
- ensuring that organisations critically reflect on volunteer management, policies and practices
- developing person-centred approaches that underpin the recruitment, development and retention of volunteers
- providing a volunteer offer that is diversified and that's made easier through flexible, accessible and appealing roles
- designing non-linear pathways to support the development and retention of volunteers and to address any skills gaps.
What about the future?
Imagine it’s 2035 and these principles and approaches have been embedded across sport and physical activity volunteering.
What changes would we see in the data about who volunteers?
Would there be an increase in volunteering with more people encouraged to give their time to support others to get active?
What we want is to see a future where volunteering in sport is uncomplicated, meaningful, well supported and easily integrated into people’s life.
And for this to be possible we need an inclusive, accessible, people-centric culture where volunteering is accessible and relevant to everyone.
We hope that, in the future, the volunteer workforce will reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, and that the experience of participants is richer and more positive within this inclusive environment.
I’m really looking forward to discussing and reflecting on these findings with our partners to understand how we might create these conditions in more of the clubs, groups and organisations to improve the experience of volunteers across the country.
In the meantime, I hope that this provides some inspiration for even small changes to help improve the experience of volunteers right now.
