The Volunteer Solutions
Blog
Practical insight, sector research, and honest commentary for volunteer managers, coordinators, and everyone who cares about making volunteering work better.
The Volunteer Retention Crisis: Why People Are Leaving — and How to Make Them Stay
Volunteer numbers are falling at a rate not seen since records began. Organisations across the UK are watching their most experienced, committed people quietly disappear — and the sector’s default response of spending more on recruitment is treating the symptom while the underlying wound goes unexamined. This article examines what the evidence actually shows, and what organisations can do about it.
NCVO data shows volunteer dropout rates have increased significantly since 2020, with burnout and feeling undervalued consistently cited as primary drivers.
Organisations spending on recruitment while ignoring the reasons volunteers leave are running an expensive treadmill. This article challenges that approach directly.
The article moves from diagnosis to action — with specific, implementable changes that volunteer managers can make without additional budget.
Covers how duty of care obligations and the Equality Act 2010 intersect with volunteer wellbeing — what organisations are legally required to consider.
Written for the realities of volunteer management in 2026.
Every article is grounded in current UK sector research, legislation, and the practical day-to-day experience of managing volunteers.
Recruitment & Retention
Evidence-based approaches to finding volunteers and — more importantly — keeping them. What the data shows, and what actually works.
Legal & Compliance
Current UK legislation affecting volunteer-involving organisations — explained practically, not in legalese. Duty of care, Equality Act, GDPR, safeguarding.
Wellbeing & Support
Volunteer burnout, compassion fatigue, psychological safety, and the organisational factors that make the difference. The evidence and the practical response.
Sector Research & Data
Analysis of NCVO reports, Community Life Survey data, and other sector research — translated into what it means for your organisation.
Diversity & Inclusion
Building genuinely inclusive volunteer programmes. Protected characteristics, reasonable adjustments, neurodiversity, and reaching underrepresented communities.
Digital & Hybrid Volunteering
Remote volunteering, hybrid management, digital onboarding, and the specific challenges of supporting volunteers you rarely see in person.
Training & Development
How to design and deliver effective volunteer training. Building a coherent programme, not just responding to problems. Facilitation, adult learning, evaluation.
Governance & Leadership
Trustee responsibilities, volunteer programme strategy, organisational culture, and making the case for investment in volunteer management.
More from the blog
The Economic Benefits of Volunteering
What volunteering contributes to the UK economy — and to volunteers themselves. The research behind the numbers, and what it means for how we talk about the value of voluntary effort.
The Challenges with Recruiting Volunteers in 2025
How the recruitment landscape has shifted — what’s harder, what’s changed, and the approaches that are working for organisations navigating a more complex environment.
The Health of Volunteering in the UK in 2025
A frank assessment of where the voluntary sector stands — the pressures, the trends, the reasons for concern, and the reasons for confidence. Grounded in current data.
Grounded in evidence
Every article draws on current sector research — NCVO, Community Life Survey, Volunteering Matters, and peer-reviewed sources. We don’t publish opinion dressed as fact.
Legally current
Legal references are checked against 2025/26 UK legislation. Where law or guidance has changed, we say so — and what it means for practice.
Written for practitioners
Not for academics, not for policy makers — for volunteer coordinators, managers, and the people doing the actual work. Readable, specific, and actionable.
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Browse the full archive of articles, guides, and sector commentary from Volunteer Solutions.
