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Pack 2: Motivating and Retaining Volunteers

This training will give volunteer co-ordinators an insight on why volunteers join the organisation and why they leave, plus it will help them to retain and reward volunteers
Author

Kay Curtis

Resources

Handouts, Activity Sheets & Case Studies

Experience Level Needed

Beginner

Access

Download and Online Access

Duration

3 hours

Price

£
50

What's included?

  • Session Timetable
  • Timed Activities
  • Trainer notes
  • Training material in PPT files 
  • Pre Course questionnaire
  • Training Evaluation form
  • Session extension ideas
  • Activity sheets
  • Case Studies

Overview

This training will help volunteer coordinators understand why volunteers join and leave the organization, as well as how to retain and reward them. The three-hour session on Motivating and Retaining Volunteers is a great follow-up to Recruiting Volunteers. It includes exercises to identify motivations and demotivations, as well as practical activities for recognizing and addressing demotivation. Additionally, the pack provides an exercise for creating an action plan to recognize and reward volunteers.

Objective

By the end of this session participants will:

 - have information on what motivates people
 - have information on the de-motivators
    be able to identify signs and causes of de-       motivation
 - be able to choose various ways of dealing      with de-motivation
 - have an understanding of why volunteers        leave
 - have explored dissatisfaction and how to       deal with it
- have discussed methods of recognising        and rewarding volunteers
WHY IT MATTERS

Why motivating and retaining volunteers matters more in 2026 than ever.

📅 Pack content last reviewed: April 2026
✍️ Authored by Kay Curtis · 30+ years' UK voluntary-sector specialism

Pack 2: Motivating & Retaining is a complete full-day trainer-led session for UK volunteer coordinators — covering what motivates volunteers to stay, why they leave, recognition and development strategies, and the practical retention planning that turns first-month volunteers into multi-year contributors.

Volunteer retention has never been more critical to UK charities. NCVO's Time Well Spent 2023 research shows 80% of volunteers say they're likely to continue with their main organisation — but only when their experience is positive. Among dissatisfied volunteers, only 26% expect to continue. The single biggest predictor of retention isn't pay, conditions, or location — it's whether the volunteer feels supported, valued, and able to develop.

Retention in 2026 also matters in a sector where the volunteer pool is shrinking. NCVO data shows formal volunteering down across most age groups since the pandemic, with under-35s the most affected. Organisations that could replace a leaving volunteer easily five years ago now face longer recruitment cycles and smaller applicant pools.

Stress is also a rising factor. Time Well Spent 2023 reports a measurable increase since 2019 in volunteers citing "too much stress" as a reason for stopping — driven by understaffing, post-pandemic demand pressure, and emotional demands of front-line voluntary work.

This training pack equips your volunteer coordinator with practical retention frameworks built on current NCVO research — adaptable for organisations with 5 volunteers or 500.
80%
Volunteers likely to continue
From NCVO Time Well Spent 2023 — but only 26% of dissatisfied volunteers continue. Experience quality is the lever.
69%
Continue when development is 'good'
vs only 34% when development opportunities are rated 'poor'. Development is one of the strongest single retention factors.
STRESS ↑
As a reason to stop volunteering
Volunteers citing stress as a reason to stop has risen measurably since 2019 — recognising stress is now core retention work.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Quick answers from buyers like you.

QWhat actually motivates volunteers to stay?
NCVO's Time Well Spent research consistently identifies three top motivators: attachment to the organisation, commitment to the cause, and feeling the difference they make. The pack covers how to nurture each of these systematically rather than relying on any one factor.
QHow do I recognise volunteers without making it feel awkward?
Recognition that lands well is specific, timely, and proportionate to the contribution. Generic thank-you cards and annual awards work less well than a coordinator who notices and names a specific thing the volunteer did. The pack covers the full range — informal recognition, formal recognition, peer recognition.
QDoes it cover supporting volunteers experiencing burnout?
Yes. With stress-related drop-off rising since 2019, the pack covers recognising signs of volunteer burnout, having supportive conversations early, and the boundary between organisational support and signposting to professional services.
QHow does this differ from Pack 3 (Supporting & Supervising)?
Pack 3 covers the supervision conversation framework. Pack 2 covers what to do with that framework to keep volunteers committed. Pack 3 gives you the meeting; Pack 2 gives you the retention strategy that goes in the meeting. Both work best as a pair.
QIs it better to buy this pack or the full library?
Retention training works best alongside supervision, recognition, and difficult-behaviour packs. If retention is your only training need, the single pack works. For the full retention framework, the £295 library licence pays for itself after six packs.
RELATED TRAINING PACKS

Retention is the outcome of everything else done well.

Coordinators typically pair this pack with:

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