The trends in volunteer management for 2024 and beyond

There’s always a lot going on in the world of volunteer management. You’re responsible for so many things, constantly balancing your time and resources, while having to operate in a sector that’s rapidly changing. You’re responsible for… Well, everything volunteering! We created a handout to show all different responsiblities for volunteer managers, and wow, you’re doing a lot!

As a volunteer manager, you also have to keep up to date with the latest trends in volunteering. We’re here to help with the five biggest trends we’ve identified.

What we saw in 2023

• Volunteer recruitment changed rapidly because of the balance between supply and demand.
• The volunteer experience affects retention through engagement, commitment, and satisfaction.
• "New" volunteering forms reflect shifting values, tech advancements, and changing ways to people want to make a difference.
• Digital, data-driven volunteer management enhances collaboration between volunteers and organisations.
• To maximise volunteers' potential, volunteer management focuses on education and engagement.

What trends we see for 2024 and beyond

1. Flexible Volunteering: Economic, societal and generational factors will continue to drive the shift from “traditional” volunteering to more flexible, accessible and inclusive approaches to volunteering.
2. ‍Volunteer Experience: A positive volunteer experience drives volunteer satisfaction, commitment, and ultimately retention of dedicated volunteers.
3. ‍Volunteer Opportunities: “New” types of volunteering recognise the unique interests, skills, and lifestyles of volunteers, enabling them to make an impact while feeling fulfilled and meaningful.
4. ‍Partnerships: Organisations foster collaboration and innovation with partners to effectively access more skills, resources, and expertise, resulting in more community impact.
5. ‍Value Reporting: Organisations strengthen support for volunteer programs and their contributions to society by analysing and sharing data-driven evidence of volunteer value creation.

1. A more flexible, accessible and inclusive approach to volunteering

Flexibility is more than just a flexible location and time. Flexibility is about tailoring your recruitment and engagement purposes to the volunteers’ availability and preferences, instead of what you need as an organisation. This could sometimes be hard because what you need as an organisation isn’t always what the volunteer wants.

To help your reach new audiences and be inclusive and accessible, consider investing in third party involvement, such as corporate volunteering and service learning. This way, you capture the force of volunteering and be more of a facilitator. In short, facilitate all things volunteering within your local community and enhance the self-organising capabilities.

Examples

• British Red Cross’ clear and low-threshold volunteer options‍
• How Spark Somerset opens its doors for corporate volunteers‍
• Volunteer Centre Utrecht facilitates social internships for young people‍
• The Happy Squad low-threshold and inspiring community challenges

2. Positive experiences for committed volunteers

A happy volunteer is a returning volunteering, but we already know that we must focus more to the volunteers’ preferences because they are becoming scarce. This requires tailored approach to support the volunteers’ journeys. Ask the right questions. What can we improve, what did you like? The guided volunteer journeys aim to improve retention rates by aligning the support you offer with their needs.

In short, go out of your way to create the most positive experience for volunteers and support them in their needs. Ensure volunteer managers are well-equipped for the task and that they keep on learning.

Examples

• How the British Heart Foundation sees its volunteer experience‍
• How Deedmob perceives the volunteer- and organisation experience (see slides)‍
• How The Hague offers a volunteer academy to educated volunteer managers

3. “New” types of volunteering meet volunteers’ interests and skills

These are the most important types of volunteering for 2024, next to “regular” volunteering

• Flexible volunteering – not just flexible in location, but also flexible and tailored to a person, needs, and skills
• Virtual- or remote volunteering – Around 23% is done remotely or virtually. Especially for younger people, remote volunteering is very important
• Micro volunteering – breaking up big tasks in smaller tasks. Or, as some call it “volunteering for busy people”
• Skills-based volunteering – using your specific skills to help an organisation

Examples

• Smithsonian offers digital and remote volunteering‍
• Oma’s Soep offers flexible and micro volunteering successfully

4. Collaboration and innovation for improved community impact

We said it before. Partnering with third parties is THE way to innovate and improve community impact. You cannot do everything alone. Corporate volunteering often requires a different structure of voluntary work, as does a Duke of Edinburgh programme, as does an emergency volunteer. Combine forces with parties that specialise in these and work together to create more community impact.

Examples

• How Volunteer Centre Amsterdam, Municipality of Amsterdam, and Deedmob collaborate in facilitating a corporate volunteer platform‍
• How Deedmob forsees and provides an ecosystem approach to volunteering (see slides)

5. Demonstrating volunteer value creation to secure support

If you can demonstrate the value of volunteering, it’s increasingly easy to secure the funds for it. We are moving into an era where reporting is not online becoming easier, it’s becoming necessary to operate, strategize, but also to recognise the amount of community support that organisations and people receive.

Examples

• Spark Somerset’s clear and enjoyable impact report‍
• Works4u’s informative and creative report on the monetary value of charity trustees