What’s Happening in the Third Sector?
How Tech Can Shape the Future of Volunteering
A new article from Charity Digital explores how digital tools are changing the volunteering landscape and where there’s still work to do.
What’s happening?
- More people (especially under-35s) want to volunteer, but many can’t find the right opportunities.
- A massive 140 million hours of workplace volunteering go unused every year, often because people can’t match with the right roles.
- There are loads of volunteering apps out there, but researchers suggest that they might actually be the problem. A simpler, more joined-up approach could help more people get involved.
What’s working?
- Online platforms are helping people find flexible and meaningful ways to volunteer.
- Volunteer management tools are making it easier for charities to manage, support and retain volunteers.
What could improve?
- Make it easier to find opportunities: ideally through a few well-known, easy-to-use platforms.
- Give volunteering a bigger voice inside organisations. Not just on the ground, but at senior levels too.
It’s clear that tech can be a game-changer for volunteering (good news for us!). But only if it’s simple, flexible, and visible enough to really work for people. Keeping on top of news like this, which looks into sector trends, is really important for us to make sure TeamKinetic works for you and your volunteers in the best way it can.
Good News! Online Searches for Volunteering Are Up 13%
New research shows a growing appetite for volunteering in the UK. Online searches went up by 13% over the last year. Places like Oxford (+96%) and Swindon (+78%) saw especially big jumps in interest.
The fashion industry topped the list for offering the most paid volunteering days per employee, but it’s the legal and construction sectors leading on how many companies offer volunteering leave in the first place.
At the same time, some sectors like transport and retail saw a big drop in volunteering opportunities, suggesting operational pressures are getting in the way.
The report encourages charities to:
- Be clearer about the skills they actually need.
- Make roles more attractive and accessible (less admin, more flexibility!).
- Manage recruitment through one streamlined system.
- Show impact! Something that’s key for getting both employees and employers on board.
This all links quite nicely to the above story on how better tech could make it easier for people to find and take up the right volunteering roles, doesn’t it? It’s clear the demand is there; we just need to meet it with smarter systems, better partnerships, and a smoother volunteer experience.
Read the full article on thirdsector.co.uk.
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