What’s Happening in the Third Sector?
Volunteering for Health: Learning into Action Guides
Volunteering for Health is a £10m programme being delivered through a partnership between NHS Charities Together, NHS England, and CW+.
The programme is now in its final year and has generated some valuable insight into how volunteering can contribute to some of the biggest challenges facing health and care.
They’ve now released Volunteering for Health: Learning into Action Guides, which bring this learning together. The guides translate the experience of the 15 partnerships into practical recommendations and ideas for leaders across health, local authorities and VCSE organisations.
They explore five areas:
- Embedding volunteering within neighbourhood health
- Developing the healthcare workforce through volunteering
- Training and development for volunteer managers
- Developing volunteer passporting across partners
- Diversifying volunteering opportunities to widen participation
The guides demonstrate how volunteering can contribute to neighbourhood health, workforce transformation, prevention and inclusion, while highlighting practical approaches that others can consider and adapt in their own settings.
See also: Upcoming Webinar
Can we afford to overlook the value of volunteering? How systems can reach and engage underserved communities
Wednesday 16th September | 12:00pm – 12:50pm
This session will explore innovative ways of engaging underserved communities, removing barriers to participation, and creating volunteering opportunities that better reflect local communities. Through real-world examples and shared learning, attendees will gain practical insights into how inclusive volunteering can help tackle health inequalities and improve outcomes across health, care and VCSE sectors.
Community Sport and Recreation Awards 2026 – Nominations
The Sport + Recreation Alliance’s awards programme celebrates the power of sport and recreation and the volunteers that support it.
Nominations are now open for the 2026 edition. There are a few awards on offer, from the Sustainable Club Award to the Grassroots Hero Award. Nominations close at 23:59 on 11th September.
See the full list of categories and cast your vote here.
Volunteer Management Best Practice Guide
LSE have created a guide to support charities and NGOs across the UK in effectively recruiting, managing, and retaining volunteers. They draw on the LSE Volunteer Centre’s experience of working with a diverse range of charities and NGOs, as well as supporting students throughout their volunteering journeys.
The guide is a very practical resource that can help you create high-quality, inclusive, and meaningful volunteering opportunities that benefit both your volunteers and the wider community.
Community and Engagement Survey 2025/26 – volunteering and charitable giving: report
The Community and Engagement Survey (CES) is a nationally representative annual survey of people aged 16 and over in England.
The overall survey explores how people engage with their community, culture, media and live sport. A recent report summarises the key findings for 2025/26 in the volunteering and charity sector.
Key stats include:
- 35% of people aged 16+ engaged in either formal or informal volunteering at least once a month in the last 12 months.
- 51% of people noted work commitments as a barrier to participating in formal volunteering.
- 51% of people highlighted that “want[ing] to improve things/help people” was the main reason for them volunteering.
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