Charities facing ‘unprecedented’ volunteer shortfall – report

Charities are predicting a shortfall of three million volunteers over the next year, warning it will jeopardise essential services from hospices, conservation, animal welfare, and local community support.

A study by Nottingham Trent University for the Royal Voluntary Service found that more than two-in-five charities report rising requests for help, while one-in-four say they are unable to meet demand.

The Royal Voluntary Service is urging the public to take on volunteer roles with causes they care about, alongside a coalition of household-name charities including Guide Dogs, Bookmark Reading Charity, Missing People, Oxfam, RNIB, Rotary Great Britain & Ireland, RSPCA, Stroke Association, and The Conservation Volunteers.

To help more people into volunteering, Royal Voluntary Service has launched a digital volunteering platform called GoVo, which connects volunteers with local and remote opportunities.

Emily Jack, chief executive of Bookmark Reading Charity, said: “Bookmark Reading Charity’s One-To-One Reading Programme volunteers are the heart of our charity. Without their dedication, we simply couldn’t help disadvantaged children transform their life stories through the power of reading.

“But there are far more children struggling to read than we have volunteers to support them. We currently need almost 25% more volunteers to ensure every child in our partner schools gets the reading help they need to thrive.”

Catherine Johnstone, chief executive of the Royal Voluntary Service, said: “Britain’s charities are facing an unprecedented volunteer shortfall, and vital services risk being unable to meet growing needs.

“Charities are standing together like never before, but they cannot do it alone — volunteering is essential. Every contribution, no matter how much time someone can give, helps sustain services, provide support, and make a real difference to causes and communities.

“The new digital volunteering platform, GoVo, makes it easy to find flexible opportunities locally or remotely. Now is the moment to step forward, get involved, and help us show what we can achieve when charities and communities unite.”

Published: 22/10/2025 by Radio NewsHub