Blog: Barriers to Volunteering

Volunteers are always in great demand and they are crucial to our work in the Third Sector.

Beyond the benefits to the organisations they serve, volunteering is also beneficial for the volunteer, from gaining new skills to add to a CV to fostering a sense of purpose and community. However, there has been a decline in formal volunteering in Scotland: from 2019 to 2022, this type of volunteering decreased from 26% of the population to 22%. This can partly be attributed to the pandemic, however, there are other factors at play.

Research by NCVO highlights that while many people are eager to volunteer, various barriers prevent them from doing so. Understanding the barriers to volunteering means we can then help potential volunteers overcome them.

Our instinct might be to dive right into how we can make our volunteering more inclusive and accessible, but to do this effectively it is important to understand the barriers first before we jump into action. The Make Your Mark volunteering toolkit is a great resource on accessible volunteering, they identify three types of barriers: economic, social and cultural, and physical.

Economic factors often present significant challenges that can stop people from volunteering. NCVO’s survey shows that concerns about time commitments and potential out-of-pocket expenses can make people unsure about volunteering. So, if the role involves expenses, this means it isn’t always accessible – not everyone can wait till the end of the month to get their bus fares or activity costs back – could we think of ways to provide funds before the activity so that volunteers aren’t out of pocket?

Things like childcare costs can also be a big barrier for parents or guardians. You might consider a volunteer run creche or more remote options. Some people also have to work long hours to make ends meet, not leaving them enough free time to volunteer.

Sometimes the barriers people face are just a misunderstanding: people seeking asylum might think they aren’t allowed to volunteer but they are, it wont affect their status. Volunteering can give them the chance to improve their English language skills if that is needed and an opportunity to become more involved in their local community. People who claim benefits also won’t have their entitlement taken away if they volunteer. We can help by saying these roles are open to everyone in our advertisements and recruitment drives and highlighting that this includes people seeking asylum and people who claim benefits in the information we provide.

Social and cultural factors also can deter potential volunteers, particularly those from marginalised communities. Lack of confidence is a barrier. According to the NCVO survey, many potential volunteers worry they don’t have the right skills or experience to help. At THRE, we champion empowerment as part of our Human Rights and Equalities First Approach, so, as third sector organisations, we might think about how we can advertise roles to emphasise that volunteers will be supported to learn new skills. We might also think of ways to make volunteers more comfortable. NCVO’s findings suggest that people are more likely to volunteer if they know someone who is already involved or if they are personally invited. You could consider encouraging volunteers to bring their friends and families along for an open day.

Experiences of structural discrimination can also put people off volunteering. Existing staff and volunteers that are resistant to change or hold prejudices stand in the way of an inclusive workplace and volunteering culture. It is important to assert your organisation’s values and educate all involved on the importance of inclusion. Make sure it is clear what work your organisation is putting in place to challenge discrimination and make your volunteering programme a welcoming one for all. Getting staff to take our Basics course is a great place to start.

Physical barriers, both internal and external, can make volunteering inaccessible to many, especially those with disabilities. Physical barriers are often more intuitive, and can be split up into internal and external barriers:

• Exterior – things like inaccessible parking, kerbs, steps, and a lack of ramps.
• Interior – things like stairways, doors that are heavy or not wide enough and inaccessible toilets.

The pandemic brought with it the rise of the digital volunteer, making volunteering more accessible to those not always able to be on site. However, it is important to make digital spaces as accessible as possible too. Despite the rise of online volunteering, it is important to still make your organisation as physically accessible as possible to make sure there are options for everyone’s comfort level and desire for involvement. In addition to physical barriers at the volunteering site, there are also considerations for remote volunteering opportunities, for example, providing computer training to those less familiar with tech.

It might not be possible to remove all of the barriers to volunteering but taking some time to think about what they might be for your volunteers and how you can address them could make a real difference to volunteer recruitment and retention.

To round up, here are a couple of general tips:

• Be as flexible as possible, from hours to role types to location – there will be small changes that can make all the difference for your volunteers
• Look at how you advertise your volunteer opportunities, do they feel welcoming? Does it unintentionally seem like you’re targeting some groups and not others? Do they emphasise opportunities to learn? Can you expand the number of areas you are sharing the your opportunities?
• Involve your current volunteers on workshopping your volunteering recruitment – they might have a good idea of what types of barriers other potential volunteers may be facing.
• Check out our PANEL resource to see how Participation, Accountability, Non-discrimination, Empowerment, and Legality can help you in your human rights and equalities first journey, making your volunteering programme more diverse and inclusive.

If you are interested in learning more about taking a human rights and equalities approach to your volunteering programmes, sign up to our free course on how to do just that.