How to increase volunteer participation: what really makes a difference

Volunteer participation is shaped long before someone turns up for their first shift.

Regular research from the NCVO shows volunteers juggle work, caring responsibilities and life commitments. Time is precious, and people choose opportunities that fit clearly into their lives.

This means participation isn’t just a retention concern - it’s deeply connected to how you recruit in the first place.

Helpful reading: volunteer recruitment strategies and best practice

Why volunteer recruitment strategies shape ongoing participation

Volunteer recruitment strategies often focus on visibility - getting the message out there, filling forms, posting opportunities.

That matters. But participation improves when recruitment also answers the quieter question volunteers are really asking:

“Is this realistic for me?”

When recruitment sets clear expectations and reduces friction, people are far more likely to remain involved.

Make participation clear, not aspirational

Vague roles are a participation killer.

Volunteers are more likely to stick around when:

• Time commitments are explicit
• Responsibilities are clearly defined
• They know exactly what “turning up” involves

Clarity doesn’t reduce interest, it builds confidence, and confident volunteers are participating volunteers.

Mind the gap between sign-up and start

Recruitment doesn’t end with a form submission.

Long waits, unclear next steps or mixed messages can quietly undo good intentions. When people don’t hear back promptly, they don’t usually complain. They disengage.

Charities that increase participation tend to:

• Acknowledge applications quickly
• Explain what happens next
• Keep communication human and consistent

Closing the gap between “yes” and “let’s begin” is one of the simplest ways to boost participation.

Design roles that bend, not break

One of the most practical answers to how to increase volunteer participation is flexibility.

People don’t stop caring. Their circumstances change.

Participation improves when charities offer:

• One-off or short-term opportunities
• Roles that flex over time
• Easy ways to pause and return

Volunteering that bends with real life lasts longer than volunteering that expects life to bend around it.

Helpful reading: How to attract more volunteers using community feedback

Listen and act

Volunteers usually know exactly what’s getting in the way, they just aren’t always asked!

Simple feedback can highlight:

• Why people stop participating
• Which roles energise rather than exhaust
• Where processes feel clunky or unclear

Volunteer recruitment strategies that listen tend to recruit better, because they improve the experience people are recommending.

Make participation inclusive and connected

Participation drops when opportunities and support are fragmented.

When volunteer information, roles, scheduling and communication live in different places, things get missed. This creates extra admin for teams and a stop-start experience for volunteers themselves.

Many charities use volunteer management platforms, such as Access Assemble, to keep recruitment, onboarding and ongoing engagement connected - not to add complexity, but to remove it and make participation easier to sustain.

Mencap are using Access Assemble to build a volunteering programme that isn’t just about numbers - inclusion and meaningful participation are at it's core.

In just one year, they've seen a 71 % increase in volunteer numbers, and increased the number of volunteers with a learning disability by 18% - and this wasn’t accidental.

They've worked hard to find out who their volunteers are, and identify how to make volunteering participation more inclusive. Volunteering Services Manager Matt Hatt explains:

“We’ve always wanted to report on diversity. Now, with Assemble, we can. That data is helping shape future recruitment and feed into wider organisational goals.”

The team's approach emphasises accessibility, community-led design, and empowering volunteers of all abilities. Rather than expecting volunteers to fit into the way things are, they shapes roles and processes that people can fit around. This has transformed participation from occasional involvement to sustained engagement.

These results underline something simple but powerful:
Participation isn’t just about recruiting volunteers -
it’s about recruiting volunteers into systems and roles that are worth staying in.

Read their story

If you’re exploring how to increase volunteer participation, it helps to shift the question slightly.

Not:
“How do we recruit more people?”

But:
“How do we make participation easier and more rewarding?”

Strong volunteer recruitment strategies:

• Set expectations early and clearly
• Remove unnecessary friction
• Build flexibility into roles
• Treat participation as an ongoing relationship, not a single act
• Design inclusion into processes from the start

When volunteering fits into real lives - and real identities - participation follows.