Smaller charities are being held back by lack of volunteers, finds survey

November 2023

Smaller charities are being held back by lack of volunteers: A survey has revealed valuable insight into the struggles which are currently being experienced in the charity sector, with smaller charities (which make up 80% of organisations) being particularly hard hit.

This is especially true when it comes to the recruitment of volunteers. The survey, by Pro Bono Economics in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, highlights the differences in experience between large and small UK charities in the current climate. The accompanying report, titled 'A Tale of Two Sectors' warns that 'volunteer recruitment is now as prevalent as concerns about income' amongst small charities.

Six in ten (59%) small charities said that the difficulty in recruiting volunteers is a major organisational concern, climbing 14 percentage points in the last 12 months, up from 45%. This compares to 37% of medium charities and 15% of larger organisations.

While larger charities have been able to recruit more staff to meet growing demand (charities have employed more people each quarter since 2021) this has not been the case for smaller charities. 

Burnout and low wellbeing

Three-quarters of charities overall reported a growing demand for their services in the last three months (76%), which has meant increased workloads for some employees. Indeed, almost a third (31%) of the charities polled reported that staff have worked outside of their contracted hours or worked when on annual leave to help meet demand. 

This has led to increased cases of burnout, with 30% of charities saying staff have been affected. Similarly, just over a quarter (26%) said they have had increased reports of low wellbeing, while marginally fewer said that they have seen increased absences due to illness (25%). 

To help support their employees, many charities have introduced measures around wellbeing. However, smaller charities have been less able to do so. For example, while 84% of larger charities have covered expenses to help support employees, just 56% of smaller charities reported doing the same. Similarly, 52% of large charities have offered employees support with financial wellbeing awareness, compared to just 9% of small charities. In addition, staff at larger organisations have been offered more mental health support (85% versus 30%).

The findings are part of the fourth edition of the Pro Bono Economics Barometer.