An intentional approach to volunteering

The week our latest Active Lives survey results come out is always one I look forward to, because it’s a chance to step back, look at the data and really understand what’s happening with volunteering in our sector.

With Volunteers’ Week here, I wanted to share a few reflections on the latest adults release – what it tells us about the state of volunteering right now and what it might mean for those of us working across sport and physical activity.

Volunteering levels are recovering – but not fully

The headline figure is encouraging: 10.9 million adults in England gave their time to support sport and physical activity in the 12 months between November 2024 and 2025. That’s an increase of nearly 400,000 compared to the previous year.

This recovery matters, because volunteers are the backbone of our sector and they create opportunities for people to be active in communities that boost wellbeing.

Volunteering in sport and physical activity also generates an estimated £8.6 billion in social value annually, and much of this worth comes from the wellbeing benefits individuals gain through volunteering.  

But we shouldn’t get carried away, because whilst we’re seeing recovery since the pandemic, we’re still not back to pre-Covid levels.  

Volunteering was already in decline before the pandemic and so even though numbers are improving, many clubs and organisations won’t necessarily feel that recovery on the ground.

What does this mean for the volunteer experience?

Fewer volunteers can mean more pressure on existing volunteers, and we hear consistently from partners and volunteers that workloads remain high.

Sport volunteers are incredibly committed – they step up, take on extra responsibilities and keep things running.

But this resilience can mask an ongoing risk of burnout, which became apparent during and after the pandemic and hasn’t yet gone away. If anything, it’s become part of their day-to-day reality.

That’s why it’s critical to focus not just on bringing new people into volunteering, but on improving the experience for those already involved.

Inequalities remain stubborn

The data also reinforces something we’ve known for a long time: volunteering is not accessible to everyone.

People from lower socio-economic backgrounds, disabled adults and those with long-term health conditions remain underrepresented.

This mirrors patterns we see in participation more broadly and won’t change without deliberate action.

But if we’re serious about improving the diversity of our volunteer base then designing volunteer opportunities around lived experience, making them more flexible, inclusive and relevant is essential.  

A widening gender gap

One of the most striking trends this year is that men are driving the recent increases in volunteering.

Men now make up 62% of weekly volunteers – compared to 37% who are women – and the gap appears to be widening.

This raises an important question: are we genuinely reaching new audiences or are we relying on the same groups to do more?

This isn’t to take away from the positive recovery we’re seeing, but it does highlight that more needs to be done to ensure our volunteers are representative of the population.

What’s not working for women?

The gender imbalance is even more concerning alongside the wider context of women’s experiences in sport.

Women in Sport's research highlights issues such as misogyny and women feeling that their voices aren’t heard in coaching roles, and that practical factors like how voluntary roles are structured and whether they fit around people’s lives play a significant part in how accessible roles are to women.

Life stage matters too, as highlighted by our Life Cycles research, and Active Lives shows that while having children increases the likelihood of volunteering in sport overall, the effect is stronger for men.

This is because men with children are more likely to take on coaching or officiating roles while for women, caring responsibilities can be both an enabler and a barrier, particularly in leadership positions like refereeing and coaching.

So, what works?

To bring more women and other underrepresented groups into volunteering – and to deliver positive experiences  – we need to take a more intentional approach and be open to challenging the status quo.

This is a multi-layered challenge – it requires systemic and cultural change, tackling discrimination head-on and rethinking how roles are designed.

Flexibility, family-friendly approaches and clear pathways into leadership roles all make a difference and I can't recommend enough the wide breath of volunteering resources by Buddle, which provide support at every stage of the journey for sport and physical organisations – from help finding volunteers, to defining roles, ensuring wellbeing or building progression paths.

We must also remember that visibility matters – when people see relatable role models and examples of positive experiences, it helps them shift perceptions of who volunteering is for.

For instance, Black Girls Ruck demonstrate the power of community building and how, when done in an authentic way, it can challenge perceptions, give visibility and empower women currently underrepresented in a sport.

Women-led and targeted programmes, like those highlighted in the This Girl Can volunteering guide, show what’s possible when opportunities are designed with women in mind.

Where to next?

Volunteering is recovering, but we can’t rely on this recovery alone to solve the underlying challenges.

For a more sustainable and inclusive volunteer workforce, we need to focus on experience as much as numbers – supporting existing volunteers, reaching those currently underrepresented and creating environments where everyone can thrive.

And whilst acknowledging the scale of the challenge, we also want to take this moment in Volunteers’ Week to recognise and thank the millions of people who give up their time to help others.

Their contribution makes a huge difference to people and communities across the country, and we want to make that experience better for everyone.