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This opinion article is one in a series of responses by Community and Volunteer Sector thought leaders in response to our State of the Decade of Volunteering report.

UK-based Rob Jackson has over 30 years’ experience working in the voluntary and community sector, holding a variety of strategic development and senior management roles that have focused on leading and engaging volunteers. 

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Thank you, Volunteering New Zealand, for publishing the “State of the Decade of Volunteering” report. Any research and data that allows us to explore trends in volunteering is vital to ensuring that Volunteer Engagement Professionals, Volunteer Involving Organisations, volunteering infrastructure, funders, policymakers, and others make properly informed decisions to strengthen our communities.

I was honoured to be invited by Volunteering New Zealand to give my reflections on this new report. I do so from my perspective as a UK-based consultant on volunteer engagement, someone who has had the privilege of engaging with colleagues around the world (including New Zealand) on the crucial issues facing volunteering in our ever-changing world.

In my article, I want to reflect on three shifts in volunteer engagement that Volunteer Involving Organisations need to make. These are not all unique to New Zealand, but they are borne outby the data in the “State of the Decade of Volunteering” report. I hope they are of help and considered in the spirit in which they are shared — one of seeking a better future for society, our organisations, and volunteering.

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1. Stop seeing long-term and short-term volunteering as binary options

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“Organisations are finding it harder to secure volunteers who are willing to undertake long-term commitments, and many now rely on a small group of highly engaged but aging individuals, placing additional pressure on this core cohort.” - State of the Decade of Volunteering report

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There is much in the report about the changing nature of volunteering. People are giving less time, and they are doing so on their terms and not ours. Volunteering New Zealand sums it up well when they talk of the public taking a more casual approach to volunteering, one that is at odds with the traditional, formal and structured approach employed by many organisations.

Volunteer Engagement Professionals and Volunteer Involving Organisations understandably bemoan this situation. Demand for their work is rising as funding falls, just as the models of volunteer engagement they have relied upon for so long undergo fundamental changes. It’s not an easy situation.

We can worsen it, though. If we view people’s commitment to volunteering as binary — either short or long term — then we miss a rich and fertile land of potential that lies between.

There is huge potential in that fertile middle ground — taking people from their first engagement to a deepening relationship with our organisations where, over time, they can step up to the high commitment roles we need filled.

It is wrong to say that people won’t make regular, long-term commitments to volunteer any more. Rather, they won’t do it on day one. We must take people on a journey, one they are controlling, allowing them to adapt their commitment over time as we create and curate meaningful ways for people to engage with the causes they are passionate about.

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2. Start collaborating

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”The availability of entertainment options has changed drastically in the past decade. The rise of our digital, connected world means that there is always ‘something to do’ or ‘something on’, directly competing with the time people are able to devote to volunteering. This cultural shift towards so-called “on-demand lifestyles” has created competition between volunteering and other leisure pursuits, reshaping the volunteer offering and expectations from both individuals and organisations.” - State of the Decade of Volunteering report

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If the first shift sounds challenging, here’s some good news. You are not in it alone. Every Volunteer Involving Organisation is facing, or will face, the need to shift their engagement practice as volunteering changes.

Yet, if we see our nonprofits as in competition with each other, we will make our task of adapting to the new volunteering reality more difficult than it needs to be.

Here’s the truth — you are not in competition with other organisations seeing to recruit volunteers in your community. You are all in competition with any of those multitudes of ways people can choose to spend their spare time.

If Volunteer Involving Organisations come together to face this common challenge, then we can find creative new ways to engage people. Volunteer sharing initiatives, local passporting schemes and other collaborative efforts help make it easier for people to volunteer. We can do what we can to reduce bureaucracy and make it possible for people to move more seamlessly between organisations according to the needs and desires of the individual.

As Lucas Meijs and Jeff Brudney put it in their 2009 paper, "It Ain't Natural: Toward a New (Natural) Resource Conceptualization for Volunteer Management”, it is our collective responsibility to work together to steward the natural resource of volunteer energy in our communities.

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3. Start to invest in volunteer expenses

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“…the majority of VIOs do not routinely reimburse volunteers for all their out-of-pocket expenses.”

“Many organisations are now taking active steps to embed diversity and inclusion into their practices… This formalisation of values reflects a broader sectoral shift toward diversion, inclusion, and equity.” - State of the Decade of Volunteering report

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Progress on diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) is welcome. Yet, it will always be limited if Volunteer Involving Organisations are not providing the reimbursement of volunteer expenses.

Without covering expenses, volunteering becomes the preserve of those who can afford to engage in it. That creates uniformity, inequity and exclusion, the very opposite of what we want to achieve.

I know money can be scarce. Volunteering is often an easy budget line to realise savings from. But I will be blunt — it is hypocritical to claim to champion DEI and not provide volunteer expenses.

Challenging as it may be, money needs to be allocated to offer and provide expense reimbursement to all volunteers. Whether it’s an organisation, government (at all levels), or a funder seeking to effective positive change, volunteer expenses are not a cost to be cut but a vital and worthwhile investment in the future of healthy, vibrant New Zealand society.

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This opinion article is one in a series of responses by Community and Volunteer Sector thought leaders in response to our State of the Decade of Volunteering report.

Victoria Davy is Head of Volunteering at Blind Low Vision New Zealand, with more than 30 years of leadership experience, including over a decade in volunteer leadership within the not-for-profit sector, alongside a background in business management and life coaching.

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Thank you for the privilege of reviewing State of the Decade of Volunteering report. I found it insightful, well-researched, and thorough. While it provides a detailed picture of where the volunteering sector is now and how we arrived here, I found the insights inspiring.

The report highlights the opportunity we have to build volunteer functions across all sectors and organisations, large and small, that truly align with the roles, experiences, and values that todays and tomorrow’s volunteers are seeking. To achieve this, organisations will need to take a hard look at how they operate, manage, and support both staff and volunteers. Government agencies also need to be part of this shift. A real meeting of the minds is needed if New Zealanders are to continue receiving the services that volunteers have delivered over the past several decades.

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What’s needed for change

I read this report through a lens of opportunity. The younger generation of volunteers are seeking new ways to contribute, and while the market can adapt, it will require:

• Operational and technological shifts
• Cultural shifts in how organisations structure staff roles, teams, and relationships
• A stronger commitment to building one team culture where staff and volunteers work side by side. This is something I am particularly passionate about.

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Another key theme I saw is the need for the sector to raise a united voice. Volunteer-involving organisations must come together, rather than speak as smaller, disparate voices, if the sector, its clients, and volunteers are to be heard. There is also an opportunity, and necessity, for organisations delivering similar services to collaborate in advocating for resourcing and considerations to be built into policy decisions. With government agencies increasingly relying on volunteers to fill service gaps, there is strength in unity.

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I also see potential for smaller organisations to band together, pooling expertise and experience to adapt to a changing market, professionalise the sector, and embrace technological advances. For example, multiple organisations could jointly engage CRM specialists to develop technology platforms, lowering costs overall and increasing bargaining power.

There is urgency for the sector to address the professionalism of volunteer recruitment, management, support, and recognition if we are to continue delivering vital services to New Zealanders. I was particularly encouraged by the sections on the next generation of volunteers and what they are looking for. I am already reflecting on the elements of our own volunteering function that I will intentionally rebuild to attract these volunteers in ways that suit them, while also ensuring continuity of services delivered by volunteers for our clients.

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Reflections on the next five years

Looking ahead, I see several key issues for volunteers and volunteering in Aotearoa over the next five years, alongside the opportunities they present:

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Recruitment and retention

Issue: Finding ways to engage diverse volunteers with different motivations, availability, and expectations.

Opportunity: Build and adapt functions that are flexible rather than static, able to evolve with the times. Review volunteering structures, roles, and outputs, creating more specialised, time-bound roles (e.g., six months) and splitting larger roles to make them more manageable. Leverage technology, including AI tools like ChatGPT, to free up volunteer and staff capacity to focus on serving clients. Grow the volunteer base by attracting people of all backgrounds and skills, fostering a dynamic and inclusive volunteer community. Developing opportunities that meet the market rather than role driven opportunities that cannot be filled or sustained.

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Professionalism of the sector

Issue: Ensuring volunteer management is resourced, respected, and embedded in organisational structures.

Opportunity: Elevate volunteer management as a core function, fully integrated into organisational leadership, with dedicated resources to support volunteer success. Foster an environment where the organisations in the sector work together, leveraging each other’s expertise and experience to maximise the impact and effectiveness of volunteering.

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Technology and systems

Issue: Adopting fit-for-purpose tools that support volunteers, streamline processes, and reduce duplication.

Opportunity: Make volunteering easier, more rewarding, and more impactful by using systems that help volunteers connect directly with roles and opportunities they’re trained and approved for. Streamline processes so everyone can focus on what matters most - helping clients - rather than getting bogged down in paperwork. Work smarter, not harder, and use technology to free up time and energy for meaningful contribution.

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Collaboration and advocacy

Issue: Uniting voices across the sector to influence policy and secure sustainable resourcing.

Opportunity: Build strong sector-wide partnerships and alliances to amplify our voice, influence policy, and secure long-term investment in volunteering.

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Cultural change

Issue: Building truly inclusive “one team” environments where staff and volunteers work together seamlessly.

Opportunity: Foster workplaces where staff and volunteers operate as one team, in cultures that value inclusion, respect, and shared purpose. Champion the impact of volunteering by having a clear organisational position on volunteering, ensuring consistency, preventing misuse of volunteer roles, and providing a high-quality experience for all volunteers, no matter where they serve.

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Thank you again for sharing this report, I am thoroughly inspired by the opportunities ahead of us if we as a sector are brave and honest in addressing the current issues, I believe we can.

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