New report reveals significant rise in volunteer numbers with volunteering now at its highest in a decade

Volunteering in the UK is at its highest level in a decade according to a new report.

The New Alchemy, a report from research consultancy nfpSynergy, reveals overall levels of volunteering among the British public have increased significantly, with one in four now saying they had volunteered for a charity, organisation or local community in the last three months.

And the figures show the number of men volunteering has doubled over the last decade – as well as the number of young people.

Targeting volunteer opportunities to appeal to different groups is essential

The survey of 1,000 Britons reveals 27% of men volunteered in the last three months compared to 26% of women while the numbers of young volunteers have continued to rise, with a third of 16-24 year olds stating that they had given their time, more than double the level in 2005.

Over the last three years an average of 31% of young people gave their time making them the most likely age group to volunteer.

Interestingly volunteering levels vary with patterns of religious activity with regular worshipers more than twice as likely to volunteer.

NfpSynergy’s driver of ideas, Joe Saxton, said: “These are extraordinary changes. It’s a really encouraging sign to see that so many more young people are volunteering and that the gap between men and women is narrowing, but all too often charities don’t think about how they can reach out to these groups.

“Targeting volunteer opportunities to appeal to different groups is essential to ensuring a steady supply of volunteers and capitalising on the skills they provide.”