17th March 2026
Understanding Volunteer Experience in Scotland: Insights from the 2025 Workforce Survey
Volunteers remain at the heart of Scotland’s voluntary sector, supporting organisations through rising demand, complex community needs and ongoing recruitment challenges. The 2025 Scottish Voluntary Sector Workforce Survey offers one of the most detailed pictures to date of who volunteers are, what motivates them, and the conditions that help them thrive.
The Workforce Survey, published this week, was a collaborative effort between SCVO, Volunteer Scotland and Charity Leadership Scotland (formerly ACOSVO) to build a richer, more detailed picture of the people who give their time to support communities across the country. The survey looks at the experiences of paid staff working in the voluntary sector and, for the first time, volunteers.
Volunteer Scotland have published an in-depth analysis of the experiences of 570 volunteers in the Workforce Survey. The findings highlight a committed and experienced volunteer base, but also point to areas where support, inclusion and organisational practice can be strengthened. This blog outlines some of the key takeaways and recommendations for volunteer-involving organisations.
Who volunteers – and how they give their time
Volunteering is a long-standing part of life for most respondents. Nearly six in ten have volunteered consistently throughout their lives, and almost half have been in their current role for more than five years. Many take on formal or leadership responsibilities, including committee and trustee roles, advice and advocacy, and community organising.
Motivations are strongly values-driven. Most volunteers want to help others, support a cause they believe in, or use their skills for good. Community need and personal connection also matter, while career related motivations are far less common.
Volunteer experience: high satisfaction, but not evenly shared
Satisfaction levels are high overall, 87% of Workforce Survey volunteer respondents are either very (39%) or fairly (48%) satisfied, especially among the youngest and oldest volunteers. Most feel supported, welcomed and able to volunteer flexibly. However, the survey also shows that satisfaction is not evenly distributed across groups, and that experience is the strongest driver of whether volunteers stay. We found that:
- Positive experience leads to extremely high satisfaction across all ages, ethnicities and health statuses. Dissatisfaction is almost eliminated when volunteers feel supported.
- Neutral experience creates uncertainty, particularly for younger volunteers, minority ethnic volunteers and those with long-term health conditions. These groups are more likely to feel unsure about their role or less settled in their organisation.
- Poor experience sharply increases dissatisfaction for everyone, with minority ethnic volunteers and those with long-term conditions showing the steepest declines.
Across every demographic group, the pattern is clear: experience drives satisfaction, and satisfaction drives retention.
Volunteer management and organisational culture
Around half of volunteers are supported by a paid coordinator, and most (81%) feel able to volunteer flexibly. Many describe their organisations as inclusive and welcoming. However, views on organisational effectiveness are more mixed. Some volunteers highlight issues around communication, bureaucracy, role clarity and boundaries—factors that can undermine experience even when motivation is strong.
A minority report concerns about fairness or bullying, suggesting that organisational culture remains a critical area for attention. These issues are not evenly distributed: ethnic minority volunteers are more likely to report negative experiences, with a higher proportion disagreeing that “the organisation feels open, inclusive and welcoming”, that “opportunities are provided equally, regardless of background or identity”, and that “the organisation values diversity by ethnicity.”
Retention: who stays, who leaves, and why
Most volunteers intend to continue in their role, with 55% saying they are unlikely to leave in the next year or two. However, around one in four are considering stepping back over the same period. Retention varies by age, ethnicity, gender and health status. Time pressures, life changes and feeling they have “done their bit” are the most common reasons for stepping back.
Younger and middle-aged volunteers are more likely to consider leaving due to stress or changing circumstances, while volunteers with long-term conditions show higher uncertainty even when experience is positive. Most trustees have similar intentions to stay in their role as volunteers overall, with just over half unlikely to leave in the next year or two. However, trustees are slightly more likely to say they are “quite likely” to quit, even though the proportions at the extremes – highly unlikely and highly likely – are almost identical to the wider volunteer group.
Across all groups:
- Positive experience → higher retention
- Neutral experience → mixed retention, with some groups more likely to drift
- Poor experience → high likelihood of quitting
What this means for the sector
The findings point to clear priorities for strengthening volunteer experience and retention:
- Invest in support and coordination so volunteers feel guided, valued and connected.
- Reduce organisational barriers such as unclear roles, bureaucracy and inconsistent communication.
- Focus on inclusion, ensuring volunteers from minority ethnic backgrounds and those with long-term conditions feel secure, supported and able to contribute fully.
- Create flexible, sustainable roles that adapt to volunteers’ changing circumstances.
- Recognise and appreciate contributions, reinforcing the value volunteers bring.
Volunteers remain deeply committed to their communities and to the causes they care about. By strengthening support and addressing the pressures highlighted in this survey, organisations can help ensure that volunteering in Scotland remains rewarding, inclusive and sustainable for years to come.
The Workforce Survey makes clear that volunteers thrive when organisations are well resourced, well governed and intentionally inclusive. Strengthening Scotland’s volunteering ecosystem will require action across funding, flexibility, inclusion, regulation and pathways into leadership. The following priorities reflect the recommendations set out in the report.
- Provide fair and sustainable funding for volunteer-involving organisations
Volunteers have the best experience when organisations have the resources to support them well. Fair, multi-year funding enables organisations to invest in high quality coordination, training and safeguarding, and to maintain the continuity volunteers rely on. The survey shows a strong link between feeling well supported and both satisfaction and retention, highlighting the importance of stable funding for volunteer programmes.
- Expand flexible volunteering opportunities
Flexible roles help people with different schedules, caring responsibilities and work patterns to take part. Time-limited, task-based, remote and micro-volunteering options can make volunteering more accessible and sustainable. Regularly reviewing role descriptions and using digital tools to match volunteers to suitable opportunities can help ensure that flexibility is embedded in practice.
- Strengthen equity and inclusion so all volunteers have a safe, positive experience
Volunteering must be welcoming and accessible to people from all backgrounds. Strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion processes is essential—particularly for minority ethnic volunteers, who the survey shows may face additional barriers or uncertainty. Co‑designing roles with communities, improving outreach, addressing practical barriers and providing staff training on inclusive practice can help ensure that all volunteers feel safe, respected and able to contribute fully.
- Embed the principles of the Volunteer Charter
The Volunteer Charter provides a clear framework for fair, safe and appropriate volunteering. Embedding its principles helps prevent exploitation, ensures volunteers are reimbursed for expenses, and supports good practice across organisations. With more than 350 organisations already signed up, the Charter offers a strong foundation for improving volunteer experience and widening access, and ensures volunteers are not used to do the duties of paid staff. provides a clear framework for fair, safe and appropriate volunteering. Embedding its principles helps prevent exploitation, ensures volunteers are reimbursed for expenses, and supports good practice across organisations. With more than 350 organisations already signed up, the Charter offers a strong foundation for improving volunteer experience and widening access.
- Review charity regulation to ensure trustee roles are accessible and sustainable
Trusteeship relies heavily on volunteers, yet current regulatory expectations can create barriers. An independent review of charity regulation—focused on proportionality, accessibility and sustainability—would help ensure that trustee roles remain viable. Survey findings show that many trustees feel their role resembles paid work or carries unreasonable expectations, signalling the need for reform.
- Develop clear pathways into trustee roles
Diversifying boards requires intentional pathways into leadership. Mentoring, shadowing, observer roles and accessible training can help volunteers build confidence and skills for trusteeship. Simplifying recruitment processes and using inclusive language can also challenge perceptions that trusteeship is only for people with specialist expertise, opening the door to a wider and more representative pool of candidates.
To find out more about the experiences of volunteers, check out our full report here.
Debbie Maltman
Research Officer