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Lauren Cropper, 1284 Nonprofit Lead, shares her perspective on why volunteer recruitment is getting harder and three ways charities can respond.

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Volunteer engagement keeps coming up in my work, particularly where organisations rely on long-term support. Many are finding it harder to bring people on board, especially when roles are loosely defined and the impact is unclear.

A charity leader I spoke to recently told me they are struggling to keep volunteers engaged because people are “too busy” to commit. At the same time, businesses are investing in social value, using community work and volunteering to demonstrate company values to employees and stakeholders.

That contrast makes it difficult to know where to focus limited capacity. From what I see, people are not less generous - they are more stretched. Between work, family, health and the cost of living, supporters have limited time and headspace to commit to something new, especially if the offer feels vague.

In practice, I see three things making the biggest difference: clear messaging, well-defined roles, and a consistent way of showing impact.

First, clear, value-led messaging helps people understand why their time matters. 

General calls to action like “support our work” make it easy to postpone a decision because the commitment and outcomes are not obvious. More specific messaging respects people’s time and makes the decision to act easier. For example, “Two hours a week helps a young person stay in school with a mentor” translates time into something tangible.

Second, well-defined roles make it easier for people to say yes. Clarity starts inside the organisation. 

Teams need to name the specific challenges they are facing before designing roles, whether that is mentoring capacity, governance or event management. Roles that respond directly to those needs, clearly define time commitment, and are described consistently across channels help people understand what they are signing up for.

Finally, organisations need to make impact visible. 

Describing the role is not enough; people want to know what changes because they showed up. Translating hours into outcomes, sharing short stories from beneficiaries, and feeding back results helps volunteers see that their time counts. That feedback loop is often what keeps people engaged over the long term.

When people feel confident that their time will count, they are far more likely to get involved and stay engaged.