Volunteering and charity retail

More than 233,000 people volunteer in charity shops according to our new Workforce Report. The incredible work undertaken by volunteers is vital to the success of charity retail and in connecting local shops with their local community. As well as helping run shops, volunteers are ambassadors for their shop and are an essential part of the friendly welcome that customers are looking for when coming into store.

Over the past year there has been a small reduction in the number of people volunteering in charity shops. The number of volunteers fell by 2.3 per cent and the average time people volunteered also fell. The reduction in the number of people volunteering and the decrease in number of hours devoted was a major concern for many shop managers. The most prominent methods of recruitment remain word of mouth and shop signage. The average number of volunteers per store stood at 20.

This week’s Charity Retail News includes a guest blog which highlights that local companies could be an untapped source of new volunteers. It is increasingly common for companies to allow staff extra days off work for volunteering activities.

Our workforce survey also highlighted that those under 25 and those 45 and older were significantly more likely to volunteer than people in the 25 – 44 age group.

Some key reasons behind people wanting to volunteer are:

• A desire to contribute to a good cause
• To develop new skills and to gain new work experience
• To be part of a community and meet new people

Volunteering in charity retail offers a huge amount in each of these areas and so it is no surprise that working in a charity shop is one of the UK’s most popular volunteering activities. We will be working to persuade the next UK Government to do more to support and encourage volunteering.

Jonathan Mail
Head of Public Affairs
Charity Retail Association