State of Volunteering 2020

22 August 2020 | News

From Volunteering New Zealand:

Covid-19 has put a spotlight on the voluntary sector. It highlighted the sector’s vital contribution to unity, kindness and the wellbeing of New Zealanders. It mobilised younger people to fill in when vulnerable volunteers had to stand down. It saw whānau and friends uniting behind things that mattered most to them.
Prior to Covid-19 it was clear before lockdown that we needed to reshape the way we think about volunteering.

This is not news to those representing the volunteer sector. In a pre-lockdown State of Volunteering survey of the volunteer sector, 35.8% of organisations expressed concern over an ageing volunteer workforce. And 36.6% stated a lack of volunteers to be their biggest challenge before lockdown.

The number of people who volunteered at a community organisation in 2018 was 1,008,000. The is a significant decrease from the previous report, however, with 2013’s figures indicating 1,229,054 volunteers.

Volunteering New Zealand’s State of Volunteering Report 2020 presents a snapshot of the state of volunteering in Aotearoa New Zealand at a critical point in the nation’s history—just prior to the Level 4 lockdown being imposed as the Covid-19 pandemic hit our shores. The report is supported by quantitative data from official sources, as well as responses received from the State of Volunteering online survey.

This research includes both the voices and opinions of both volunteers and volunteer involving organisations. Volunteering New Zealand hopes that this report can further assist the sector in promoting inclusive, impactful and meaningful volunteering which fosters community connections.

Read the report: