How we developed the Vision
More than 350 people from more than 300 organisations contributed to the Vision for Volunteering.
Vision for Volunteering is led by NAVCA, NCVO, Volunteering Matters, and the Association of Volunteer Managers.
In late 2021, we ran a series of 14 workshops across seven strands. Each workshop was co-chaired by at least two members of our steering group - one with a national perspective, and one with a local perspective. Around 350 people attended a workshop.
We looked at who had attended workshops, and identified gaps in who we had heard from and the different kinds of volunteering we had heard about. We ran a series of interviews and a further workshop to fill those gaps, as well as reviewing existing research, particularly research that engaged directly with volunteers.
We also invited written submissions, and provided an engagement toolkit to help organisations run their own workshops to inform their submissions. We received 43 submissions.
With the partners and the steering group, we mapped out how volunteering was changing using the Three Horizons model (see About volunteering for more on Three Horizons) . Several themes emerged, which we tested and iterated and then used to synthesise the rich insight from submissions, workshops and interviews.
Who was involved
The Vision was written by Ellie Brodie, Gethyn Williams, James Allen, Megan Gray, Rachel Bronstein and Sam Burne James. The 'three horizons, one Vision' graphic was created by Gethyn Williams. We’re grateful to the many people that provided feedback on drafts along the way.
The project was coordinated by Megan Gray, Michael Wall and Rachel Bronstein, supported by a working group. Gill Featherstone provided research support. Sam Burne James led communications.
The project was led on behalf of the partners by:
Jenny Betteridge, Strategic Lead Volunteering, Sport England
Maddy Desforges, CEO, NAVCA
Paul Reddish, CEO, Volunteering Matters
Ruth Leonard, Chair, Association of Volunteer Managers
Sarah Vibert, CEO, NCVO
Supported by a steering group:
Alex Krutnik – Canterbury District Volunteer Centre
Anna Croghan – AgeUK
Ben Grady – DCMS
Emma Easton – NHSE
Finn Grant – UK Youth
Hannah Small – LGA
Holly Notcutt – #iwill
Jackie Rosenberg – One Westminster
Jenny Betteridge – Sport England
Jeremy Hughes – Shaping the Future with Volunteering
Jon Eastwood – National Lottery Community Fund
Louis Groarke – Warrington Youth Voice
Mark Davis – Middlesbrough VDA
Nick Gardham – Community Organisers
Patrick Vernon – Centre for Ageing Better
Stephen Craker – Communities 1st
Soo Nevison – CABAD
Tony Armstrong – Locality
Victoria Marsom – Friends of the Earth
The working group was:
Catherine Goodall - NCVO
Clare Mills - NAVCA
Emily Lewis - NAVCA
Gethyn Williams - freelance, representing Sport England
Jarina Choudhury - NCVO
Jo Gibney - AVM
Lucy Straker - NAVCA
Mandy James - Volunteering Matters
Megan Gray - freelance
Michael Wall - Volunteering Matters
Rachel Bronstein - seconded from DCMS
The following organisations made submissions to the Vision:
Acorns Children's Hospice Trust
Active South Derbyshire
Age UK Thanet
ASNA
Be Collective
Believe in Me CIC
British Red Cross
Cambridge CVS
Canterbury and Herne Bay Volunteer Centre
Citizens Advice Bucks
Community Action Network
Community Links Bromley
Cumbria CVS
DCMS
Do IT
Embracing Age
Essex Wildlife Trust
Hillingdon Slipstreamers Children's Cycling Club
Hull CVS
If Everyone Cares CIC
Intergenerational Music Making
LC Inclusive
Making Space
Maldon and District CVS
Marina Harden
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
National Deaf Children's Society
NAVCA
NCVO
Norwich Food Bank
Pilotlight
Rob Jackson Consulting
Royal British Legion
Saint Francis Hospice
Sanctuary Care
Southdown
Spirit of 2012
St Elizabeth Hospice
SVS
Tempo Time Credits
Third Sector Leaders Kirklees
Volunteering Matters
Volunteero
Wessex Community Action
York CVS
We interviewed the following people for the Vision:
Ali Harris - Equally Ours
Chrissy Hunter - Opening Doors London
David Thomas - Nottingham CVS
Immy Robinson - Active Citizens, Relationships Project
Jane South - Leeds Beckett University
Janet Thorne - Reach Volunteering
John Williams - Association of Chairs
Dame Julia Unwin
Kamran Mallick - Disability Rights UK
Katie Aston - Home Office
Kunle Olulode - Voice4Change England
Malcolm John - Action for Trustee Racial Diversity
Hannah Tankard and Nicola Burton - BITC
People from the following organisations attended the Vision workshops:
Abbey Centre
Action Hampshire
Active Black Country
Active Devon
Active Lancashire
Advance
Age Concern Westminster
Age UK
Age UK Kensington and Chelsea
Age UK Thanet and Kent Arts and Wellbeing
Age UK Westminster
Alike
Alzheimer's Research UK
Alzheimer's Society
AMAT UK
Arthritis Action
Ashgate Hospice
AVOW (Wrexham)
Barnsley CVS
Barnsley Museums
Basingstoke Voluntary Action
BH Community Works
Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust
Birmingham FOE
Brampton Manor Academy
Brighton & Hove Libraries
Bristol Zoological Society
British Cycling
British Red Cross
British Sikh Nurses
British Youth Council
Brunelcare
Buckinghamshire Council
BVSC
Cabinet Office
CAFOD
Calderdale Council
Cambridgeshire ACRE
Canterbury Volunteer Centre
Care Network
Catalyst Stockton
Caudwell Children
CCVS
Central Bedfordshire Council
Change Grow Live (Bridge)
Change Grow Live (The Bridge Project)
Chanzo
Checkout.com
Chelmsford CVS
Chelsea Methodist Church Community Volunteer Team
Cheshire Community Action
Cheshire West Voluntary Action
Chester Zoo
Chichester Cathedral
Christian Aid
CIPD
CITiZAN (Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network)
Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice Peterborough
Citizens Advice Sunderland
Citizens in Policing
Coastline Housing
Community Action Network
Community Action Suffolk
Community Action: MK
Community CVS
Community First
Community Impact Bucks
Community Links Bromley
Community Spaces Northampton
Connect Reading
CPRE
Craft4Smiles CIC
Cre8 Football
Croydon Voluntary Action
Cumbria CVS
DCMS
DEFRA
Devon and Cornwall Police
Dimensions UK
Diocese of Rochester
Dorothy House Hospice Care
Dover Big Local and Nest&Grow
Dudley Council for Voluntary Service
East Riding Voluntary Action Services
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
EMERGE 3Rs
England Netball
English Heritage
ERVAS
FareShare
Fircroft College of Adult Education
FOE
Food Train
Foresight NE Lincs
ForYouByYou
Gateshead Carers
Gloucestershire Constabulary
Good Things Foundation
GRCC
Great Annual Savings - The GF Community Foundation
Greater London Authority
GreaterSport
Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice
Groundwork London
Groundwork UK
Guide Dogs
Guide Dogs Cymru
H4All
Hackney Council
Halton & St Helens VCA
Hambleton Community Action
Hart District Council
Hastings Voluntary Action
Havering Volunteer Centre
Headway Portsmouth & SE Hants
Healthwatch Somerset
Healthwatch Wiltshire
Help & Care
Helpforce
Herts Young Homeless
HEY Smile Foundation
High Storrs School
Hogarth's House
Hull and East Yorkshire Smile Foundation
Hull CVS
Humankind
Independent Age
India Welfare Trust
Interlink RCT
Jewish Volunteering Network
KEEN London
Kent Arts and Wellbeing Limited
Kent Wildlife Trust
KeyRing
Kirklees Active Leisure
KPMG
Lake District National Park Authority
Lakes College
Leeds Hospitals Charity
Leicester City Council
Leonard Cheshire
Lewisham Local
LGA
Local Trust
London School of Economics
London Sport
LTA
Macc
Mace
Macmillan Cancer Support
Making Space
Manchester FOE
Marie Curie
Marine Conservation Society
Mencap
Merton Connected
Middlesbrough Volunteer Centre
MSSC
Mid Sussex Voluntary Action
Nailsea District Leg Club
National Deaf Children's Society
National Lottery Community Fund
National Trust
Natural History Museum
NCVS (Nottingham)
Neighbourcare
NHS England
Noah's Ark Children's Hospice
North London Hospice
One Westminster
Oral health foundation
OSJCT
Oxfam GB
Parkrun
Paul's Cancer Support Centre
Peterborough Cathedral
Peterborough CVS
Police Care UK
Porchlight
Princess Alice Hospice
Project 6
Qube
Queenscourt Hospice
Rainbow Trust
Ramblers Association
RDaSH
Reading Voluntary Action
Redcar & Cleveland Voluntary Development Agency
RFU
RNIB
RockCorps
Romney Marsh Community Hub
Royal British Legion Industries
Royal Trinity Hospice
RSPB
Rushcliffe CVS
Saint Francis Hospice
Salford CVS
Samaritans
SATEDA
SAVS
Scouts
SCVO
Sefton CVS
Shaping the Future with Volunteering
Shared Interest
Shelter
Sixty7.green
Slough Council for Voluntary Service
Smile For Life Children's Charity
Solihull Active, SMBC
Solihull Council
Somerset Activity & Sports Partnership
Somerset County Council
South Derbyshire District Council
Southend YMCA
Spark Somerset
Special Olympics Great Britain
Spirit of 2012
Sport Birmingham
Sported
SSAFA
St Andrew's Hospice
St Elizabeth Hospice
St Gemma’s Hospice
St John Ambulance
St Luke’s Primary
St Oswald's Hospice
St Peter and St James Hospice
St Peter's Hospice
St Richard's Hospice
St Wilfrid's Hospice
Stockport Council
Stoke on Trent City Council Libraries
Support Staffordshire
Sussex Police
Tees Valley Rural Action
Teignbridge CVS
Tempo
The Active Wellbeing Society
The Air Ambulance Service
The BUILD Charity
The Fire Fighters Charity
The Old Fire Station (GFS Community Enterprise)
The Pacahama Project
TTVS
University of Birmingham
University of East Anglia
University of Leeds
University of Nottingham
University of West London
VANEL
VANS (Voluntary Action North Somerset)
VAS
Venture Together
Versus Arthritis
Voluntary Action Epping Forest
Voluntary Action Islington
Voluntary Action Leicestershire
Voluntary Action North Somerset
Voluntary Action Sheffield
Volunteer Centre Dorset
Volunteer Centre Hackney
Volunteer Centre Sefton
Volunteer Centre Sutton
Volunteer Centre Swindon
Volunteer Cornwall
Volunteer Link Up (West Oxfordshire)
Volunteering Bradford
VSI Alliance
W4W
Warrington Climate Commission
Warrington Community Energy
Warwickshire Vision Support
WCVA
West Sussex County Council
Westminster Adult Ed Service
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
Wirral Hospice St John's
Witton Lodge Community Association
Wood Green The Animals Charity
Worcester Community Action
Worcestershire County Council
Worcester Roots Foundation
YWCA Yorkshire
Workshops were run on the following strands:
Climate emergency
Employment and skills
Health and wellbeing
Healthy ageing
Resilient communities
Sports and physical activity
Young people leading change (with additional support from #iwill Ambassadors)
We also ran an additional workshop for people from local government.