Volunteers leave charities when they do not feel valued or involved, organisation says

Speaking ahead of the launch of the Volunteer Ireland awards in Dublin, Nina Arwitz, Volunteer Ireland CEO said signing up volunteers may be straight forward, but retaining them is much more difficult. File picture

Charities and community groups are failing to retain volunteers because many do not feel valued or involved, Volunteer Ireland has said.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that in 2022 a total of 711,379 people (14% of the population) engaged in helping or voluntary work in one or more activities.

The statistics also show: 

• Almost 290,000 people volunteered in a sporting organisation, making it the most popular area for volunteering;
• Males are most likely to volunteer in sport while females were more likely to volunteer in their community;
• Among younger people, 3% of children under the age of 15 (over 30,000 people) volunteered in at least one activity.

Speaking ahead of the launch of the Volunteer Ireland awards next week in Dublin, Nina Arwitz, Volunteer Ireland CEO said signing up volunteers may be straight forward, but retaining them is much more difficult.

“Unfortunately, the scenario (of not retaining volunteers) can happen when well-meaning groups are under-resourced or unfamiliar with the best practices for leading and engaging volunteers,” she said.

“Greater knowledge is needed around running effective volunteer programmes where everyone who signs up feels involved and valued.

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“Volunteer Ireland provides training to organisations and community groups who want to improve their volunteer programmes and ensure their volunteers have positive experiences.

“And our affiliate network of volunteer centres helps people who are interested in volunteering to find their perfect volunteering role with approved organisations and community groups."

Volunteer-reliant groups are being encouraged to show appreciation and respect to their volunteers by providing thank you cards, letters of appreciation, ongoing support and encouragement for the work they do.

Focus

Gemma Lanigan, who runs Rabbit Rescue Ireland said she has been successful in retaining volunteers because the group “stay focused” on animal welfare only.

“My volunteers have all come to me directly wanting to help as they've seen the work we put in,” she told the Irish Examiner.

“They know how strongly I feel about being a voice for the voiceless and that all of the bills come out of my pocket with no funding, so there's no other agenda.

“Some organisations lose focus of why they got into rescue to begin with, they want to expand, have a bigger audience, and get more funding without putting their energy into the animals.

“We have never lost focus; it's been the same structure and mission since day one and that's why we have got such a committed team.” 

The launch of the Volunteer Ireland national awards will be on Monday, August 19, at Glas Community Garden in Ballymun in north Dublin.

VI and VCs offer training for community groups and charities of all sizes and can be contacted locally, all the details are on volunteer.ie

VI and VCs offer training for community groups and charities of all sizes and can be contacted locally, all the details are on volunteer.ie

VI and VCs offer training for community groups and charities of all sizes and can be contacted locally, all the details are on volunteer.ie.