Each year in England, 24.8 million adults volunteer in some way at least once, delivering essential support in their communities, from crisis response and youth programmes to supporting vulnerable people and protecting the environment. Volunteering delivered £24.69 billion in economic value in 2021/22. However, systemic barriers limit the full potential of volunteering to individuals, communities and the economy.
Opportunities for volunteers are scattered across more than 47 brokerage platforms with limited interoperability, and data about volunteering is often held in organisational ‘siloes’, making it hard to publish, find and access opportunities.
The ODI, together with Do IT and Team Kinetic are tackling the hidden barriers to volunteering in England. The project, commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), aims to make data about volunteering more accessible, enabling people to find opportunities and organisations to attract the help they need.
Steering Committee
The project is overseen by a steering group that provides strategic direction, agrees policies, manages stakeholders, provides expert advice, and manages risk. The members of the steering group are:
Shaun Delaney - Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Nick Gibson - National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
Rich Warrington - National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)
Stephen Craker - Communities 1st
Sam Ward - Royal Voluntary Service (RVS)
Sheldon Ferguson - Local Digital, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG))
Annie Legge - Tech4Good South West
Ed Howarth - Tech4Good South West
Amanda Naylor - Volunteering Matters
Amy Burnett - Middlesex University
Oliver Benson - NHS England (NHSE)
Kim Sorensen - Open Data Institute
Tara Lee - Open Data Institute
George Grima - Do IT
Chris Martin - Team Kinetic
Julie King - Open Data Institute (Secretariat)
If you’d like to keep up to date with the project and find out how to get involved, please email [email protected].
