Call for participants: research into volunteering post-lockdown

Conversations with volunteer managers in the heritage sector in the UK indicated that they had been finding it harder to involve volunteers in the work of their organisation since lockdown was eased in 2021, with many volunteers not returning to volunteering after the pandemic.

Trends from national survey data indicate a long-term decline in volunteering with organisations across all sectors, with the pandemic contributing to that. Data for museums in England shows a recovery in volunteer hours (compared to pre-pandemic levels) over the last couple of years, but that recovery depends strongly on location and type of museum. Meanwhile, comparing survey data from before and after lockdown also suggests that volunteer motivations have not significantly changed. So, the changes in behaviours are likely to be linked to other factors. We can guess what the factors are and some volunteer managers have individual insights but it would be good to understand this better.

The best way to find out is to ask the people who have not returned to volunteering. The challenge is reaching those who have not returned to volunteering and volunteer managers play a crucial role in this.

Bruce is inviting volunteer managers to get involved by reaching out to people who have not returned to volunteering with their organisation and invite them to complete the survey. The survey is available online, but Bruce can provide a hard copy or carry out the survey over the phone. Bruce will also provide supporting materials for interested volunteer managers. The survey will remain live until the end of January.

Volunteer managers (and/or other staff in cultural heritage organisations) who are interested in supporting the study but have questions are welcome to contact Bruce via his email: bruce.davenport@newcastle.ac.uk.