In the first week of Instant Pulse we asked the sector the following question:
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
“The heritage sector is able to attract and retain the volunteers it needs to thrive.”
How did you respond?
What else did you tell us?
“The sector is great at attracting volunteers but not the diverse range of volunteers that are needed to thrive for the future.”
“Older volunteers are slow to return [since Covid] but numbers are growing when they get lots of encouragement and confidence about working more closely with others”
“My concern is that not enough younger people are finding the time to volunteer, due to their everyday schedules and the increasing demands on their time.”
“Projects are successfully attracting volunteers who are proving invaluable to supporting projects, adding value, and bringing new audiences.”
“The heritage sector needs to build coherent and sustainable business models that do not depend on volunteer contributions in order to survive. The sector is currently too dependent on volunteers, and often the line between what *should be* paid work and what is being tasked to volunteers is crossed.”
“I have personally been amazed by the number of people wanting to be involved in their local communities through volunteers. I embraced this by giving volunteers flexibility of when they are able to be involved (we want volunteering to feel like a hobby not a chore!), a single contact to ensure they’re always listed to and ease of access to any equipment they need! When the community see results they only rally others too!“
Get involved next week
If you’re part of the UK Heritage Pulse panel, you will receive next week’s question in your inbox on Wednesday. If not, why don’t you register to be part of UK Heritage Pulse today: