A pro bono bonus: The impact of volunteering on wages and productivity

The value of volunteering

Volunteering has long been overlooked in terms of its contribution to the economy. So Royal Voluntary Service has worked with Pro Bono Economics to better understand exactly how volunteering contributes to UK plc.

The results show that volunteering is not only good for the economy, but also for businesses and employees, as well as for communities and society as a whole.

The new report reveals that volunteering boosts productivity by £4,551 per employee and adds at least £4.6 billion per year to the economy.

"As we have noticed with our own volunteers, volunteering is a very effective means to improve confidence and skills and show commitment to an organisation, helping both the employed and unemployed boost their employability and prospects."

Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of Royal Voluntary Service

Read The third pillar’s role in economic growth by Catherine Johnstone CBE

"By encouraging volunteering, productivity gains can be achieved and it makes for a compelling case for businesses to expand employee volunteering opportunities across their entire workforce, enabling everyone at work to benefit."

Matt Whittaker, Chief Executive Offer, Pro Bono Economics

How to realise the value of volunteering

There is a clear call to action from this study - to scale up employee volunteering. By doing so, businesses can not only help to restore a still recovering post-pandemic civil society, they will also improve their business and positively impact the communities they operate in.

Read the full report and recommendations.

Download A pro bono bonus: The impact of volunteering on wages and productivity

Even today I tell people how volunteering changed my life.

At 50, Anita has achieved a fruitful and fulfilling career, with a wealth of experience in pastoral and supportive roles. Anita credits volunteering with not only showing her what she’s capable of and being her first step into the world of work, but also with changing her life.

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I was able to talk about my volunteering role and hands-on experience

Chiara, Dementia Adviser at Alzheimer’s Society credits volunteering as helping her secure her role. "Volunteering proved a great way to boost my CV and skills and can open doors into an area you may be interested in working in. I’ve also become a much more confident person because of it."

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I have gained so much from it, including leading me into paid employment.

Geoffrey's voluntary work has led to him securing paid work with Royal Voluntary Service. "Volunteering has been helpful to me because it has given me a good feeling about myself, and I can say I’m going out to work like other people. It’s done me proud."

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Volunteering made me feel ready to find work again.

Since starting volunteering, Rosie’s confidence has grown massively and it has helped her get life back on track. "My self-esteem has increased exponentially. Being able to talk about the experience and skills I’d gained through volunteering was very beneficial in my interview."

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Community Life Survey, 2021/22.
P Dolan, C Krekel, G Shreedhar, H Lee, C Marshall, A Smith, Happy to help: the welfare effects of a nationwide micro-volunteering programme, Centre for Economic Performance, Discussion Paper No. 1772, May 2021.
Lawton et al demonstrate a positive effect of volunteering on wellbeing across a range of different datasets which all capture volunteering adding further weight to the evidence.
R N Lawton, I Gramatki, W Watt, Happy Days: Does volunteering make us happier or is it that happier people volunteer?, Academia, 2019