Is it possible to truly understand the value of volunteering?
by Bethany Sikes
I’ve always been intrigued by the challenge of how to articulate how valuable something really is. I’m sure we all have examples of small things that happen in our week that have a huge impact on our lives. It may just be a weekly coffee with a friend, a gym class or an evening of volunteering at a soup kitchen… but these are the things that contribute to our sense of happiness, purpose or belonging.
This question is particularly pertinent when thinking about the impact of volunteering, both for the people volunteers help and on volunteers themselves, as it means something different to everyone and ends up being a rather nebulous concept. With record low numbers of Scots volunteering and almost two thirds of Scottish third sector organisations experiencing an increase in demand for their core services, communicating the value of volunteering is particularly pressing.
That’s what led Volunteer Scotland into the world of social value research last year. There are many different ways you can think about the value of volunteering. There’s the time people spend volunteering and the services that can’t run without them. Social value takes this a step further and builds on that to think about the impact of volunteering on people’s wellbeing.
There is a whole field of economics dedicated to this kind of social value research – wellbeing economics. The UK Government uses this to estimate the wellbeing impact of social initiatives. It is a recognised and rigorous approach to research.
In short, social value is “the impact on the wellbeing of the population” (MeasureUp). It looks at the costs and benefits of social interventions on the wellbeing of a population, not just at the market effects as you would in traditional economics. So, that’s what we did. Volunteer Scotland partnered with State of Life, who are specialists in this kind of work, to quantify the difference that volunteering makes to people’s mental wellbeing. And, not only that, put a monetary value on that increased wellbeing.
We’ve estimated that volunteering at least once a week with a group or organisation (formal volunteering) is worth £1,000 per person per year in terms of the increased wellbeing they experience. That’s roughly equivalent to a £20 a week boost to your wellbeing.
Across Scotland this translates to over half a billion pounds worth of increased wellbeing for Scottish volunteers (who volunteer at least once a week). Combined with the time Scottish volunteers contribute weekly; this is a contribution of £2.3 billion in terms of economic and social value (note that this does not account for the costs of volunteering). That’s equivalent to the gross value added on the arts, entertainment and recreation industry to the Scottish economy.
We are also able to see how volunteering impacts people differently. Volunteering once a week appears to have a stronger and more consistent impact on wellbeing for males compared to females and is seven times larger for people with a disability or long-term health condition than for people without.
Does all this answer my question about whether it is possible to ever truly understand the value of volunteering?
Yes… and no! The evidence is compelling, and the results are consistent and clear: volunteering is good for your wellbeing. However, this research has given us insight into only one aspect of the value of volunteering by focusing on the impact on the volunteer. The approach can be applied more broadly to estimate the wellbeing uplift of people who are helped by volunteers, which would give us a fuller picture of the value of volunteering.
While social value is a recognised and rigorous approach to research, it does have its limitations. Volunteering has such a wide-reaching impact on society and while its effect is profound, it is also intangible. Research methods like social value analysis will only ever capture a glimpse of the true impact of volunteering. When held alongside other evidence, like volunteer and beneficiary stories, social value research gives a useful insight into the value of volunteering – one source of evidence alone can’t give us the full picture.
That leaves me with a new question: what to do with this new insight into the value of Scotland’s volunteers?
It is clear that volunteering is good for your wellbeing and that volunteering has an important role in supporting the resilience and wellbeing of society. However, we know that more and more people are missing out on this wellbeing benefit through volunteering – and it is often the people who benefit the most from volunteering who are missing out. Our evidence shows that volunteering has a particularly strong impact on the wellbeing of people with a disability, yet there is a long-term disparity in volunteering between people with a disability and those without and that is only getting worse according to our latest data. We also know that the cost of living crisis has an impact on people’s mental health and resilience, which is also making it harder for people to volunteer and get those wellbeing benefits.
Volunteering can play a role in improving the health and wellbeing of Scottish adults, but it cannot only be for people who are already have good physical and mental health. As we approach next year’s election, Volunteer Scotland wants our leaders to recognise the wellbeing benefits of volunteering when introducing or reviewing relevant policy or legislation, including around social prescribing, community health, and employability.
You can read our technical report here: https://www.volunteerscotland.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-social-value-of-volunteering-in-Scotland-%E2%80%93-Technical-Report.pdf
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bethany Sikes, Research and Policy Manager,Volunteer Scotland
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