Volunteers are the engine that keeps charity shops running, communities connected, and income flowing to vital causes. Without them, many charity shops simply couldn’t keep their doors open.
Yet, many volunteer managers describe a familiar struggle: limited resources, recruitment pressures, and long hours spent scheduling and training. The workload is heavy, the stakes are high, and investment often doesn’t follow.
Rosterfy’s recent survey on the state of volunteer management in the UK highlights the scale of this challenge. 88% of programme managers claim volunteers are mission-critical, yet less than 44% have invested in their experience. That gap leaves leaders overstretched, undervalued, and under-supported.
So how do we close it?
Why passion isn’t enough to win investment
Charities are purpose-driven organisations and volunteer managers lead with passion. But when boards and leadership teams are choosing where to allocate scarce funds, passion alone doesn’t carry the conversation.
They are weighing up competing priorities: fundraising campaigns, IT infrastructure upgrades, compliance requirements, new service delivery models. Volunteer programmes often fall behind, not because they aren’t valued, but because they aren’t clearly positioned against these other investments.
To win support, volunteer managers need to show how their programmes deliver against the same criteria leaders use for every other project.
What leaders need to see before saying yes
Executive and boards tend to evaluate potential projects through a handful of lenses:
Strategic fit - Will this project help us achieve our long-term goals?
Financial justification - What’s the return on investment? What will it save, generate, or improve?
Risk management - What happens if we delay or ignore it?
Feasibility - Can this be delivered with the time, money, and people we have?
Stakeholder support - Who else in the organisation is behind this?
When volunteer managers shape their proposals around these dimensions, their programmes stop looking like operational necessities and start looking like strategic opportunities.
Reframing volunteering as a strategic investment
Too often, volunteer programmes are treated as something to “manage” rather than an opportunity to grow, strengthen, and future-proof the organisation. A shift in perspective can unlock new possibilities.
Improved recruitment and retention reduces constant churn, cutting training costs and building consistency.
Automated scheduling and communication save hours of administrative work every week, allowing managers to focus on people.
Recognition and reward initiatives increase loyalty, creating stronger advocates for the charity in the community.
Impact reporting helps demonstrate not just the hours contributed but the broader value volunteers deliver - data that strengthens cases to funders and donors.
One example comes from WaterAid, the global non-profit working to make clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene for everyone, everywhere. By creating a more engaging volunteer experience powered by Rosterfy’s volunteer management software, they raised £24k in donated volunteer deposits in 2024 and achieved remarkable loyalty - with 96% of their volunteers saying they feel a sense of belonging. That’s the power of investment in action.
Simple tools that make the case easier
Programme managers rarely have time to build frameworks from scratch. What helps most are practical tools they can adapt quickly to their own organisation.
That’s why Rosterfy created a new guide: Building a Business Case for a Better Volunteer Experience. Inside you’ll find:
Current vs. Future State Mapping - identify where your programme is today and where you want it to be.
ROI templates - quantify value and demonstrate return in concrete terms.
Supplier capability mapping - evidence your research and show confidence in potential solutions.
Downloadable worksheets - simple templates to help you plan your next steps.
These resources turn instinct into evidence, making it easier to demonstrate why investment should be prioritised.
Why the time to act is now
Charity retail is under pressure from rising costs, shifting consumer behaviour, and a changing volunteer base. At the same time, shops are more valued than ever as hubs for sustainability, social connection, and community impact.
The volunteer experience sits at the heart of both challenges and opportunities. Strengthening it means more engaged teams, resilient shops, and more impact for the causes they serve.
Volunteer managers already know the value their teams bring. The task now is showing others why investment is essential - and making that case as clear and compelling as possible.
Next steps
Download your free copy of Building a Business Case for a Better Volunteer Experience
Gain clarity, structure, and practical tools designed to help you move from burnout to buy-in - and secure the investment your volunteers deserve.
Because when volunteers thrive, charities thrive too.
