Is There Really a Volunteer Shortage? Exploring the State of Volunteering in 2025

If you’ve tried signing up for a local soup kitchen or helping out at your kid’s school fair lately, you might have run into something odd: a politely desperate need for helpers. Posters in libraries, panicked posts in Facebook groups, even churches putting out calls that sound less like invites and more like emergencies. It sure feels like there’s a shortage of volunteers. But is that just the vibe, or is something deeper at play? And maybe the bigger question: What does this all mean for the charities, neighbors, and causes we care about?

The Numbers Behind the Volunteer Shortage

So let’s get real about the stats. In 2019, before everything turned upside down, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that about 63 million Americans did some volunteering that year. Fast forward to the years after COVID-19 crashed into the world, and things looked different. By 2023, Volunteering and Civic Life in America’s report noted a drop, with volunteering rates slipping below 23%. It’s not just in the states, either—similar sharp dips have been recorded in the UK, Canada, Australia, and across Europe. The downward curve started in 2020, stayed low in 2021, and hasn’t bounced all the way back.

Why is this happening? Life is part of it. The pandemic hit, everyone stayed home, priorities got shuffled, and loads of people just never made it back. Work-from-home became regular, but so did exhaustion. A 2023 survey from VolunteerMatch found that while 64% of people thought volunteering was more important than ever, a stubborn 47% said they felt they had “no time” to give. Others said they worried about transport, health risks, or just didn’t know where to start.

But it’s not just about numbers on a page. Charities and nonprofits are feeling the pinch where it hurts. Many food pantries and shelters are now seeing a third fewer volunteers than before the pandemic, which means longer lines and smaller packages for those who need it most. Community parades, marathons, and even reading programs are scaling back or vanishing—simply because they can’t fill volunteer slots.

Why People Are Volunteering Less

It’s easy to stick all the blame on COVID, but the truth? Volunteering was shrinking even before we learned words like “quarantine” and “social distancing.” Let’s dig into why.

First, schedules are just packed. Between longer work hours, side hustles, and kids’ activities crammed into afternoons and weekends, people are worn thin. Demand for flexibility is real—old-school, Saturday-morning-at-the-food-bank shifts don’t fit most calendars anymore. Then there’s tech. Everyone’s staring at their phones, scrolling through global emergencies in the palm of their hand, but sometimes missing the neighbor down the block who just needs a ride to their doctor’s appointment. Some folks honestly don’t know there’s a need right in their own city, because the ask isn’t coming directly to them.

Burnout is a silent killer, too. Volunteering can be exhausting, especially with fewer hands on deck. When the same people step up over and over again, it’s only a matter of time before they step away to recharge (or just not feel guilty every time they see a signup sheet). Also, don’t forget money. Rising costs of living mean some people are working more, worrying more, and volunteering less. The 2024 Independent Sector report mentioned that 58% of nonprofits now say volunteer recruitment is their top operational challenge—and it’s not only small groups; even the big national organizations are feeling it.

Check out these volunteering trend stats from the past five years:

So yes, there’s a shortage. It’s not just fewer people; it’s less consistent, less predictable, and happening across age groups. Still, the reasons are more complicated than just a lack of goodwill or some kind of post-pandemic hangover.

How Nonprofits and Communities Are Adapting

Necessity is the mother of invention—or in this case, the mother of recruiting volunteers in new ways. Organizations aren’t sitting on their hands hoping folks walk through the door. They’re getting pretty creative.

Some are launching micro-volunteering programs. Instead of asking for five hours every week, they break down tasks into tiny, bite-sized pieces. You might be asked to write a 300-word blog post, do a quick food pickup run, or spend half an hour on a virtual chat with a homebound senior. Flexible online volunteering is catching fire; digital reading buddies, marketing help for social causes, even virtual event planning are up 22% from 2022. All it takes is an internet connection and the will to help.

Others are incentivizing the experience. Local businesses are now collaborating with schools and nonprofits, offering perks for volunteers. Free coffee, movie tickets, even “volunteer vacation” days at work are popping up. Campus and corporate volunteering programs are gaining traction, too. One finance firm reported a 36% jump in employee engagement after introducing a “Volunteer Friday”—they give people time off to support local projects, and productivity actually goes up.

But the real heroes here are the recruiters and volunteers willing to try new things. Nonprofits are learning to use TikTok, Instagram, and even Discord servers to reach younger crowds. Messaging apps and text reminders cut through inbox overload. Some groups are holding “pop-up volunteer fairs” at farmers’ markets and malls, letting people sign up on the spot for a one-time shift, just to test it out.

Data matters, too. Charities now track volunteer hours and preferences more closely, so they can personalize invites and keep people coming back. Retention, not just recruitment, is key. According to Points of Light’s 2024 survey, groups that spent more time and money on volunteer appreciation kept volunteers twice as long.

• Break volunteer jobs into small, flexible chunks—don’t demand a long-term, full-scale commitment at the start.
• Offer digital volunteering options. Not everyone can show up in person, but many are willing to help online.
• Give volunteers meaningful feedback and recognition—personal thanks go a long way.
• Make signing up instant and easy, through apps or simple web forms.
• Ask your current volunteers what’s working, what’s not. Then adapt.

One thing’s for sure: the organizations that survive—and thrive—aren’t just the ones with the most volunteers; they’re the ones that know how to make volunteering work for people’s lives as they are now.

What You Can Do—And Why It Matters Now More Than Ever

Here’s where you come in. The volunteer shortage isn’t some big, unsolvable mystery reserved for policy nerds or charity executives. It’s about ordinary people—us—choosing how we spend our time and what kind of neighborhoods we want to live in. If you’re curious or even just a little bit willing, you can make a dent.

Start tiny. Thirty minutes a week helping a neighbor, picking up trash, or reading to a kid at the library may feel small to you, but for the groups keeping these programs running, it’s massive. If you feel swamped, try micro-volunteering—sign up for one virtual meeting, not a three-month stint.

Got kids or teens? These are prime years to set the volunteering habit. Schools, scout troops, and sports leagues are always looking for extra hands. According to a 2024 survey by DoSomething.org, teens who volunteered four times a year or more reported higher mental health and more positive friendships than those who didn’t. Want them off their screens? Get them involved in community clean-ups, or have them sort canned goods at the food pantry.

Don’t know where to start? Try sites like VolunteerMatch or JustServe. Local libraries and community centers also keep lists of places screaming for help. And don’t be shy about reaching out—organizations are friendlier (and more desperate) than ever.

Why does this matter? Study after study shows communities with high volunteer engagement bounce back faster from disasters, have stronger social ties, and even lower rates of crime and depression. The little stuff—handing out water at a marathon, coaching a kids’ team, driving someone to a doctor’s appointment—has a ripple effect. When people step up, neighbors notice, and those ripples build a stronger safety net for everyone.

We’re not talking about saving the world in a single afternoon. But the truth is, the volunteer shortage affects all of us, even if you’ve never signed your name to a clipboard in your life. The need hasn’t gone away; if anything, it’s grown. Whether you can give half an hour or a whole Saturday, it’s worth it—every hand matters. It’s not about being a hero. It’s just about showing up when you can, and knowing that you’re part of the solution. If everyone did even a tiny bit, imagine the difference. Ready to give it a try?