One in five people in the UK are neurodivergent, yet many workplaces remain challenging. Kellie Smith from Charity Digital highlights how flexible, person-centred approaches can foster truly inclusive environments. Did you reflect on your practices during Neurodiversity Celebration Week?

Our Network presentation from June 2023 has more insights.

Volunteering in the UK dropped to 5.6 million in 2024 - the lowest since 2016. This has created major challenges for charities.

Laura Stanley from Charity Digital explores how flexible roles, remote options, and inclusive tech can help overcome barriers like time, access, and bias to re-engage volunteers and better reflect local communities.

Volunteer managers are the backbone of community support, but the role can be tough. Juggling unpredictable schedules, limited resources, and emotional demands often leads to burnout. Here, PMAC and AVM explore how setting boundaries, resting, and connecting with peer networks like ours can strengthen your resilience and leadership every day.

Using just one volunteer role description can unintentionally exclude great candidates. Breaking tasks into clear, distinct roles boosts inclusivity, engagement, and retention. Tobi Johnson explores how AI can help coordinators quickly review and enhance role descriptions - especially when time is tight and recruitment efforts need a refresh. 

A new report from Royal Voluntary Service looks at how tapping into underused employee volunteering hours can boost social impact and drive meaningful community change.

In 2025, workplace volunteering is on the rise, with a growing number of businesses seeing employee volunteering as a strategic lever to meet social impact goals, improve company culture and productivity.

Yet, despite these good intentions,140 million paid volunteering hours go unused each year. Collectively these would be worth £32.5 billion to the UK economy. With only 31% of opportunities taken, RVS says businesses need support to unlock this potential.

We’ll soon be closing the Volunteering in North Yorkshire directory (on 31 July) as we shift towards a place-based approach to volunteering. This means working more closely with local groups and partners to support opportunities that reflect the unique needs of each community.

If you need support with volunteer recruitment, retention or management, please contact our VCSE Support team - we’re here to help.

Search for volunteering roles on the NCVO (the National Council for Volunteering Organisation) website. There are links to multiple volunteering websites from organisations such as Vinspired, Step on Board and Volunteering Matters.

Community First Yorkshire

Unit A | Tower House | Askham Fields Lane

Askham Bryan | York | YO23 3FS

01904 704177

info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk

Registered charity no: 515538 

Company no: 1839458 | Vat no: 500834776