What Do Volunteers Actually Want in 2026?
The Volunteer Experience
Putting people, purpose and belonging at the heart of volunteering
For years, organisations have asked how to recruit more volunteers. Perhaps the more useful question in 2026 is: what are people actually looking for when they decide whether, where and how to volunteer?
The answer is not simply “more flexibility”. People volunteer for many reasons, and those reasons differ across generations, cultures, life stages and communities. But the evidence from Aotearoa New Zealand points to a clear shift: people still want to contribute but increasingly expect volunteering to fit into their lives rather than requiring their lives to fit around volunteering.
The latest evidence suggests volunteering is not disappearing – it is changing shape. More than half of New Zealanders (53%) volunteered in the previous four weeks, according to the latest Stats NZ data, up from 50.7% in 2021. Yet the proportion volunteering through an organisation has fallen from 30.2% to 27.6%, while direct volunteering for another person has increased.
Volunteering New Zealand’s State of the Decade of Volunteering, released in 2026, describes a clear shift towards more flexible, episodic and shorter-term forms of volunteering. Rather than fewer people wanting to contribute, the evidence suggests people are increasingly looking for ways to contribute that fit around their lives, values, skills and available time.
For organisations, this raises a more useful question than simply “How do we recruit more volunteers?” It is:
Are we designing volunteering in ways that reflect how people actually want to participate in 2026?
Flexibility – “Let me contribute around my life”
Time is one of the biggest constraints on volunteering. The old assumption that a “good volunteer” commits to the same shift every Tuesday for the next three years is increasingly out of step with people's lives.
Flexibility can mean shorter commitments, one-off projects, micro-volunteering, seasonal opportunities, evening or weekend options, or volunteering that can sometimes be done remotely.
The challenge for organisations is to stop equating commitment with hours. A volunteer who contributes three hours to a highly focused project may create enormous value.
Purpose – “Show me that it matters”
People want to know what their contribution achieves.
Volunteering New Zealand's research identifies giving back, values alignment, learning, social connection, and wellbeing among important motivations. Volunteers are increasingly evaluating opportunities through the lens of their own values and priorities.
That means “Volunteer needed – reception duties” is unlikely to be as compelling as “Help newcomers to Auckland feel connected to their community”.
The task matters. But the why matters more.
Connection – “I want to belong”
Volunteering is not only about giving. It can also be about finding people.
For some, volunteering provides friendship, community and a sense of belonging. For younger people in particular, growth, belonging and connection are important drivers to connecting to, and engaging in, volunteering.
A well-designed volunteer programme therefore creates opportunities to meet people, work alongside others and feel part of something bigger.
Recognition – “Notice my contribution”
Recognition does not necessarily mean awards, certificates or morning tea.
Often, volunteers want something much simpler: to know that their contribution was noticed and mattered. Good recognition is specific, timely and genuine.
“Thank you for your help” is pleasant. “Because you welcomed those new families, they felt confident enough to come back” is meaningful.
Recognition should also extend beyond the annual volunteer celebration. It needs to be part of everyday volunteer leadership.
Skills – “Help me grow too”
Volunteering can be a two-way exchange.
People may want to contribute existing expertise, but they may also want to learn something new: leadership, event management, conservation skills, governance, digital capability, cultural knowledge or communication.
Skills-based volunteering is already emerging as an important part of the changing landscape. (Volunteering Auckland)
The strongest organisations will ask not only, “What do we need volunteers to do?” but also, “What might volunteers want to learn or develop here?”
Wellbeing – “Make this a positive experience”
Volunteering can support wellbeing, connection and a sense of purpose. But it should not be assumed that volunteering is automatically good for people.
Poorly managed volunteering can create stress, uncertainty or exclusion. Research identifies barriers including time pressure, health and safety concerns, onerous training requirements, and insufficient reimbursement and recognition. (Volunteering New Zealand)
Wellbeing therefore starts with good design: clear expectations, appropriate support, manageable workloads and an environment where people feel safe and valued.
Inclusion – “Make space for people like me”
If volunteering is designed around one assumed type of volunteer, many people will never get through the door.
Inclusive volunteering means considering accessibility, culture, language, transport, technology, confidence, age, disability and different ways of communicating.
This is particularly important in Aotearoa's increasingly diverse communities. Inclusion is not an additional programme; it is a question of whether the volunteering experience has been designed with different people in mind.
Leadership – “Give me a voice”
Volunteers increasingly want more than instructions. They want to contribute ideas, use their experience and have some influence over the work they are doing.
This does not mean every volunteer should determine organisational strategy. It does mean organisations should create genuine opportunities for volunteers to suggest improvements, shape activities and take leadership.
The shift from doing things for volunteers to doing things with volunteers may be one of the most important changes in volunteer leadership.
Ease of joining – “Don't make me work to volunteer”
Finally, the experience starts before the first day.
If someone sees an opportunity online, fills out a lengthy form, waits two weeks for a response, attends an unnecessary three-hour induction and then discovers the role is not what they expected, the organisation has probably lost them.
The 2026 volunteer experience needs to be simple: clear opportunity, easy expression of interest, prompt response, proportionate onboarding and a realistic explanation of what is involved.
The bigger question for leaders of volunteers
There is a danger in talking about “what volunteers want” as though volunteers are one homogeneous group. They are not.
Some people do want long-term commitment. Some value routine. Some want leadership responsibility. Others want a single Saturday morning. The point is not to abandon traditional volunteering, but to offer more than one pathway into participation.
The strongest response to changing expectations is therefore not to ask, “How do we get volunteers to fit our model?”
It is to ask:
“How can we design volunteering that creates value for the community, for our organisation and for the people who choose to give their time?”
In 2026, that may be the real competitive advantage in volunteer engagement.
Because people are still willing to give.
The question is whether we are willing to change how we receive that gift.
Further Reading:
State of the Decade Volunteering 2015 – 2025, Volunteering New Zealand
State of Volunteering in Aotearoa 2024, Volunteering New Zealand
Article: A New Generation of Volunteers, Volunteering Auckland
Article: Volunteers - Helping Hands or Strategic Assets?, Volunteering Auckland
