At Yovo, we're thrilled to witness a surge in the number of charities registering in England and Wales. It's a testament to the growing devotion of individuals to make a positive impact on their communities and the world.
Yet, recent events have stretched charities to their limits. According to the Charities Aid Foundation, a staggering 50% of charities feel unable to meet the increasing demand for their services.
What's more alarming is the long-term decline in regular volunteer hours, as highlighted in the recent National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) report 'Community Life Survey 2023.' Over the past decade, volunteer hours have decreased by a concerning 56%, from 1.6 billion to 0.7 billion.
While volunteering directory websites like Do.It and Volunteering Matters strive to serve and engage charities and individuals, we believe it's time for a revolution. We need to empower charities and volunteers alike with new possibilities.
At Yovo, we are committed to driving positive change in the world. We have partnered with some of the most inspiring charities in the U.K. and enlisted the expertise of leading executives in the not-for-profit and tech-for-good space as advisors on our journey. Together, we can make a difference.
Through extensive interviews with grassroots, small, and medium charities (GSMCs), which represent a staggering 96% of all registered charities in the U.K., we've discovered crucial insights:
Charities face overwhelming to-do lists, with limited time and resources to improve their operational frameworks and governance. They often rely on voluntary offers of skilled help.
There exists a disparity in volunteer interest among charities, influenced by factors such as footfall and the board of trustees' background experience.
Charities often struggle to secure committed and skilled voluntary support.
Creating micro-communities is vital for volunteer retention.
An astounding 83% of charities are actively seeking technology solutions to simplify their operations.
Curious to learn more about our research findings? Reach out, and we'll be happy to share!
We're taking a volunteer-centric approach to address these challenges head-on.
We dove into the minds of individuals passionate about socio-ecological causes, aiming to understand their motivations better. Through a series of focus groups led by our qualitative researcher, Will Acker, we gained invaluable insights.
Priya Singh, Chair of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations, emphasises,
"Volunteering is currently not inclusive of all people and communities."
We're determined to change that. Together, we can create a more inclusive and accessible volunteering landscape.
Exciting developments are underway! We have collaborated with three founding charity partners in East London to develop a prototype. As we continue our research and engage with more charities and industry professionals, we've already seen early signs of the network effect. With just two paper flyers promoting our charities, we've onboarded 300 volunteers through friend and charity referrals. It's something truly special.
We recently received a heartwarming message from a volunteer who said,
"I love this! I've tried to look up volunteering options in my local area before, but the websites are often outdated, or the application forms are incredibly long..."
This feedback fuels our motivation to make volunteering easier and more enjoyable for everyone.
Notably, our prototype has already shown impressive results for charities, including a decrease in onboarding drop-off and a remarkable fivefold increase in volunteer sign-up rates for one organization. Plus, we have saved six hours of administrative time and reduced the burden of paperwork. These case studies exemplify the positive impact Yovo is making in streamlining volunteering processes. Learn more about these success stories by visiting our website.
If you're eager to delve deeper into Yovo's mission and current status, we encourage you to get in touch. We actively seek individuals who are passionate about shaping the future of Yovo and participating in our growth program.
Together, we can make a lasting difference and transform the volunteering landscape.