This briefing presents findings from the final stage of our research capturing the experiences of those working with volunteers within organisations and communities in England during the covid-19 pandemic. This builds on the first stage of our research, published in July 2021, which looked at the challenges during the initial stage of the pandemic. This final stage takes a more focused approach, with two broad aims:
- to understand the policy response during Covid-19 in relation to volunteering and its impact, including lessons learned
- to explore the ways in which policy making can support voluntary action in the future, and how the voluntary sector can work in collaboration with government to shape recovery and prepare for future crises.
These findings are drawn from different strands of data, including:
- desk research, a survey, interviews, and a workshop conducted as part of the first stage of the research in spring/summer 2021
- five interviews with key stakeholders, a workshop with wider stakeholders, and a briefing event in autumn 2021.