One of the greatest privileges of leading Cats Protection is seeing the remarkable contribution that volunteers make every single day.

Across the UK, more than 10,000 volunteers give their time, skills, energy and compassion to support cats and the people who care for them. They foster cats, support our cat centres and branches, volunteer in our shops, deliver neutering programmes, transport cats, raise funds, advocate for better cat welfare, share knowledge and help us reach communities across the country.

Quite simply, without volunteers, Cats Protection would not be Cats Protection.

As we think about the future, however, we must recognise that volunteering is changing. People’s desire to make a difference remains as strong as ever, but the way they want to contribute is evolving. Lives are busier, expectations are different, and opportunities for giving time are more varied than at any point in our history.

That presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

During my years in youth work, education and the voluntary sector, I have often returned to a simple framework for volunteer recruitment and retention, created some years ago by people much more articulate than I am. It remains as relevant today as it was when I first encountered it through Scouting. If we want to build the volunteer movement of the future, I believe there are seven important steps.

1. Start with purpose

People rarely volunteer because they are looking for a task. They volunteer because they want to make a difference.

Our responsibility is to be crystal clear about why a role matters.

Whether someone is fostering a cat, supporting a cat centre, volunteering in one of our shops, helping with a neutering programme, serving as a trustee, fundraising in their local community or campaigning for change, they should understand the impact of their contribution. Every role should connect directly to our mission of creating a better world for cats.

Purpose is what attracts people. Purpose is what sustains them.

2. Build roles around people

Traditionally, volunteering often meant a regular commitment at a particular place and time. Those opportunities remain hugely important and many of our volunteers value exactly that sense of routine, responsibility and community.

Increasingly, however, people want to contribute in different ways.

Some may volunteer every week in a cat centre, branch or shop. Others may have professional skills they can offer occasionally. Some may be able to give just a few minutes at a time. Others may never physically visit one of our sites but still want to support cats through digital communities and online fundraising.

The future of volunteering is not about replacing traditional roles. It is about widening the range of opportunities available to people who care about cats.

3. Tell a compelling story

Facts are important. Stories move people.

Stories help people understand the difference that volunteers make.

They may be stories about a family who received support that enabled them to keep a much-loved cat. They may be stories about a volunteer-led neutering initiative that improved welfare across an entire community. They may be stories about a cat finding the right home, a supporter raising funds through a creative challenge, or a volunteer whose own confidence and wellbeing have grown through their involvement with Cats Protection.

People volunteer for causes. Stories help them see themselves within that cause.

4. Ask widely and personally

One of the most effective recruitment tools remains the simplest: a personal invitation.

Many volunteers begin because somebody asked them.

That invitation may come from a friend, a colleague, a family member or an existing volunteer. It may come through social media, community networks, workplaces, schools, universities or local events.

The next generation of volunteers may first encounter Cats Protection through an online community, a fundraising livestream, a workplace volunteering programme or a digital campaign.

Our challenge is to meet people where they are, rather than expecting them to find us.

5. Make joining easy

Few things are more frustrating than enthusiasm meeting unnecessary barriers.

When someone decides they would like to volunteer, we should make it as easy as possible for them to take the next step.

That does not mean abandoning appropriate safeguards or training. It means designing processes around the volunteer experience and removing unnecessary complexity wherever we can.

It also means recognising that not every contribution needs to involve a long-term commitment.

Micro-volunteering is becoming increasingly important. It might involve sharing a campaign with friends, helping to test a new digital service, contributing specialist expertise to a short-term project, supporting an online advocacy campaign, helping with a one-off event, or completing a simple task that contributes to a larger goal.

Individually, these contributions may seem modest. Collectively, they can be enormously powerful.

6. Welcome brilliantly

First impressions matter.

Volunteers should feel valued from the moment they first express an interest.

Good induction, supportive colleagues, clear expectations and meaningful training all contribute to a sense of belonging. People stay where they feel connected, appreciated and supported.

At its heart, volunteering is about relationships.

When we welcome people well, we create the foundations for long-term commitment.

7. Support, celebrate and retain

Recruitment is only the beginning.

The most successful volunteer organisations understand that retention matters every bit as much as recruitment.

Volunteers need support. They need opportunities to develop. They need to know their contribution is recognised and appreciated.

Most importantly, they need to feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves.

When volunteers have a positive experience, they become ambassadors. They tell others. They bring friends. They strengthen communities. They become the most powerful advocates any organisation could hope for.

Looking Ahead

At Cats Protection, we have the privilege of being supported by one of the largest and most committed volunteer communities in the country.

As we continue our journey to become an Exemplary Voluntary Organisation, these seven steps offer a useful reminder that volunteering is not simply about filling vacancies. It is about building a movement.

A movement united by compassion.

A movement driven by purpose.

A movement that changes lives – for cats and for people.

The future of volunteering is not less commitment. It is different commitment.

Imagine a Cats Protection volunteer community that includes fosterers, shop volunteers, branch volunteers and cat centre teams alongside software developers, content creators, students, workplace volunteers, campaigners and online fundraisers.

Imagine supporters raising funds through Stream for Cats, sharing their passion for gaming whilst helping cats. Imagine people contributing fifteen minutes a month through micro-volunteering opportunities that fit around family and work commitments. Imagine volunteers lending professional expertise in areas such as technology, marketing, legal services, project management or data analysis. Imagine thousands of supporters taking small actions online that, collectively, create a significant impact for cats.

Some volunteers work directly with cats. Others may never handle a cat at all. Yet every role contributes to creating a better world for cats.

None of this replaces the extraordinary contribution made by our existing volunteers. Rather, it builds upon it.

Volunteering is no longer defined by how many hours someone gives. It is defined by the difference they make.

People still want to make a difference. They still want to belong. They still want to contribute to causes they care about.

Our task is to make sure that when someone feels inspired to help cats, we provide every opportunity for them to do so.

Because wherever there are cats, there is an opportunity to improve their welfare, strengthen the bond between cats and people, and create communities that understand and value cats.

And wherever there are cats in need, there will be people willing to step forward and help.

Together, we can ensure that they find a welcome waiting for them.