The social value of volunteering

A newly published study looking at the impact of volunteering north of the border states boldly that volunteering is not only good for individuals and for communities, it also makes a remarkable contribution to the economy.

Research behind the The Social Value of Volunteering report (March 2026), produced for Volunteer Scotland, leads the authors to conclude that volunteering has tangible mental and physical health benefits ie it is good for your wellbeing.

Moreover, regular volunteering activity, the report continues, can be given a monetary value using statistical methods and multiple datasets which are both robust and well-recognised by government. It is estimated that it is worth £1,000 per person per year in terms of the increased wellbeing they experience. That’s roughly equivalent to a £20 a week boost to your wellbeing.

Scaled up, this translates to over half a billion pounds worth of increased wellbeing for Scottish volunteers (ie those who volunteer at least once a week). Combined with the time Scottish volunteers contribute weekly; this is a contribution of £2.3 billion in terms of economic and social value - equivalent to the gross value added on the arts, entertainment and recreation industry to the Scottish economy (worth £2.1 billion).

So what, you might ask - that's Scotland! And this report is looking at regular, formal volunteering not the occasional contributions made by our fantastic Members. That's maybe... but at CMP we know well the positive effect on wellbeing participation in our calendar of activities brings.

Here's a recent volunteer, Charlotte Stevens, Business Administrator at Up&Away Detailing, who was speaking during our day at Yateley Industries:

I would like to say that It felt good to give my time to something meaningful and to know that what I was doing was making a difference, even in a small way. It was a lovely opportunity to step outside of my usual work environment and connect with people in a different setting.

I found It was very uplifting, rewarding, and gave me a real sense of purpose, and I came away from the day feeling proud to have been involved.

Charlotte we know speaks for many about the benefits she experienced working alongside her colleagues at a CMP activity day.

And as for the economic value of volunteering, whilst we can't hope to match the staggering findings of the Volunteer Scotland report, we are immensely proud of the fact that in 2025 for every single £1 invested in CMP, an incredible £1.94 in value was returned to the community.

Volunteering - a valuable win for all involved.

You can read the full report here: ttps://www.volunteerscotland.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-social-value-of-volunteering-in-Scotland-–-Technical-Report.pdf