Sector convenes to open doors to volunteering
Royal Voluntary Service announces platform name: GoVo
RVS has announced that the digital volunteering platform it is developing on behalf of the charity sector is to be named GoVo.
Charities of all sizes covering a broad spectrum of cause areas and locations across Britian have signed up to the platform. So far 1,700 have registered with GoVo to offer easy-to-access and flexible volunteering experiences to would-be volunteers.
National charities uploading roles include Oxfam, Parkinson’s UK, the Marine Conservation Society, Re-engage, Home-Start UK and many more. Local and regional charities, from Green Light Trust, in Norfolk and Suffolk improving wellbeing through conservation, to the West Yorkshire ADHD Support Group have also joined GoVo, ready to connect with volunteers from launch.
GoVo is being developed for the sector, with input from the sector, thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery. To date, 400 charities have engaged, shared feedback, contributed to focus groups and attended workshops and webinars.
Contributing to the existing volunteering eco-system and building on and amplifying the work already happening at a local and national level, the free-to-use platform is being created to help charities recruit and onboard volunteers at a time when formal participation has been in decline.
Launching in October 2025, GoVo aims to support charities to reach more volunteers and mobilise the next generation of community support by making volunteering more flexible, inclusive, and more suited to modern life so people can click and connect easily to the causes they care about.
Charities are being encouraged to sign up to GoVo now to explore how the platform could work for them, ahead of the mid-October launch to volunteers.
"RVS exists to mobilise volunteers to support where they’re needed. That need is only increasing as the UK faces numerous challenges including an all-time low in trust and connectedness. So, as a sector we need to take that as a leadership challenge, and convene and innovate to drive forward the future of volunteering, so we can connect people in our communities together.
"Challenges present opportunities, and so I think it’s an exciting time to be in volunteering. We've been so pleased to have support from across the sector with the development of GoVo, and I look forward to continuing to work together to break down barriers and evolve volunteering for all."
Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of Royal Voluntary Service
"We know that volunteering is time well spent. It’s not only good for the charities and organisations being supported, but studies show volunteers are happier, healthier and feel more connected to their community.
"So I’m delighted that funding raised by Postcode Lottery players is going to mean it’s easier for people up and down the country to get involved in causes they care about."
Clara Govier, Managing Director at People’s Postcode Lottery
"We are really excited to get involved with this project. This platform has the potential to transform how volunteering fits into people’s lives and we’re hopeful it will open the door to a whole new wave of volunteers, ready to make a real difference in their communities."
Sally Munday, Head of Volunteering at Home-Start UK, a charity which supports families and young children
Charities interested in participating in workshops and webinars or registering to upload their volunteering opportunities to the GoVo platform can find out more and sign up.
