Understanding Volunteer Churn: Why volunteers leave?

Volunteer churn is a natural and sometimes even healthy part of managing a non-profit organization. However, volunteer participation rates have been dropping in recent years. The rate of formal volunteering in the U.S. has dropped significantly from 30% in 2019 to 23.2% in 2021, the largest decline since the survey began in 2002​. So it is important to understand why volunteers are leaving and how to manage this churn effectively.

I've spoken to many executive directors and founders about the topic and some common themes emerged:

• They are aware of the churn but do not measure it systematically.

• Measuring churn as it happens is difficult.

• They often do not know the specific reasons why volunteers leave.

• The typical approach is to have one-on-one conversations with unhappy volunteers, but they then struggle to integrate these insights back into their operations programmatically.

• Most consider all churn as organic and focus solely on recruiting new volunteers.

Top Reasons Why Volunteers Disengage

Over the years, I’ve also spoken to many individuals who have volunteered with various organizations to understand why they chose to step back. Here are some of the most common reasons I’ve heard:

“Their volunteering opportunities didn’t match what I’m good at, and I felt underutilized. I asked a few times if there were other areas where I could help, but they didn’t have anything else.”

“I didn’t expect volunteering here to require so much of my time and energy. It was hard to balance with my course workload.”

“I expected a more professional environment. They don’t value their volunteers’ time, effort, and punctuality. I feel the founder’s lack of corporate work experience is responsible for that.”

“The work they do is really great, but I did not have fun here. I am not sure I will do this again next year.”

“The CEO said you have to start volunteering by writing donor emails. I think that's not the best use of my time or talent.”

“Supported them for many years. Loved it. Now I'd like to try something else.”

“I’ve been volunteering with them for over three years, and it is not exciting to me anymore.”

“I want to see more results from all the time and effort I’m giving. I don’t know if all the effort I’m putting in is having an impact.”

“My kids have signed up for a lot of afterschool and weekend activities this year and I have to drive them. That doesn't leave a lot of free time to volunteer”

“I need the organization to be more transparent for me to stay committed. No one seems to know how the surplus funds are being used.”

“I don’t feel valued. They have made me work on projects and then dropped them midway.”

“They are not open to change and do not want thinkers. They primarily want people who will do their bidding without asking questions.”

“I was expecting to meet more like-minded people and those who could help me in my career.”

Root Causes of Volunteer Disengagement

These reasons can be distilled into a few root causes:

• Not understanding what an individual volunteer wants.

• Not setting the right expectations on time commitments.

• Not putting enough thought into designing volunteer programs and roles.

• Failing to invest in appropriate volunteer appreciation.

• Lacking transparency and proper communication.

Volunteer churn is an inevitable challenge, but understanding its root causes can help organizations create a more engaging and rewarding experience for their volunteers. In my next post, I’ll discuss practical strategies to address these issues and reduce volunteer churn.

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