Catherine Johnstone, CEO of Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), provides a compelling and thoughtful analysis of the evolving role of volunteering in society, highlighting the ambitious initiatives and rich legacy of the RVS.
The organisation, with a history dating back to World War II, has played a pivotal role in mobilising citizens to take active roles in their communities. From backfilling roles on the home front during the war to feeding the nation and building community resilience through Meals on Wheels and social welfare programs, RVS has continually adapted to meet the needs of the times.
Johnstone delves into the organisation's efforts to modernise, not only through its services but also through its use of technology. A striking example of this innovation is the virtual village hall, an online platform where 60,000 users engage in activities such as yoga, book discussions, and social interaction. This platform is a testament to RVS's ability to leverage digital spaces to foster community and connection. More impressively, the organisation managed to mobilise over a million volunteers during the pandemic, providing crucial services such as helping vulnerable individuals access medical appointments and medications. This period, according to Johnstone, was one of the most exhilarating and challenging in her career, where RVS demonstrated the power of civic mobilisation at scale.
The discussion also highlights the disruption caused by the pandemic, which revealed the UK’s deep well of volunteering potential. Johnstone discusses how pre-pandemic notions of volunteering often centred on older, wealthier demographics with time to spare, limiting broader participation. During the COVID-19 crisis, the surge of 12.4 million people volunteering in various capacities — from mutual aid groups to vaccine centres — demonstrated that the desire to contribute is widespread across all age groups and backgrounds. This shift, Johnstone suggests, presents an opportunity to rethink how volunteering is structured, making it more accessible, flexible, and suited to modern lifestyles.
Looking forward, one of the most exciting projects discussed is the upcoming launch of a "volunteering marketplace" in early 2025. This marketplace aims to create a frictionless, collaborative space where individuals can easily volunteer across organisations, with streamlined processes for background checks, training, and onboarding. Johnstone emphasises the need for a system where volunteers can move seamlessly between roles, with trust and transparency between organisations. This initiative seeks to expand the scope of volunteering, making it easier for people of all ages and backgrounds to get involved, whether through in-person roles or remote opportunities.
Johnstone also addresses the challenges of the current volunteering infrastructure, which is often underfunded and inconsistent across regions, particularly in areas that need it the most. She argues for the necessity of local and national collaboration and underscores how digital tools can play a critical role in making volunteering more universal and accessible.
The volunteering marketplace will not only cater to traditional charities but will also be designed to integrate with the public sector and businesses, aligning with corporate social responsibility goals. This marketplace, Johnstone explains, is part of a broader strategy to make civic engagement and active citizenship an integral part of British life. By facilitating the participation of businesses and individuals alike, the marketplace will enable more people to contribute in ways that are meaningful and impactful, reflecting the reality that people are not just workers or volunteers on certain days — they are citizens every day.
About Catherine Johnstone
Catherine has been leading Royal Voluntary service as Chief Executive since August 2017. Starting her career as a trained nurse in the NHS, she has extensive experience across all sectors building innovative and sustainable services and inspiring and enabling voluntary action. Her key passions are frontline service delivery and enabling the gift of voluntary service which recently saw her leading the development of a number of large-scale initiatives to support the NHS and our communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Before joining Royal Voluntary Service, Catherine was Chief Executive of Samaritans, which provides confidential support to anyone experiencing a tough time in their life. Whilst at the helm for almost 7 years, Catherine was responsible for developing a long-term strategy that saw the organisation become the thought leader of suicide prevention and innovator of postvention services in the UK. This resulted in her being awarded a CBE in 2016 for services to suicide prevention. Catherine was fortunate enough to also spend some time working in the Asylum and Refugee support sector which in her own words was exceptionally humbling and tough.
In her career Catherine is also well known for her leadership roles across the world of volunteer infrastructure having held CEO roles in CVS/Volunteer Bureau and Community Action organisations. As Chair of Directory of Social Change for many years she understands the key role that small charities make to their local communities. With a keen appetite for collaboration, Catherine has recently led the development of Shaping the Future With Volunteering coalition that she now Co Chairs with Andrew Lennox. She was recently appointed as Vice Chair of the Richmond Group.
Her time as CEO of NDPB national funding agency, Capacitybuilders placed her at the heart of government and VCS funding decisions. The breadth of experience that Catherine has been able to secure also included a period of time working in the Asylum and Refugee support sector. Catherine is particularly proud of her five children and three grandchildren who keep her grounded and eternally entertained and busy.
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