- Charities & Not-for-Profits Hub
If volunteering is becoming too much, ask the person coordinating your role for a conversation about what you can realistically offer. NCVO recommends regular contact and one-to-one conversations with volunteers about difficulties and the support they need.[1] You can use that conversation to discuss hours, tasks and contact outside your usual sessions.
This guide is for volunteers and the people supporting them in small charities. It offers practical conversation prompts and signposting, not a diagnosis of burnout or clinical advice. You do not need a label for how you feel before explaining that your current commitment needs to change.
Start with the commitment you actually have
Before the conversation, look back over a recent week. Include the session on the rota, preparation at home and the messages you answered afterwards. Compare that with the time you intended to give. If you would find it useful, jot down which parts you still enjoy and which you would most like to change.
Try an opening such as: “I want to keep helping, but I cannot keep doing the extra evening messages. Could we agree what needs to wait until my next session?” This is suggested wording, not something you have to say perfectly. If a face-to-face conversation feels awkward, you could ask for a meeting by email and bring your notes.
Keep the first request specific. You might want fewer sessions, a different task or a pause while something changes at home. Ask what is possible rather than agreeing immediately to another arrangement you already doubt you can manage.
Agree what happens when you are unavailable
Consider proposing a clear contact arrangement: when you usually volunteer, which channel to use and who handles requests while you are away. Ask the coordinator to explain how urgent concerns should be passed on. NCVO says volunteers should know who to contact with a problem and when that support is available, including outside office hours.[1]
If you use your own phone, ask how the charity would like you to handle messages between sessions. Avoid making yourself the only route for someone needing help. Discuss a handover through the charity’s agreed channels rather than quietly taking responsibility for every request.
If you coordinate volunteers, explain the arrangements to the rest of the team. A boundary agreed privately will need practical backing when somebody else asks the same volunteer to cover another shift. Ask permission before sharing personal reasons for a change; the rota may only need to show their availability.
Ask for support with the difficult parts
A difficult conversation with a service user may need more than a change to the rota. NCVO recommends matching supervision to a role’s demands, including its emotional burden, and offering opportunities for volunteers to seek support.[6] Its guidance also describes buddying and regular individual or group discussions.[6]
Ask what support already exists for your role. Is there a named person to contact after a difficult session? Can you talk through a concern before going home? Would further guidance make a particular task clearer? These are questions for the charity, not responsibilities you have to solve alone.
Where a concern involves someone’s safety, use the organisation’s safeguarding process and designated contact. NCVO’s guidance tells volunteer managers to follow their reporting procedures and seek help from the designated safeguarding lead when uncertain.[6] A routine wellbeing conversation should not replace that process.
Make the change clear enough to review
After talking, suggest a short written summary of the practical arrangement. For example, you could propose one regular session without additional cover requests for the next few weeks, then agree a date to discuss how it went. Keep the arrangement realistic for both sides rather than promising that everything will return to normal by a particular day.
For coordinators, NCVO recommends telling volunteers what you learned from their feedback and what action you will take.[1] At the review, ask whether the agreed change actually happened. Did messages still come through? Was somebody available for the handover? If the arrangement did not work, discuss a different one, including whether a longer break is needed.
Know when you need help beyond volunteering
The NHS recommends seeing a GP if you are struggling to cope with stress or things you are trying yourself are not helping.[5] Changing a volunteering arrangement does not replace healthcare when you need it.
Samaritans is free on 116 123, day or night, across the UK.[3] For urgent mental health help in England, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option.[2] In an emergency, if someone’s life is at risk or you cannot keep yourself or someone else safe, call 999 or go to A&E now.[2]
For your next step, write down one change you want to discuss and ask the coordinator for a time to talk. If you support volunteers, check that everybody knows their named contact. You can also explore the MH360 Charities & Not-for-Profits hub for more information relevant to smaller organisations.
Sources
[1] https://www.ncvo.org.uk/help-and-guidance/involving-volunteers/supporting-and-managing-volunteers/supporting-volunteers: NCVO: Supporting volunteers
[2] https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health: NHS: Where to get urgent help for mental health
[3] https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan: Samaritans: Contact a Samaritan
[5] https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/stress: NHS: Stress
[6] https://www.ncvo.org.uk/help-and-guidance/safeguarding/certain-roles/volunteer-managers/supporting: NCVO: Supporting your volunteers
