As we enter Volunteers’ Week UK (1–7 June), charities across the UK will be celebrating the people who give their time so generously.

But there is a persistent blind spot in how many organisations think about volunteers.

In my work both in-house and now as a consultant with Craigmyle, I see this pattern consistently: volunteers are deeply embedded in delivery but rarely considered as part of fundraising strategy.

Most charities treat volunteers as part of service delivery, not as part of their fundraising system. That separation is understandable. It is also a missed opportunity.

They already believe in your work. They see it up close. They talk about it in their own networks every day. In a landscape where trust and peer-to-peer influence matter more than ever, that is an underused strategic asset.

This is not just a communications gap. It is a fundraising culture gap.

The shift is simple: stop thinking of volunteers as adjacent to fundraising and start including them in it.

If you are planning a campaign, here is what that looks like in practice.

Bring them in early, not as an afterthought

Most campaigns are built within fundraising and communications teams, then pushed outwards.

Volunteers rarely feature in that plan. If they do not know what is coming, they cannot support it.

Use the channels you already have: your volunteer manager, internal updates, volunteers’ newsletters.

Let them know:

  • what you are launching
  • when it is happening
  • why it matters now
  • how they can help

This is not about adding complexity. It is about widening the circle slightly earlier.

Equip them with a simple, confident story

People often want to help, but they do not always know what to say.

If you want volunteers to advocate for your campaign, give them something usable:

  • a short, clear case for support
  • a 30-second version they can use in conversation
  • a few lines they can copy and paste online

Make it easy, and people will use it.

Offer specific ways to help (that are not about giving money)

Volunteers already contribute their time. Fundraising asks need to respect that.

The most effective route is to offer practical, low-effort actions:

  • share a campaign link on social media
  • forward an email to their networks
  • mention the campaign in their own communities

Be clear. “Please support this” is vague. “Share this post using this link” is actionable.

Some will also choose to donate. Many will not. Both are fine.

Think of volunteers as one of your most credible distribution channels

Beyond individual actions, there is a bigger opportunity here.

Most charities rely heavily on their own social media to carry campaigns. But organic reach is limited, and audiences are saturated.

What cuts through is a trusted individual sharing something they care about.

When a volunteer shares your campaign, it lands as a personal recommendation, not institutional messaging. That distinction matters.

To make this work, set them up properly:

  • provide ready-to-use posts and links
  • keep the message simple and human
  • make it easy to share in one click

Done well, this is credible, peer-led amplification into networks you would not otherwise reach.

Be explicit: there is no expectation

If volunteers feel that fundraising is an additional obligation, engagement drops.

If they feel invited, trusted, and not pressured, engagement increases.

A simple line such as : ’There is absolutely no expectation to give or take part ‘creates the right conditions for people to opt in (or not!).

Show them the impact of their advocacy

If volunteers do step in, close the loop.

Tell them what happened:

  • how far the campaign reached
  • what was raised
  • what changed as a result

This reinforces a powerful idea: their voice matters, not just their time.

From overlooked to intentional

At its core, this is about fundraising culture.

In organisations where fundraising is seen as the responsibility of one team, opportunities like this are easy to miss. Volunteers sit in service delivery. Fundraising sits elsewhere.

In organisations with a strong fundraising culture, the mindset is different. Everyone understands their role in sustaining the work, in ways that feel appropriate and proportionate.

Including volunteers in campaigns is a simple, practical expression of that shift. It is not just about asking them to share content, but about including their voices—why they choose to give their time, and why the work matters to them.

This is not about turning volunteers into fundraisers in a formal sense, or asking them to take on roles that do not feel right. It is about recognising that they already bring something valuable: trust, proximity, and belief in your mission.

In a crowded fundraising landscape where attention is hard to win, that combination matters, and is often left out of campaign planning.

During Volunteers’ Week UK, charities rightly celebrate volunteers.

This year, it might be worth doing one thing differently: include them in your fundraising.

Not as an afterthought, but as part of how your organisation raises income and builds momentum around its work.

Because the question is not whether volunteers can support your fundraising. It is whether you are set up to let them.

At Craigmyle, we often talk about fundraising as a whole-organisation effort. This is one of the simplest ways to start putting that into practice.

If you would like to discuss how this could apply in your organisation, please do get in touch.