York Student Union Volunteering

About the Client

York Student Union (YUSU) Volunteering manages several student-led volunteering projects, which operate similarly to YUSU’s societies in that they are student-led and student-run, with the Union providing operational support including access to funding, training, and DBS checks. The network had 15 active projects but has recently seen the number decline during re-ratification periods, with few new projects emerging. Furthermore, recently collected data showed that while the number of volunteers remained stable at approximately 1,000, the number of hours they contributed had decreased over time.

Objectives

• Critically analyse the current volunteering model and recommend alterations including an evaluation of where responsibility for projects should lie and exploring alternatives to the election model for leadership positions.

• Gather data from existing committee members and volunteers from volunteering projects to discover their pain points and identify successful features of student union volunteering models.

• Identify ways to improve student awareness and uptake of volunteering opportunities by understanding barriers that prevent students from applying and reasons for non-participation.

• Develop recommendations for promoting volunteering projects through social media channels and strategic partnerships with university departments, colleges, and other societies.

Project Outcome

YCC delivered a comprehensive volunteering transformation strategy for York Student Union through systematic analysis across two specialised teams investigating project election models and outreach techniques as barriers to student participation.

The election model team conducted comparative analysis of other UK Universities that run similar networks, which revealed key success factors including project-focused approaches, increased centralised support, variety of opportunities, and degree-related volunteering. SOAR analysis identified that while YUSU’s student-led model and local opportunities were strengths, minimal centralisation and limited flexibility were significant weaknesses. Focus groups revealed that election terminology was intimidating, and key pain points included unclear role expectations, pressure from year-long commitments, and insufficient ongoing support beyond initial training sessions.

The outreach strategy team identified the network's fragmented social media presence as a critical barrier, with individual volunteering projects running separate Instagram accounts leading to inconsistent engagement and reduced visibility. Research uncovered that students would volunteer if projects linked to academic or career development, while partnerships with societies showed strong potential with students expressing interest in department-specific opportunities. The team developed specific recommendations that included centralising YUSU volunteering’s social media presence via a main account, partnering with high-engaging departments and colleges, and restructuring the YUSU website to include project descriptions and external opportunities upfront rather than just names and logos.