The Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) has announced that the digital volunteering platform it is developing on behalf of the charity sector is to be named GoVo.

Charities of all sizes covering a broad spectrum of cause areas and locations across Britian have signed up to the platform. So far 1700 have registered with GoVo to offer easy-to-access and flexible volunteering experiences to would-be volunteers.

National charities uploading roles include Oxfam, Parkinson’s UK, the Marine Conservation Society, Re-engage, Home-Start UK and many more. Local and regional charities, from Green Light Trust, in Norfolk and Suffolk improving wellbeing through conservation, to the West Yorkshire ADHD Support Group have also joined GoVo, ready to connect with volunteers from launch.

GoVo is being developed for the sector, with input from the sector, thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery. To date, 400 charities have engaged, shared feedback, contributed to focus groups and attended workshops and webinars.

Contributing to the existing volunteering eco-system and building on and amplifying the work already happening at a local and national level, the free-to-use platform is being created to help charities recruit and onboard volunteers at a time when formal participation has been in decline.

Launching in October 2025, GoVo aims to support charities to reach more volunteers and mobilise the next generation of community support by making volunteering more flexible, inclusive, and more suited to modern life so people can click and connect easily to the causes they care about.

Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of Royal Voluntary Service said: “RVS exists to mobilise volunteers to support where they’re needed. That need is only increasing as the UK faces numerous challenges including an all-time low in trust and connectedness. So, as a sector we need to take that as a leadership challenge, and convene and innovate to drive forward the future of volunteering, so we can connect people in our communities together.

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“The platform will also enable businesses to more easily match employees with suitable volunteering roles, helping to unlock the millions of corporate volunteering hours that go unused each year, while supporting employee wellbeing, engagement and productivity.”

“Challenges present opportunities, and so I think it’s an exciting time to be in volunteering. We’ve been so pleased to have support from across the sector with the development of GoVo, and I look forward to continuing to work together to break down barriers and evolve volunteering for all.”