Volunteering social value calculator

How is the social value of volunteering calculated?

This calculator uses a financial-proxy method: it multiplies your total volunteer hours by an hourly value. Total hours is the number of volunteers multiplied by the hours each gives. The hourly value depends on the type of volunteering — activity-based time is commonly valued at UK average earnings (around £18/hour), while skilled professional time is worth considerably more. You can adjust the rate to match your own methodology.

What hourly rate should I use?

There is no single correct rate. Common UK choices include the Real Living Wage (a conservative floor), UK average earnings of roughly £15–£20/hour for general volunteering, or an employee's actual salary-based rate for the most rigorous figure. Skills-based volunteering — legal, finance, marketing, IT — is typically valued well above average earnings because that expertise is scarce and expensive for charities to buy.

Is financial value the same as social value?

No. The pound figure is a useful headline and a strong hook for leadership, but true social value also includes outcomes — meals served, people supported back into work, reduced isolation, trees planted — and alignment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The financial proxy is the start of the story, not the whole of it.

Can I track this automatically instead of estimating?

Yes. With Kind Folk records every volunteer hour against a configurable rate as it happens, so your social value and SDG-aligned impact are calculated automatically and ready for a board report — no spreadsheets or year-end reconstruction required.