A new research report, commissioned by the Our Past, Our Future Team hosted by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and carried out by Make Your Mark with support from Volunteer Scotland, is the first data-led report on heritage volunteering in Scotland since 2016. The report shows that engaging with the sector increases volunteers’ resilience and wellbeing, but that underfunding and understaffing limits organisations’ abilities to develop their volunteering base.
Over 50 volunteer-involving heritage organisations and over 300 heritage volunteers responded to the survey, conducted in summer 2025. It was funded by Our Past, Our Future, Scotland’s national strategy for the historic environment. One of the primary priorities for the strategy is to empower resilient and inclusive communities and places, and this research will help further develop a heritage volunteering force with these traits at its heart.
Volunteers are critical to the heritage sector, and heritage volunteering in turn supports individual wellbeing and community development, as evidenced by the report. Data shows 91% of respondents stated that volunteering improved their wellbeing and that it supported their skills development (82%). The survey report also highlights the gap between the skills developed by volunteers (visitor engagement and education [11%], communication [11%], teamwork [9%], and interpersonal skills [8%]) and the skills most needed by the heritage sector (traditional and craft skills [1%], leadership and management [3%], and digital skills [4%]).
In addition, the report shows that organisational capacity to manage and grow their volunteering workforce is limited. 35% of the organisations surveyed have no volunteer manager and only 18% of organisations have dedicated volunteer management roles (full or part-time, single or multiple). The largest group (39%) manage volunteers through staff with multiple responsibilities. 69% of organisations do not currently have a succession plan for volunteers. However, the volunteer satisfaction rate is outstanding (91%), and the volunteer respondents were equally divided between new volunteers and those with 10+ years of experience, showing a strong pipeline into heritage volunteering.
Volunteer-involving heritage organisations are currently meeting the vast majority of their volunteers’ needs, according to the respondents, but the report highlights that more can be done to include marginalised people in volunteering. Facilities such as prayer spaces (1%), quiet spaces (3%), period products (3%) or gender-neutral toilets (4%) are rarely provided, which could affect the lack of diversity in the volunteering body.
The report sets out four recommendations for three parts of the sector, with the main themes being providing flexibility and support for volunteers, facilitating skills and career development, and increasing investment in volunteers and infrastructure.
Jilly Burns, National Strategy Programme Manager at HES, said:
“This report highlights the immense value of heritage volunteering, but also shows us the way forward for heritage organisations, sector support bodies and funders.
“We’re excited to have a data-driven set of recommendations to ensure that heritage volunteering continues to be a meaningful part of the sector, and to make volunteering more inclusive, flexible and aligned with the volunteers’ motivations.”
Dr Simon Gilmour FSAScot, Director of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, who host the Make Your Mark campaign, said:
“This research shows just how much heritage volunteering contributes to people’s wellbeing and skills, but it’s clear that not everyone has equal access to those benefits. To truly reflect Scotland’s communities, we need to make volunteering more inclusive, flexible and welcoming to all. Volunteers are at the heart of the heritage sector, but they need investment and support to thrive.”
About Historic Environment Scotland (HES)
- We are the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. It is at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future, investigating and recording architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes across Scotland and caring for more than 300 properties of national importance. We are also the lead on delivering Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.
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For further information, please contact:
Robin Kepple
Historic Environment Scotland Media Office
07721 959 962
communications@hes.scot