Volunteering in statistics

The Volunteer Barometer measures volunteer satisfaction, factors affecting motivation, and the experience of inclusion. Respondents who are not currently active for some reason are asked about factors that would make it easier to participate in Red Cross volunteer activities.

The data collected through the Volunteer Barometer provides information on the following matters important to our operations:

• Percentage of new volunteers who successfully joined activities
• Volunteers' experience of the quality of activities and satisfaction
• Volunteers' experience of inclusion
• Volunteers' experience of increased skills and functional capacity

In the 2025 round, questions were also asked about participation in online activities and helping young people, as well as how volunteers would like to participate in the Red Cross renewal process.

The Volunteer Barometer has now been conducted three times. In 2024, it was carried out twice: in February (3,942 respondents) and December (3,574 respondents). The latest survey was conducted in December 2025 (3,946). The request to respond to the survey is sent to the entire volunteer register, i.e., everyone who has created a profile in the Oma Punainen Risti system.

In the spring of 2025, an equality survey was commissioned for volunteers. The survey was conducted to gain a comprehensive overview of the diversity of Finnish Red Cross volunteers and their experiences of equality, inclusion, and discrimination. Responses were received from 973 respondents.

Survey Results

The Volunteer Barometer is a key tool for the organization, providing information on the state and development of volunteer activities in relation to shared goals.

There have been few major changes between survey rounds. There have also been no significant changes in the number of respondents. However, the results provide direction for the development of volunteer activities.

Volunteers who responded to the survey have mainly enjoyed their time in Red Cross activities and are satisfied with the operations. The fact that people enjoy the activities is thanks to all volunteers. Special thanks go to the volunteers in leadership roles, whose valuable contribution often makes the activities possible. Together, we can continue to make volunteer work something where everyone enjoys themselves and feels included.

The things that most motivate volunteers in our aid activities are the experience of the importance and meaningfulness of the work, and the desire to help. This builds confidence in the continuity of volunteering in the future.

The most significant factors facilitating participation for both those who have stopped volunteering and those who want to join are feeling welcome and the availability of short-term tasks.

Of those who created a profile in the last 12 months, 70% had joined the activities, the process was still ongoing for 13%, and 9% stated they had not been contacted. Therefore, investments must continue to be made in welcoming and inviting people to join.

You can view the results in more detail in the report from the latest survey round:

SPR Vapaaehtoisbarometri_Raportti_Prese20260209 (1).pptx (in Finnish)

Of the respondents to the equality survey (973), 84 percent were of the opinion that the Red Cross encourages people from other backgrounds to get involved.

However, in the open-ended responses of the survey (474), there were calls for a more open operating culture, more consistent intervention in inappropriate behavior, and a broader understanding of diversity-related topics.

Operations Report in Oma Punainen Risti

Oma Punainen Risti is the shared system for all Finnish Red Cross volunteers. All new volunteers are directed to Oma. Through Oma, branches can welcome new volunteers, coordinate activities, and communicate topical issues to volunteers.

After creating an Oma profile, the volunteer is directed to a Finnish Red Cross local branch, regardless of the activity they are involved in (for example, as an online volunteer or at Youth Shelters). A person's volunteer branch in Oma may be different from their Finnish Red Cross member branch.

Finnish Red Cross volunteers can follow the activities of the branches through the new Operations Report via Oma Punainen Risti. The report includes:

• Number of volunteer profiles in Oma/branch
• Number of people under 29 in Oma/branch
• Number of volunteers marked as active in activities
• Number of volunteers marked as available for emergency preparedness
• Number of events organized by the branch
• Number of people registered for events through Oma
• Number of branch groups in Oma
• Number of group members

The information is also visible nationally and can be filtered by district. The report is visible to all volunteers logged into Oma.

You can log in and create a profile here: https://oma.punainenristi.fi/

The Operations Report can currently be found on the homepage for logged-in users under events. Example image from September 2025: