Shaping the Future with Volunteering
Strategy, UX, Design, Development
Helping a coalition of charities inspire action with their own website.
Shaping the Future with Volunteering is an inspiring initiative led by the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS). It brings together some of the UK’s largest charities (currently 34 of them!) to combat the hundreds of millions of volunteering hours that are lost every year. This commendable coalition needed a digital platform to share their commitment, communicate their mission and rally others around their cause.
So, they turned to us. Already trusted partners to RVS, we were perfectly placed to help bring their movement to life digitally - on time and with impact.
The opportunity.
This project wasn’t about reinventing a brand. It was about uniting some of the UK’s most respected charities under one initiative, and giving them a digital presence that’s as credible as the cause itself.
With a clear brief for a standalone brochure website, we had the chance to deliver something simple yet powerful - a platform which would amplify Shaping the Future with Volunteering’s vision and launch just in time for Volunteers’ Week.
The business need.
Shaping the Future with Volunteering needed a site that told their story and aligned the 34 organisations, without the complexity of bespoke builds or bloated timelines.
The audience need.
This site had to connect with policymakers, supporters and charity leaders alike. It needed to be accessible, user-friendly and, crucially, live and loud during Volunteers’ Week
Our approach.
We moved fast without cutting corners. Having worked closely with RVS before, we understood the importance of brand continuity and digital clarity. We kicked off with moodboards to explore visual directions that complemented the RVS’ identity and built on Shaping the Future with Volunteering’s own branding. From there, we quickly developed sitemaps and wireframes to lock down the structure.
While the initial ask was for a simple brochure site, we designed with scalability in mind. This flexibility became crucial as the project evolved, allowing us to adapt to post-launch additions like a members area for CEOs to access shared resources.
Designing for impact (and accessibility).
Design was our core focus for the first six weeks. We explored multiple homepage concepts, prioritising accessibility in every single one (of course). Working closely with the RVS team, we honed in on a layout that balanced inspiration with clarity - making sure everyone who lands on the site knows why this movement matters and how they can get involved.
To stay aligned across the board and throughout the project, we created a detailed project framework document outlining exactly what we were delivering. No surprises. No scope creep. Just sharp focus and shared goals.
Pixels with purpose.
Development kicked off next, and thanks to our upfront clarity, the project moved quickly and confidently. Around two months later, the site was fully built and undergoing rigorous testing - including independent accessibility testing from the team at RNIB. From the polished design system to the robust backend functionality, everything was crafted with long-term usability and expansion in mind.
The results.
As the website prepares to launch for Volunteers’ Week, Shaping the Future with Volunteering now has a platform that matches its mission. Clean, clear and action-oriented, the site brings 34 charities together under one united message.
We’re proud to have played our part. And we’re even prouder to continue supporting RVS as they shape the future of volunteering, one hour at a time.