Royal Voluntary Service

Established in 1938, Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) is one of the UK’s oldest charities. The charity has a track record of mass mobilisation of volunteers to support the nation at times of crisis, initially for WWII and most recently for the Covid-19 pandemic. The RVS provides critical auxiliary support to local communities, the NHS, and national government.

In October 2025, RVS launched a new digital volunteer platform – called GoVo. Working in partnership with other charities, key media partners, and businesses this platform aims to make the giving of time ‘frictionless’. The challenges we face as a nation can’t be addressed by government alone – it takes all of us – individuals, communities, charities and businesses – working together for the common good. This platform aims to seamlessly connect those who can give time (e.g. one-off, regular, virtual, micro, etc.) with charities that need support. While the platform has been launched, RVS are still in a development and learning phase. The platform is generating a significant amount of data. The charity’s ability to understand and respond to this data will be critical for the ongoing development of the platform.

CDT students will:

• benefit from working on an innovative, continuously evolving, and important national initiative
• gain insight into how data is used to drive tech improvements, better customer/volunteer experiences, and support charitable fundraising
• gain greater understanding into the charity sector, plus some of the challenges of delivering a programme as they build the tech and respond to real-time data outputs.