The WRVS, which mobilised women on the home front during World War II, has today dropped the reference to women in its name as it seeks to shed its female identity and reach a more masculine audience.

The rebrand to the Royal Voluntary Service, which cost £154,000 and began in October 2012, is the latest step in a slow shift away from the charity’s women-only reputation, which in February culminated in the launch of a ‘manhunt’ to recruit more male volunteers.

The charity now has 6,000 male volunteers – still a small fraction of its 40,000-strong volunteer base, but it hopes that this new brand identity will enable it to reach more men as both volunteers and beneficiaries.

RVS anticipates an increased demand on its services in coming years as a result of the ageing population, but at the same time the charity has been raising less money in recent times. Its 2011/12 accounts show income remains £10m below what it made in 2008/09, when it stood at £85m. Last year the charity embarked on a restructure which resulted in some job losses, but insisted at the time the organisation was expanding.

The new brand announced today has ditched the yellow and purple of the previous WRVS branding in favour of a more muted grey-green and fuchsia. While the website bears the new brand colours, the charity will be rolling out the RVS branding over the autumn to its shops and other outlets.

RVS chief executive David McCullough said: “We know that more older people than ever are going to need the support that our volunteers provide, which is why we are changing our name to make it clear we are not a charity that only supports women or just wants female volunteers.”

In testing the market for the rebrand, the charity employed an agency to conduct telephone interviews with 500 over-75s in the UK, it also consulted with staff, volunteers and beneficiaries. The charity employed the agency Nerve for the rebranding.