It is universally accepted that volunteering is a good thing that helps to make the world a better place. The act of giving up our time and drawing on our skills to help a good cause not only benefits the organisation involved, it also boosts the confidence and wellbeing of those who do it.
Yet, for some, volunteering can feel like a daunting prospect. Physically going out to volunteer may prove difficult if you have limited mobility or live in an area with poor transport links. Inflexible hours can also be a barrier if you have childcare considerations. But these barriers are not insurmountable, and there are ways to make volunteering work for us. There’s a huge spectrum of volunteer roles available so the possibilities are endless.
Before we start searching for the perfect role, we could explore our motivations for volunteering to get a clearer idea of what we want to gain from the experience. There’s a misconception that volunteering should always be driven by altruism. It’s absolutely the case that we are often driven by wanting to do something positive or helpful, but there are lots of other reasons that might motivate us to volunteer, and most charities will embrace this: the more motivated and engaged we are as a volunteer, the more likely we are to be committed to the task that we’re doing – so it’s a real win-win. With this in mind, we could think about what we stand to gain from our time as a volunteer. Maybe we want to get out of the house more, spend time in a different environment, develop a new routine, meet new people or gain new skills.
The next step is choosing where to volunteer, allowing for practical considerations about location or availability. Some organisations may be willing to adapt to remote working or flexible hours, or there may be alternative roles available that may suit better, so it’s worth having a conversation when you find an organisation you’d like to be involved with. It’s worth thinking about whether you’d like to be involved with a major national charity, a small local organisation, or something in between. Some charities might operate under a nationally known ‘brand’ name or federation, but in practice they might look and feel like a local organisation.
Think about the type of cause or campaign that fires up your passions. There is a charity or campaign for almost every interest and every sector of our community: children and young people, housing, education, international development, healthcare, wildlife – the list is endless. It is important to remember when you are considering volunteering that there are roles out there that will fit in with your own personal circumstances. When choosing the type of role, consider whether you would like to be at the ‘coalface’ of a charity’s work, delivering services directly in the community, or would you prefer a more managerial, fundraising or administrative role. This decision might be driven by where you are at in your life and career. Perhaps you want to develop your work skills or continue to use them in retirement. Or perhaps you’d like a total change from the skills you’ve been using during your career.
When applying for a volunteer role, it’s important to be realistic about the level of commitment you can give. Many charities are ideally looking for volunteers who can offer a regular commitment at a fixed time. This might not be an option for you but it’s always worth asking whether they can be flexible, if you need to arrange things around your other commitments.
Where to start?
- If you have a specific charity in mind, check out their website for available positions
- Visit https://www.doit.life/ to browse 1 million+ volunteer opportunities
- If you’re under 30 look through the opportunities on https://vinspired.com/
- If you have professional experience https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/ connects you with charities in need of project or ongoing support
Research shows that volunteering can help us make friends, learn new skills, advance our career, and feel happier and healthier. If you do choose to embark upon a volunteering journey this year I hope that you enjoy it!
