Volunteering: the basics
Thursday 1 January 2004
Volunteering means spending your own time helping others either in the community or through a charitable project.
Though there are paid positions, most volunteer work is unpaid.
Local volunteer work can include anything from DJing at a local hospital radio station to helping the elderly in your community.
Why do people volunteer?
There are many reasons to offer your services:
- You can learn new communication and management skills.
- It is an opportunity to befriend people you may never have known otherwise.
- Helping others makes a difference to their lives and builds your self-respect.
- It is a chance to change your preconceptions and challenge your assumptions about people you may never have meet before.
- If you are passionate about the organisation, you may be offered paid work when the opportunity arises.
- Voluntary work can be added to your CV which impresses bosses looking for staff willing to go the extra mile.
- Overseas work gives you the chance to experience a different culture and way of life.
People who are looking for a challenge in their life sometimes take up volunteering projects oversees. If you are thinking of going abroad, you will need to think about things like safety, what happens if you fall ill and how you will afford to pay for things like food and shelter.
Can I do it?
Virtually anyone can do volunteer work. You'll need to be enthusiastic, open-minded and willing to help others. Self-discipline and patience are also useful skills, though you may well learn these along the way! Remember - even nothing more than a sunny disposition can brighten up someone's day. Everyone has something to offer.
Carefully consider which people you would want to help and what you have to offer them. You'll be committing your personal time so choose wisely. Once you are committed to volunteer you'll let an awful lot of people down if you fail to turn up.
Volunteer work is a rare opportunity to meet people you wouldn't usually encounter in your everyday life. In many cases, volunteers find their work much more rewarding when they learn about and befriend new people.
Try to be open-minded about who you think you can help.
What do I need to know?
There are many ways to research the voluntary organisations that interest you. Volunteers should be aware of precisely what is required from them.
- Search the Internet.
- Contact your local community centre.
- Check local publications and leaflets.
- Read related magazines and brochures.
- Phone organisations and ask how you can help.
- Remember, overseas volunteer work may be your first time in a new country without guaranteed income, so prepare your inoculations and save money to survive on.
How and where do I apply?
You can contact any volunteer organisation directly via mail, email or the telephone.
To find out more, take a look at our list of links.
