Volunteering in your community

Volunteering is a great way to get involved with your community and help others.

Whatever your age, experience or background, there are volunteering opportunities available that will enable you to make a difference to the lives of people in your local area and enjoy the benefits of personal development at the same time.

Read our guide to understand how to make the most out of volunteering!

8 Steps

Thinking About Volunteering? First Read Our Guide on the Benefits of Volunteering in Your Community.

Volunteering is a great way to get involved with your community and help others.

Many people can feel a sense of hesitation about volunteering – often worrying if they have enough experience or are able to commit enough time to make a real difference.

But this sense of hesitation is almost always misplaced.

Even helping out in a small way can make massive differences to your local community, and you’d be surprised at the skills you already possess that can make a difference to other people’s lives.

We’ve put together this guide to help you understand the benefits of volunteering, the types of opportunities open to you, and where you can find volunteering placements in your local area.

Why should you consider volunteering?

Most people’s primary motivation for volunteering is because they want to make a positive difference to the world and help other people.

But volunteering opportunities can also have many personal benefits.

Volunteering can help give you a sense of purpose

It’s easy to fall into familiar patterns in life. Your typical routine might include balancing:

Your work
Studies
Hobbies
Family responsibilities

You might choose to wind down by watching shows on your favourite streaming service or scrolling through social media.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

But volunteering can add a whole new dimension to your life, and help you find a sense of purpose.

When you're volunteering, you’re helping others and being of service. Volunteers can often find that they feel more focussed and inspired in their daily lives.

Volunteering can help your confidence and your perspective on life

Volunteering with those in need in your local community can often help give you a fresh outlook on life and can put your own personal issues into perspective.

You might also feel a sense of achievement when you’re able to make a positive difference to someone’s life, which can build your confidence.

If you suffer from low-confidence or self-esteem, volunteering can help you break any negative thought cycles and help you feel good about yourself. When you volunteer, you’re able to take your focus away from yourself and channel your energy into helping other people.

Volunteering can help you build connections and make friends

You’re often going to be working as part of a team when you volunteer.

By working with like-minded people who are committed to a cause close to your heart, you can find a real sense of shared purpose and belonging.

Many volunteers find lifelong friends through their volunteering activities.

Volunteering can help you develop new skills

Depending on the type of volunteering opportunity you choose, there are a wide range of transferable skills that you can build.

Common skills you’ll develop by choosing to volunteer include:

Communication
Relationship building
Problem solving
Teamwork
Perseverance

Volunteer work looks great on a CV

Volunteer work is a great way to show potential employers that you're a dedicated, hard-working employee who cares about the world around you.

Volunteering lets your employer know that you have passion, drive, and initiative—all of which are important qualities in an employee.

And when you volunteer, it shows that you're willing to go above and beyond what's expected of you. This will help set you apart from other candidates when it comes time for interviews.

What are the different types of volunteering?

Whatever your age, background, skills and experience – there will be a way for you to positively contribute to your local community through volunteering.

There are a wide variety of different full-time, part-time or casual volunteering opportunities available that typically fall within the following categories.

Retail

Charities need funding to be able to support those in need.

And one of the ways they often choose to do this is by selling items donated to them in high street charity shops.

But every charity shop needs staff to help with displays, stock management and taking customer orders.

If you choose to volunteer in a retail setting, you might be expected to:

Make sure shops are clean and tidy
Talk with customers
Manage the till
Co-ordinate with the intake of donations
Complete administrative work

Support

Support volunteers provide emotional and practical support to those going through difficult times.

Examples might include offering support to people suffering with depression or mental health issues, or people that are going through traumatic life events such as the death of a loved one or the end of a relationship.

Support volunteering might also include providing assistance for people with disabilities, special educational needs or the elderly.

If you choose to volunteer in a support role, common tasks might include:

Talking with people about their day or their feelings
Listening and encouraging
Helping people find resources that could be helpful to them
Providing physical assistance for daily tasks they might struggle to complete

Mentoring and sharing your skills

Mentoring is a form of volunteer work that involves working with younger or less experienced people to help them learn new skills, overcome obstacles, and improve their life situation.

If you’re passionate about inspiring others and helping them achieve their potential, a mentoring role might be right for you.

If you choose to volunteer in a mentoring role, common tasks might include:

Helping your mentees develop their confidence
Developing their skills in a particular area like IT or how to use the internet
Being a source of help for subject specific problems or challenges they are facing

Green volunteering

Green volunteering is a great way to give back to your community and help the environment at the same time.

It's also a great way to meet new people, because you'll often be working together towards a common goal.

With green volunteering, you can do things like:

Plant trees
Pick up litter in parks, playgrounds and other community areas
Clean up beaches or rivers
Species surveying
Building natural habitats for wildlife

Sports volunteering

Sport is important. It can help not only people's physical health, but also their mental wellness.

However, some people find it difficult to access sport because of their location, finances, age or physical abilities.

By volunteering in a sports role, you can help bring the benefits of sport to a wide range of people.

Common sports volunteering roles can include:

Coaching different sports
Officiating matches
Helping to organise events and competitions
Setting up a local sports club

How to make the most of your volunteering experience

Volunteering in your local community can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

The people and organisations that you help and support are going to appreciate your commitment and the difference that you make.

But you also want to make sure that you get the most out of your volunteering experience.

We’ve put together some tips on things to consider before you start your volunteering journey.

Set realistic commitments that you can stick to

You may be feeling really enthusiastic right now, and ready to apply to that opportunity that is looking for someone to commit 15 hours per week.

And if that’s right for you – go for it!

But make sure you’re not over-committing. Take into account your work, study and family responsibilities.

You’re more likely to maintain volunteering activity long-term if you make sure your commitment is right for your lifestyle at the outset.

And speaking on behalf of the organisations and people you might be helping, they would often prefer a smaller long-term commitment from their volunteers than a larger commitment that ‘burns out’ after a month or two.

Have a clear personal objective

You’re more likely to continue your volunteering journey in the long term if you feel you’re getting some form of joy or personal development from the experience.

This isn’t selfish. It doesn’t it any way undermine the great work you’re doing. It’s important.

Before you begin a volunteer placement, think about what you personally want to gain from it. For example:

Building confidence
Making friends
Developing your problem solving skills
Improving your empathy and communication skills

By having a clear personal objective going into the placement, you’re more likely to gain mutual benefit from volunteering your time.

Have realistic expectations

Volunteering can be tough, and every role is different with its own unique challenges.

You might encounter rude customers in a charity retail role.

You might come across people who need support but are fiercely independent and reluctant to accept help.

You might be mentoring someone who doesn’t quickly or easily pick up on the things you’re teaching them.

These are likely to be exceptions rather than the rule, and we’re not trying to put anyone off volunteering - far from it!

But it’s important that you don’t go into any volunteering role with a glamorised view of what it’s going to be like.

Be positive, flexible and open minded

This tip can be applied in all walks of life, but it is important when you’re volunteering.

You’re going to have the opportunity to work with and learn from a wide range of people. If you approach volunteering opportunities with positivity and an open mind, you’ll be able to benefit from the experience of others that might have been volunteering longer than you.

If you’re new to a volunteering role, maybe look to another more established volunteer as an example of how to approach the role effectively. You might even consider asking someone experienced to be an informal mentor.

Keep track of the things that you learn

Consider keeping a journal of the things that you learn on your volunteering journey.

Be respectful of what you write down (keeping names and details anonymous should your journal fall into the wrong hands) but focus on the ways you’ve helped, the things you’ve learned and the way it made you feel.

By keeping a journal, you’ve got a documented reminder of the impact you’ve made and your personal development journey through volunteering.

It can also help serve as a reminder to jog your memory before any interviews, where you might want to prepare an answer that describes the things you learned through volunteering.