Volunteering is open to everyone regardless of age, background, experience. Before you decide to volunteer, you might find it useful to ask yourself some of these questions:

• Why do I want to volunteer?
• What am I hoping to gain from volunteering?
• What do I enjoy doing?
• What interests, hobbies or skills do I have or would like to develop?
• How would volunteering help with my career development?
• What commitment can I make; short term, one off projects, once a week, long term etc.
• How much time can I give?
• When can I volunteer; evenings, weekdays or weekends?
• How far am I willing to travel to the volunteer position?
• Does the purpose of the organisation match my own values and beliefs?

There are many benefits to volunteering. By giving your time as a volunteer you can:

• Help others in your local community and give something back
• Make a difference to the lives of others
• Improve your health and wellbeing
• Explore your interests
• Share your skills and experiences
• Develop new skills and knowledge
• Gain great experience, which looks good on your CV
• Become ‘job ready’
• Gain confidence and self-esteem
• Meet new people and make new friends
• Feel valued and part of a team.

Ready to give it a try? Visit our volunteering portal to search for opportunities today.

In a voluntary role, you can expect:

• To learn about the organisation and what it does
• A clear outline of duties – this is usually in the form of a written ‘role description’ or ‘task profile’
• Training and guidance relevant to your role
• Appropriate support or supervision
• To be safe and covered by insurance to carry out the tasks you’ve been given
• To be made aware of the organisation’s policies and procedures, including who you should talk to if you are unhappy
• Reasonable out of pocket expenses reimbursed
• To feel valued by the organisation and able to contribute to its development.