The benefits of volunteering

Why do people volunteer? Volunteering means giving up some of your free time to work for a charitable organisation. This can involve anything from sorting clothes in your local charity shop to rainforest or marine conservation projects overseas. There are many reasons to volunteer. It may be to benefit a particular cause, improve your skills and career prospects, or as a way of meeting similar people.

Charity work

One of the most obvious benefits of volunteering is the difference that you will make to the charity or organisation for which you work. Many charities rely on volunteers to carry out the work that they do, and without people willing to give up their time, they would not exist. Sometimes, you may be able to bring a particular practical skill or specialist knowledge to a volunteering project, such as skill in hedgelaying, or knowledge of animal breeding cycles. You may not need any existing knowledge or skill, and simply by offering your time, you will be helping an organisation to achieve its aims. Volunteers are used in many different roles, from animal care at a rescue centre, to dry stone walling in a conservation area and to running activity workshops for disabled children.

Personal benefits

Many volunteers get many benefits from what they do. It opens up a whole new way of meeting like minded people, and may lead to a whole new social life. Volunteering is an excellent way of making new friends, if you have moved to a new area or are looking to find a new social circle. Volunteering may develop a new interest or hobby and for some people, it can be a new lease of life, offering a completely different environment to your home or place of work. As people are giving up their time to volunteer, there is often a very positive atmosphere among those carrying out a task. Hence you can have a particular sense of achievement and satisfaction in carrying out work which you know is worthwhile. Volunteering can be a very enjoyable and fun way to spend free time.

Career prospects

At a time, when jobs are scarce, volunteering is one way that you can try to put yourself ahead of the competition. You can volunteer even whilst claiming job seekers allowance, so it is a good way to show a potential employer that you are hardworking and keen to work. You may gain experience or skills of value to an employer. For example, working with offenders on a voluntary basis, may help you to join the Probation Service, volunteering with the forestry commission may give you insight into and training which will help with roles in countryside management.