Volunteering
People choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. For some it offers the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around them. For others it provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge. Regardless of the motivation, what unites them all is that they find it both challenging and rewarding.
For some it provides an opportunity to:
- Give something back to an organisation that has impacted on a person’s life, either directly or indirectly
- Make a difference to the lives of others
- Help the environment
- Help others less fortunate or without a voice
- Feel valued and part of a team
- Spend quality time away from work or a busy lifestyle
- Gain confidence and self-esteem
For some, volunteering can be a route to employment, or a chance to try something new which may lead to a career change. From this perspective, volunteering can be a way of;
- Gaining new skills, knowledge and experience
- Developing existing skills and knowledge
- Enhancing a CV
- Improving one’s employment prospects
- Gaining an accreditation
- Using one’s professional skills and knowledge to benefit others (usually described as pro bono)
For others, volunteering appeals because of its social benefits. These include:
- Meeting new people and making new friends
- A chance to socialise
- Getting to know the local community
There is lots of anecdotal evidence that volunteering has a positive impact on health.
There's also benefits to Organisations who involve volunteers. Involving volunteers can:
- Help reflect and build a bridge between us and the community we serve
- Help us engage with hard to reach clients
- Clients engage differently with volunteers (peers) than with staff
- Volunteers bring diversity which enriches the organisation
- Volunteers bring a range of qualities, skills and expertise that you may not get from the staff in a team e.g languages, cultural understanding, specialist skills, personal experiences
- Volunteers can demonstrate that you value your community or clients and their experiences, and that you want to invest in their future by training them to volunteer
For some it provides an opportunity to:
- Give something back to an organisation that has impacted on a person’s life, either directly or indirectly
- Make a difference to the lives of others
- Help the environment
- Help others less fortunate or without a voice
- Feel valued and part of a team
- Spend quality time away from work or a busy lifestyle
- Gain confidence and self-esteem
For some, volunteering can be a route to employment, or a chance to try something new which may lead to a career change. From this perspective, volunteering can be a way of;
- Gaining new skills, knowledge and experience
- Developing existing skills and knowledge
- Enhancing a CV
- Improving one’s employment prospects
- Gaining an accreditation
- Using one’s professional skills and knowledge to benefit others (usually described as pro bono)
For others, volunteering appeals because of its social benefits. These include:
- Meeting new people and making new friends
- A chance to socialise
- Getting to know the local community
There is lots of anecdotal evidence that volunteering has a positive impact on health.
There's also benefits to Organisations who involve volunteers. Involving volunteers can:
- Help reflect and build a bridge between us and the community we serve
- Help us engage with hard to reach clients
- Clients engage differently with volunteers (peers) than with staff
- Volunteers bring diversity which enriches the organisation
- Volunteers bring a range of qualities, skills and expertise that you may not get from the staff in a team e.g languages, cultural understanding, specialist skills, personal experiences
- Volunteers can demonstrate that you value your community or clients and their experiences, and that you want to invest in their future by training them to volunteer
