FINDING A VOLUNTEER POSITION

Once you know what you want to do and know what skills you have to offer, finding a volunteer position should be quite easy. There are certainly lots of different ways to go about it. You can find addresses and telephone numbers in this book, in telephone directories and in directories of voluntary work available at your reference library.

Making contact

Going to volunteer bureaux/shops

This is a useful general approach. Most large towns have volunteer bureaux and some smaller towns and even villages have a volunteer ‘shop’, which is open for a few hours each week. You can usually pop in and see one of the staff to discuss what volunteering opportunities are available. But it’s a good idea to ring first because volunteer bureaux aren’t always open all day and you might get seen more quickly if you can make an appointment.

Making a telephone call

If you know which organisation you want to work for (or at least what type of organisation) you can phone them up and ask about volunteer opportunities. Ask to speak to the volunteer co-ordinator (the job will be called different things in different organisations, but this should get you to the right person). Ask about what opportunities there are for volunteering and ask how you can get involved. They may send you an information pack, give you the name of another volunteer to contact, or ask you to come in for a chat.

Writing a letter

If you decide to write to an organisation, keep your letter very brief. All you want at this stage is to find out if the organisation needs volunteers and if so how to become one. Don’t include an SAE unless you have seen information about the organisation that instructs you to. Instead it’s better to enclose a couple of first class stamps. See Figure 10 for an example of a letter asking for information.

Knocking on doors

Only do this if you are sure the organisation doesn’t mind having unexpected visitors. A large organisation with large offices and a reception area may not mind, but small organisations with few staff may not have the resources to deal with people coming in off the street. Another disadvantage to ‘cold calling’ is that you might not get to see the most appropriate person – they could be off work or in a meeting. Having said that, you could get a small peek at how the organisation works and you could be in just the right place at just the right time.

Networking

If you know someone else who’s a volunteer for the organisation you are interested in, quiz them for all the information you can about what the volunteers do, how to get involved and who to contact. Tell people you meet, even the person on the bus that you talk to, that you are interested in doing some voluntary work. You never know

what opportunities other people know about unless you talk to them.

Keeping your eyes and ears open

A lot of volunteer opportunities are advertised on leaflets or posters that you will see anywhere from your local library to the gates of a nearby country park. Some opportunities are announced on local radio. Others are advertised in newspapers, from local free sheets to The Guardian. The Guardian has a fortnightly volunteering page on Wednesdays.

Don’t just look out for adverts, there are often small features in local papers and on local radio about how someone has raised money for a charity or how a community group is starting a new project. These are useful leads for finding the volunteer position you want.

For any voluntary position you may have to fill in an application form and/or have an interview. If this is the case see Chapter 3 for some useful ideas.

If you are applying to work as a volunteer with groups of people who could be classed as vulnerable (for example, children, the elderly, people with learning difficulties) it is possible that the organisation will want to run a criminal records check on you. See Chapter 6 for more information on this.

Asking some questions

When you contact an organisation, as well as being clear about what you want to do you should also have a few questions to ask of them:

• Is there an application process?
• How are volunteers selected?
• Is there a volunteer ‘job description’?
• Is the organisation insured for its volunteers?
• What training does the organisation provide?

Of course, if you are interested in volunteering just for fun you may not be bothered about a ‘job description’, but you should always be clear about the organisation’s insurance cover.

SERVING ON A COMMITTEE

There are two main types of committee in the voluntary sector:

• 1.Management committees – also called Boards of Trustees – they are legally responsible for the running of the organisation, though they do not necessarily have a day-to-day role.
• 2.Project committees – often known as steering groups, interest groups, working groups, committees or subcommittees – they are set up to get a project under way and to monitor it as it is implemented. If the project is to set up another organisation, the project committee may develop into a management committee once that organisation is set up.

People from all walks of life are on committees. The common element on any particular committee is that all the members are committed to the values and aims of the organisation. Working on a committee is a chance to use your specialist knowledge or skills. That knowledge may come from having worked in the sector for a number of years, or it may come from involvement in other ways. On the other hand, the skills you use on a committee may be the same ones you use in your job – if you are the treasurer you will need financial skills.

Committee work can be very exciting, as it is where policy matters are discussed and approved. Also committee members often have the chance to visit projects the organisation is involved in and attend review meetings with the organisation’s staff. However, they do also have to discuss and review the minutiae of things like staff terms and conditions and make themselves familiar with the rules and regulations affecting the voluntary sector.

Getting on a committee

A lot of people who serve on committees are invited to do so by other members when a vacancy occurs. This is where the ability to network gives you an advantage – if people are aware of you, your skills, your commitment and your desire to serve on a committee, then they may think of you first.

However, it is also possible to register your interest in being a committee member. One way is to treat it as any other voluntary position and contact the charities you are interested in, explaining your interest and asking for further information. Another way is to register with CF Appointments (see Chapter 3).

Some organisations advertise when they want committee members, but this isn’t the normal method of recruiting, so if you decide to wait until the right organisation advertises you could wait a very long time.

Working on a committee

Committee work is basically management work, so you will be dealing with issues at a policy and planning level. It can be very rewarding because you will have a say in the direction and scope of the organisation’s work. However, it is also a highly responsible position to be in and you will need clarity of thought and excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to handle differences of opinion, to negotiate and to persuade.

Understanding your obligations

The details will vary from one organisation to another, but broadly speaking you can expect:

• To attend several meetings a year (anything from four upwards).
• To familiarise yourself with the organisation’s work (through reading, visiting projects, meeting staff).
• To take on a special role (such as chairperson or, on a more ad hoc basis, responsibility for particular projects).

Being on a charity committee

Because charities are legally defined they are subject to much tighter controls than volunteer bodies and this also applies to the ‘trustees’ (the management committee members). As a trustee you:

• Must be over the age of 18.
• Have a legal responsibility for running the charity properly – including managing and protecting the property of the charity.
• Can be held legally responsible for the actions of the charity – this is why most charities are also limited companies, so that the financial risks to the trustees are limited.
• Can be paid reasonable expenses, but not a fee or salary for your services.

UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU GET OUT OF IT

Provided you approach volunteer work in the right frame of mind you will undoubtedly benefit from it in some way. However, it is important to be realistic about the benefits and remember that it is how you make use of your experience that will make a difference to your life. You may feel after some voluntary experience that none of the pros mentioned above materialised for you. For example, you may have done some voluntary teaching work and found it boring or even hated it. However, you should be able to extract something positive from the experience. For example, did you try it to put something on your CV so you could do a teaching course? You still have something for your CV and you may now be clearer about whether teaching is the right career for you.

CASE STUDIES

Colleen Furney, business lecturer and charity trustee

‘I lecture in business studies at university. One day a local charity contacted me looking for someone who could do some consultancy work on their strategic plans. Over the next three years I did various small consultancy projects (for which I was paid) for them. I suppose I just became more interested in their work and the issues facing them; I also met lots of the people involved with the management. I let the Director of the charity know I was interested in becoming a trustee. When a position on the board was vacated I was invited to become a member. I’ve now been a trustee for two years and even though it means I can’t do any more consultancy work for them – I can’t be paid for what I do – I feel I’m much more at the heart of things, not just a visitor.’

Sailesh Patel, Samaritans volunteer

‘I’ve always been interested in personal development stuff – assertiveness, communication skills and things like that. The Samaritans thing just developed from that. It’s not an easy thing to do – listening to someone who really might do what they say they’re going to do – kill themselves. It’s up and down emotionally and it can be quite draining. Since starting with the Samaritans and doing their training I’ve done a counselling certificate course and I’m looking at what else I can do. There’s a need for counsellors in the Asian community and I want, eventually, to do some work in that line.’

Don Fletcher, retired

‘I live in a small village and there’s not much in the way of facilities for young people. One day I was reading the local free-sheet and I read about the local youth football team facing a shutdown because there was no one to coach them. I’d played for the works team before retiring and I’d even coached them for a couple of seasons when I was too old to play. So I got in touch with the club to see if I could be of any help, and they said to come down. As it turned out, two others turned up as well John, who’s retired, and Mick. But we got on so well we thought we’d give it a go with all of us sharing the coaching. I’m not saying we never disagree, but it’s working really well and it’s great to get out in the fresh air and have a bit of exercise.’

Barbara Doyle, early retired

‘I took early retirement a couple of years ago when the company was reducing the workforce. I got a really good deal, which means I can now work part time. But before I got another job I wanted to do something different. I’d done some travelling when I was younger and I really felt it was a good time to go again as the children are grown up and I’m divorced.

I suppose you could say I took a gap year. I did a lot of research on the Internet and in the library, especially about things like inoculations and security. Doing all that research made me realise there’s not a lot to worry about really. If you prepare well and you are open to learn from others you can’t go far wrong.

I ended up spending six months in Africa and six months in Asia. In Africa I worked on a health project and in Asia I worked on a conservation project. I went with different organisations so I had to be very good with all the paperwork, not to get it mixed up.

But I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. I made new friends, young and old. I saw some amazing parts of the world. And I feel more confident that I did when I finished work – I have something interesting to talk about and I have an opinion about things that comes from experience. It’s great.’

CHECKLIST

• How many different ways can you become a volunteer?
• What are the pros and cons of volunteering?
• What are the different ways to find a volunteer position?
• What are the special obligations of committee work?

USEFUL RESOURCES

Watch out for Volunteers Week (www.volunteersweek.or-g.uk) – an annual event that aims to raise the profile of volunteering in the UK. It usually runs in the summer and during the week there will be lots of information available and activities going on in your local area, making volunteering a lot more visible. It’s co-ordinated by the agencies listed below under ‘Useful addresses’.

Useful addresses

Further reading