Thinking of volunteering? 10 things to consider…

 
Consider why you’d like to volunteer – you have free time, you’d like to give something back, for work experience or perhaps to get involved in your local community. Identifiying why will help you decide the type of volunteering you are best suited to

 
Type of volunteering – would you like to volunteer with animals, the elderly or youth, would you like to be in an office, out fundraising, involved in a tidy towns project or something else?

 
What are your skills? Your qualities? Is there anything you love doing? – Some people volunteer in something comparable to their job, some volunteer in relation to an interest or hobby they have.

 
A cause or issue that’s important to you? – There may be an organisation who deal with an issue you feel strongly about, or a local organisation you’d like to get involved with.

 
Would you like to learn something new? – Take on a new challenge, gain a new skill or dip your toe into a new area?

 
Time available - What time do you have free in your week, when can you volunteer and for how long? Some opportunities look for more commitment than others so this needs to be considered when you look at different roles.

 
Organisations have questions too – Organisations will look to do some level of screening depending on the role/s, ie some will do an informal interview with you, others will look for references. When the volunteering role involves children, the elderly or people with disabilities the Organisation will initiate the Garda Vetting process.

 
I never thought of that – Volunteers aren’t just needed in charity shops, sports clubs and homeless shelters. Organisations involve volunteers in a great deal of their work. Here are some examples of volunteering opportunities which may not have crossed your mind:
Website design – event administration – face painters – helping in animal shelters – driving meals on wheels – festivals – running youth drama/music groups – PR people – adult literacy tutors – organising activities for the elderley – dog/cat fostering and many more

 
Virtual volunteering - If you have web access and the necessary skills, some organisations offer the opportunity to volunteer from home. This might take the form of giving free legal advice, helping an organisation with their PR, doing a research project or providing IT support. Virtual volunteering might be well-suited to you if you have limited time, no transportation or a physical disability which precludes you from getting about freely.

 
Fundraising, Seasonal & once-off opportunities – If you are willing to help out various different organisations, without a long-term commitment to any, and you are flexible in the help you can give, we are always looking for people to do fundraising collecting, festival/event stewarding and more on an ad-hoc basis.