Finding and getting involved in volunteering opportunities: A guide

The types of volunteering experience that students can get are endless; organisations look for events planners, marketers, administrators, community outreach assistants, musicians, IT experts, youth leaders and so much more and there are endless places to find these experiences.

So how do you find the right role for you? We’ve compiled a step-by-step guide on how to find the best volunteering opportunities, including some specific websites and resources to get you started!

Understand why you want to volunteer

If you’re looking to fill out your CV, it’s worth looking at where the gaps are in your current resume. What skills do you need to develop or demonstrate further? Which sectors do you have less experience in? That way, you can tailor your search to opportunities that you will get the most out of.

Maybe you’re looking to make new friends, in which case when looking at volunteering opportunities you can consider how big the team is and how much interaction you’ll have with your peers. Or, if you’re looking to better your mental and physical health, you could look at outdoor volunteering opportunities with organisations like the National Wildlife Trust.

Decide how much time you can dedicate

Volunteering opportunities massively differ in the amount of time you’re asked to dedicate to them – most operate on an ad hoc basis, meaning you can come whenever you have free time without the pressure of regular hours that comes with a paid job. However some opportunities, for example, volunteering on the exec of a student society, might require more time when attending weekly meetings, running social media accounts and handling finances.

No matter how much free time you have, there will always be an organisation that welcomes you – it’s just a matter of finding the right one! So before you think about volunteering somewhere, check you’ll have the right amount of time.

Look nearby

Did you know that working with student societies, on your JCR, or as an academic rep can class as volunteering? Before you branch out from your university peers, it’s always a good idea to check which opportunities are right on Lancaster University’s campus!

Look further outward

There are so many opportunities in Lancaster city, from volunteering to maintain Williamson Park to ushering in the Dukes to working in one of Lancaster’s many charity shops.

Further out than that, you might find organisations close to home where you can volunteer in the holidays, or if you have a car you could travel to woodland areas to volunteer with groups like Morecambe Wildlife Watch or The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside.

Where to look

General Websites

Websites where you can find a opportunities across sectors include:

• Lancaster District CVS – Supports volunteer-based organisations and publishes adverts for volunteer bookkeepers, social media coordinators, fundraisers, graphic designers, call takers and much more.
• Lancaster Volunteer Partnership – Posts opportunities to volunteer in Lancashire Libraries, Museums and Archives.
• LUSU Societies – Look at LUSU’s list of student societies to decide whether you want to volunteer on an exec team!
• Royal Voluntary Service – Provides volunteering opportunities within the NHS.

Websites that post UK-based volunteering opportunities are:

• Prospects
• Do-It
• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
• Reach Volunteering
• Volunteering Matters
• Studenteer – Remote volunteering opportunities

Arts Opportunties

Lancaster residents can volunteer in a multitude of arts festivals, events, and organisations, including:

• Lancaster LitFest – Lancaster’s annual literature festival, featuring author talks, book signings and much more!
• The Bay International Film Festival – Annual film festival based in Morecambe, where student volunteers are always welcome.
• The Dukes –Theatre venue in Lancaster City Centre, where volunteers can work as bar staff or ushers, advertise upcoming events and support shows.
• The Gregson Centre – Community and arts centre in Lancaster City Centre.
• Lancaster Arts – Arts organisation that is based on campus in Nuffield Theatre, where volunteers can support shows, events and artists involved in theatre, music, fine art and more.

Community-based Opportunities

If you’re looking to support local communities, here are some places that you can look to get your search started:

• Girl Guiding North West – Work with young girls to support their Girl Guiding experience.
• Citizens in Policing – Volunteer with the Lancashire Constabulary as a Police Support Volunteer or a Special Constable.
• Bay Volunteers – Local partnership that offer supports for vulnerable people in Lancaster including shopping assistance, visits, listening calls and more.
• Be My Eyes – A support tool for visually-impared citizens where sighted volunteers can remotely support them with tasks via telephone calls.

Charity Sectors

Lancaster is filled with charity shops looking for volunteers, and some of these shops are part of the following charities:

• Cancer Research UK – Leading UK cancer charity with multiple shops in the Lancaster area
• St John’s Hospice – Provides palliative care for local communities, and offer volunteering opportunities in shop customer service, catering, with online roles and even more behind the scenes.
• Oxfam – Focuses on the tackling global poverty, with opportunities to volunteer in shops and book departments or with social media, administration and recruitment.
• Samaritans – Free UK listening service, offering volunteering opportunities in shops or as call takers.

Environmental Opportunities

If you want to get outside and support local environment groups, you can take a look at volunteering for these organisations:

• Fylde Sand Dunes Project – Partnership that works to encourage visitors to the dunes
• Lancashire Wildlife Trust – Volunteering opportunities in community gardening, species surveying, caring for nature reserves, plant identification and GPS mapping, as well as administrative, IT and finance opportunities.
• Lancaster Green Spaces – Protects and maintains Lancaster’s green spaces through litter picking, bramble bashing, weeding, fundraisers and more.
• Marine Conservation Society – Looking for community presenters, media spokespersons and volunteers for local beach cleans.
• Friends of Williamson Park – Maintains and improves Williamson Park, and is based on the support of volunteers.

Try different things!

Volunteering is all about getting new experiences and meeting people you wouldn’t otherwise interact with, so go into each opportunity and be willing to try new and exciting things! To get the most out of your experience, it’s important to be open to every opportunity, because sometimes the ones you think are least relevant to you end up opening the most doors!

 

To conclude, it’s important to think ahead when looking for volunteering opportunities. There are so many to choose from, so consider what you want to get out of the experience when signing up. But, don’t forget to keep an open mind! Volunteering is about growing as a person and a member of the community, so try to welcome the opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone!