CareerNews
			What is a voluntary organisation? Types of Volunteer Jobs Why should we volunteer? How should you volunteer? Ideas for fundraising How can volunteering fit in with your career? Organisations to contact if you are serious about volunteering

Good old Prince William, there he was with his hand around the toilet bowl with the cameras rolling. I bet the owner of that house never thought the future king of England would be cleaning out her can that day - It made the anti monarchists roar and your Grandmother proud.

In a world where personal achievement is measured by how big your wallet is, it is satisfying to know that there are people still willing to volunteer their time free of charge for the need of others.

However you don't have to travel to a tropical Polynesian Island to carry out thoroughly worthwhile volunteer work. There are numerous charities based in the UK who are crying out for people for a range of duties.

What is a voluntary organisation?
Voluntary organisations are non-profit making and non-governmental organisations (NGO), coordinated by groups of people in the sphere of civil society working for a cause for the benefit of society.

Volunteer groups work towards a long-term goal. By setting up ongoing projects they hope to help people to help themselves.

It's about giving people a leg up not a hand out - Comic Relief 2001

By addressing the root causes of poverty and malaise it is hoped that future generations will not have the same suffering. Volunteer groups aim to raise awareness around the key issues including unfair terms of trade and debt relief, oppression, fallout from war, non-democratic rule, and social stigma.

Volunteer organisations can be broken down into being either macro or micro. On a Global scale there are organisations such as The Red Cross, Oxfam and Amnesty International who operate outside of their HQ country in different areas of the world at the same time. They have the capability to rally aid to crisis zones at relatively short notice.

These organisations campaign for human rights and promote the health of individuals who live in difficult circumstances. Other groups such as Greenpeace are concerned with conservation of the planet.

On a local level and centred solely in the UK are organisations such as Help the Aged, and Mencap who carry out invaluable work within the community. These are just the most publicised organisations. However, there will be hundreds of small charitable groups who do good work in your area.

Types of volunteer job
Voluntary work is hugely diverse, if you are doing it abroad then you could be digging wells, counting butterflies or teaching English.

In the UK you could be delivering door to door meals to the elderly, restoring public footpaths, helping with drug rehabilitation or teaching the IT illiterate about computers and the internet.

Some volunteer jobs require qualifications and experience, perhaps First Aid, perhaps an Engineering history. Other Jobs offer training for you when you start.

Whatever it is that you will be doing, you can guarantee that it will be hard work and potentially hugely satisfying.

But why should we volunteer?
We are a selfish lot, always thinking 'What am I getting out of something?" Volunteering is for the benefit for others, possibly it may be unpleasant, even costly.It will always be hard work.

If you are currently in work, hopefully you enjoy it. You may get on well with your colleagues and have a range of varied tasks to do. However, at the end of the day all you take home with you is a pay packet and the onset of repetitive strain injury.

Volunteer work introduces you to new people who may be very different from your current group of friends. You can learn new skills, improve your leadership and teamwork abilities, and being able to see your hard work helping to improve the lives of others can be very rewarding,

Volunteer work is not for everyone, and unless you are going to be dedicated then there is no point. If you are volunteering solely to add another line or two to your CV, well….you have the wrong motive. But then again, if you throw yourself into the task then your motive becomes irrelevant.

How do you volunteer?
Follow the links on this page to the websites of established charities, alternatively visit your local Oxfam or Help the Aged shop and find out how to help.
Volunteering for anything abroad usually involves fund raising before the actual trip. This can be half of the challenge (unless you are Prince William)

Ideas for fund raising
Pestering your friends and family for hard cash, even gambling or splashing out on hundreds of lottery tickets are not very good ways to earn your money, especially when most of your friends are probably as strapped for cash as yourself. Instead try some of these ideas:

• Organise a pub quiz
• Contact local businesses to sponsor you
• If you are in work ask your employer to chip in, perhaps they will match whatever total you raise?
• Collect the proceeds from a casual dress day at work
• Get sponsored to sit in baked beans for a week
• Make a web page, publicise it on search engines and request international donations
• Possibly print flyers advertising your campaign
• Hold a talent show
• Put a swear box in your office or home
• Prepare a dinner for local dignitaries and pitch them your campaign, when you return bore them with a slide show
• Get people to donate things and have a raffle
• Have a garage sale of your old junk
• Make cookies and or cakes and sell them for a profit (dressing up like a girl guide is optional)
• Get sponsored to run the London Marathon
• Dress up as a furry animal - people always give money to people dressed as furry animals.

How can volunteering fit in with your career?
By definition a volunteer job does not provide any income and unfortunately we cannot live on good will alone. For this reason volunteers often subsidise their work with a full time job. For example a person may have a full time job and then once every 6 months they may hire a van and transport clothing and toys to war torn parts of Eastern Europe.

As long as it doesn't interfere with the job you are paid to do, then your employers will not mind. In fact, if you have carried out volunteer work then this will look good on your CV as it shows commitment, determination, an ability to operate in a team and the skill of leadership.

Alternatively you can take a year off to carry out volunteer work. This is a popular option for university graduates, as it gives them more time to think about what they want to do next, whilst possibly seeing some of the world.

Organisations to contact if you are serious about volunteering:

Age Concern
Alcohol Concern
Amnesty International
British Red Cross
British Trust Conservation Volunteers
BUNAC
Community Service Volunteers
Council for the Protection of Rural England
Friends of the Earth
Greenpeace
Help the Aged
Mencap
Operation Wallacea
Oxfam
Raleigh International
Save the Children
Survival International
Terrence Higgins Trust
The National Trust
The Prince's Trust
United Nations Volunteers
Voluntary Service Overseas