According to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), 20.1 million people volunteered through a group, club or organisation during 2017/18 in the UK. If that itself doesn’t motivate you to volunteer, we’ve got 7 reasons that surely will.
1.You are needed
Whatever your age, experience or background, everyone has valuable skills that are required by organisations. Therefore, investing a little of your time and resources will be valuable to those who are desperately vulnerable and in need. Whether you can provide financial, technological, emotional support or spare your organisation and communication skills, it will be greatly appreciated.
2.Feel part of your community
One of the main objectives of our Building Better Opportunities programme is to increase social inclusion. Volunteering is a great way for you to integrate within your local community, meet new people or share your experiences. It’s also great if you’ve recently moved to Leicester as it will help you to become familiar with sub-areas, local amenities, people and assist in improving your communication skills, especially if English is not your first language.
3.Boost your mood
Mahatma Gandhi famously quoted - “The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Volunteering is a fantastic tool to enhance your mood, reduce stress and improve your overall wellbeing. Supporting others will not only reduce your own tensions but also help you to regain perspective of your own life and improve positivity, self-satisfaction and overall mental health.
4.Learn
Whether you’re a student, changing career paths, or unemployed, volunteering can help you learn something new. It can aid you in discovering your hidden talents, passions, improve your transferrable skills, become familiar with different cultures or learn more about the wider region.
In addition, being exposed to new people and circumstances will inevitably equip you with the skills and experience required to deal with various situations, confidently and correctly.
5.Gain work experience
Any experience as a volunteer looks great on your CV. This is particularly important when you have no or very little recent work experience. It will highlight which causes you are passionate about, as well as demonstrate that you want to make a difference and feel a duty of social responsibility – things all employers value!
Volunteering is also a useful way to gain an insight into a specific role or industry and enable you to establish if you want to invest more time or education pursuing a career in the field.
Whether you are passionate about the environment, animals or working with vulnerable people, Business 2 Business can help you to find voluntary roles that are right for you in Leicester.
6. Improve your health
Volunteering has proven to benefit not only organisations and the people receiving the service but also positively impact the lives of volunteers themselves. For example, carrying out regular voluntary activities is said to increase physical strength, avoid feeling isolated and reduce stress.
The NCVO’s national survey Time Well Spent, aimed to get a better understanding of the experience and impacts of volunteering. In their report they identified that 77% of volunteers agreed that volunteering had improved their mental health and wellbeing. Additionally, 53% of volunteers claimed their physical health had improved since volunteering
7. Do your bit during the COVID-19 pandemic
With a large proportion of the population furloughed due to the ongoing lockdown, there has been a greater focus on volunteering. You can get involved by supporting the vulnerable with their grocery and other essential shopping, collecting medicines and delivering them to those in need, cooking for the community, calling the elderly through the NHS responders app to see how they are.
Volunteering during the pandemic has already proven to be fruitfully rewarding for many.
To find out ways in which you can volunteer, volunteer rights and expenses click here.
For more information on how you can support people and organisations in your local area click here.
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