Behind the scenes volunteering

[Wafer]

Pretty sure there's a few people round here with some knowledge of the volunteering sector so hoping to pick some brains (not in a zombie way...).

I'm thinking of doing some volunteering but I'd prefer to have a go at something a bit more behind the scenes, at least to begin with, and struggling a little to understand what options there might be and where's best to look.
Having done some Googling, there are plenty of very worthy opportunities, even in a rural area like mine, I'm just not terribly comfortable with doing much face to face stuff. I'd like to be able to help in that way and have a lot of respect for people that do, but awkward silences are more my thing than reassuring small talk....

It'd be something to do some evenings and weekends around a full time job.

Would appreciate some thoughts from those more in the know about these things

 

[Mrs M]

Pretty sure there's a few people round here with some knowledge of the volunteering sector so hoping to pick some brains (not in a zombie way...).

I'm thinking of doing some volunteering but I'd prefer to have a go at something a bit more behind the scenes, at least to begin with, and struggling a little to understand what options there might be and where's best to look.
Having done some Googling, there are plenty of very worthy opportunities, even in a rural area like mine, I'm just not terribly comfortable with doing much face to face stuff. I'd like to be able to help in that way and have a lot of respect for people that do, but awkward silences are more my thing than reassuring small talk....

It'd be something to do some evenings and weekends around a full time job.

Would appreciate some thoughts from those more in the know about these things

Depends what you are good at / like to do and find rewarding.
I would search online for local volunteering opportunities to see what's out there, also ask around friends and family.
I used to stay on my own and took feral kittens from Cats Protection to tame for their new homes. I got company and the kittens got cared for and tamed. Then I volunteered in their shop and on some "cat trapping" missions.
Don't do it anymore but have some fond memories of the "wee guys" I helped on their way .
Good luck.

 

[annedonnelly]

What skills would you like to use?

There are Citizen Science websites where you can volunteer from behind your computer. I also transcribe births, marriages & deaths data for a genealogy website. For those you never need to speak to anyone

If you're any good with admin or accounts a local club of some sort would probably love you to help them with the admin that they don't have time to do. Are you interested in scouts/guides? You don't always have to be the one at the front making all the noise. Willing helpers are always appreciated.

If you wanted to volunteer in a charity shop you could be in the back sorting out donations rather than in the shop selling things.

It's worth trying a few things if you don't get on with the first. I've done lots of volunteering and unfortunately some organisations treat their volunteers better than others. Sometimes through no fault of their own.

In general I'd recommend getting involved in something you're interested in or passionate about - it makes it less of a chore.

It's very rewarding

 

[Dave 123]

Gardening/maintenance work at a hospice? They take a massive amount of work to keep going.

 

[Wafer]

Depends what you are good at / like to do and find rewarding.

What skills would you like to use?

I kind of left that out on purpose Was interested in seeing what sort of ideas people might suggest and you've already come up with some things I hadn't thought of!

In general I'd recommend getting involved in something you're interested in or passionate about - it makes it less of a chore.

Yes, something I need to remember, don't want to be looking for reasons not to do it.

Some interesting ideas already, thanks.

 

[Drago]

Search And Rescue. Plenty of things to do planning and managing a search.

 

[ANT 666]

Countryside service? All sorts of jobs if you are of a practical nature.

 

[alicat]

My local authority has an umbrella body that provides services for voluntary and community groups called Lichfield and District CVS. One of the things they do is match volunteers to community groups.

www.ldcvs.org.uk/

Maybe your local authority has a similar organisation that you could chat to to see if they can recommend something.

 

[Wafer]

My local authority has an umbrella body that provides services for voluntary and community groups called Lichfield and District CVS. One of the things they do is match volunteers to community groups.

www.ldcvs.org.uk/

Maybe your local authority has a similar organisation that you could chat to to see if they can recommend something.

Aha, thank you, that gave me some new terms to google and found a couple of useful web sites.

 

[alicat]

Good luck!

Meant to say in my first post I was looking to do some volunteering and my local volunteer bureau put me in touch with a local credit union.

 

[Katherine]

The national trust rely on volunteers, especially at a local level. Some of the smaller gardens only have one or two paid employees. They need volunteers for all sorts of things including keeping website and social media up to date.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Brilliant post from Anne.

How are you with practical skills, canal trusts, volunteer railways etc if there are such or similar in your rural area.

Any accessible farms (the ones that take kids achool trips) or animal charities need help, looking after the animals, dog walking, cat stroking, horse feeding etc and/or general maintenance, cleaning & tidying & odd jobbing for rescue centres etc.

School governance is another one to think of: human interaction yes but lots can be done by reading and emails, reading reports and focussed on task meeting, I'm hideously out of my depth in social situations, but have loved my time in schools & met some very nice very intresting people and made friends through it.

 

[ArDee]

If you want to get out and about a bit more, depending on your skills, I've known several people who have done work with VSO they thoroughly enjoyed it and think that they were able to make a real contribution to where they went.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Don't think too much or over analyse on this due to the variety and range that is involved. Just go to your local council and they can point you to a number of opportunities. Just pick one that grabs your attention even if it not one that is closely linked to your expertise. You might actually do better in something that is relatively new. This will be your test bed to get a feel and understanding of this sector. Give it time. Eventually you will be better placed to make a more informed decision and do it for the long haul.

Note that in many ways it is no different to the paid working world. Volunteers can be territorial, they assume that tenure leads to authority and some of them can be great for the organisation if they did not turn up.

 

[Over The Hill]

Local college probably runs courses on basic English and basic Maths and they always are keen to have more volunteers to assist in the class as this is so much better if you can get onto one-to-one teaching. I did it a few years ago and will get back to it when I am able to. Class is a complete mix of people just out of school right through to retired and I found it very rewarding to do. It is only ever very basic so you do not need to be at degree level yourself.

I know this is not at all behind the scenes but it would perhaps be good for you too!

Local hospice or other charity shop may be in need of help. Lots of sorting out of the donated stuff.

I hope you get something sorted and I do like the other ideas people have suggested.