Finding a volunteering opportunity

Option 1 - D.I.Y.

If you have internet access then its easy to search for an opportunity, simply go to the Volunteer Scotland website, where you can specify the location where you would like to volunteer and the kind of work you’d like to do. The site will then give you a list of all the opportunities that might interest you and details of who to contact to find out more. Alternatively, if you know the name of an organisation you would like to volunteer with, do an internet search for their website, most of them will have pages telling you about how you can get involved as a volunteer. If you only have time to volunteer now and again, why not look at our list of events you can volunteer at?

Option 2 - Need a little help?

If you are completely new to volunteering and have no idea what you would like to do then contact us and one of our Volunteering Development Officers will be able to help. They will ask you some questions about your aims, interests and skills and then give you a list of potentially suitable opportunities in your area. Then it’s over to you to choose!

So you’ve found the organisation or group you would like to volunteer with, now its time to contact them. If you like, the Volunteer Centre can make enquiries on your behalf; you just need to ask us. Firstly, if enquiring about a specific opportunity e.g. volunteer driver, check whether the opportunity is still available. You might also want to check if there are new opportunities with the organisation that haven’t yet been advertised. After that, arranging an informal meeting is likely to be the next step. This will be your chance to find out whether this really is the right opportunity for you, and for organisation to make sure you are right for them.

What an organisation might want to discuss:		Questions you might want to ask about volunteering:
why you are interested in volunteering what sort of voluntary work you would like to do what skills you currently have and those you’d like to learn how much time you have to offer, when and for how long their aims and objectives as an organisation whether confidentiality is an issue whether references or a “disclosure” are needed		what specific tasks they are expecting you to do if training is provided are expenses paid and if so for what what support / supervision is available can you start volunteering for a “trial period” does their insurance cover volunteers are they registered for the MV award for volunteers aged 16 to 25