Time is money. It sounds crass, but it’s true. We all have value through our skills, our knowledge and our ability to provide free support to organisations who would otherwise not afford the human resources.

According to Giving Australia, around 43.7% of adult Australians volunteered a total of 932 million hours over a 12 months period, prior to being surveyed in 2016. The benefits of volunteering are not only felt by the community, it makes us feel good too. The advantages include self-confidence, stress release and opportunities to be social.

People of all abilities and experience can volunteer. It might give you the opportunity to learn a new skill, or it might be that you use your experience to provide the most impact in your volunteering role because skills-based volunteering is very effective.

So…do I just show up to volunteer?

Ah, no. Contrary to widespread perception, charities aren’t sitting by the phone just waiting for it to ring with well-meaning volunteers who want to show up tomorrow and impart their benevolence.

Charities value the desire to volunteer a great deal, but they still have to manage that process.

Volunteer management includes, among many things, organising someone to oversee the activity at hand, and when charities are engaged with people at risk (children, older people, people living with disabilities – to name a few) there are legalities, regulations and insurances that need to be considered.

So where do you start volunteering?

There are quite literally tens of thousands of charities around the country that have volunteering programs. Some of these are organised by the charity themselves and managed by an individual or a team, some are managed by external agencies and some charities run volunteering programs as part of their strategic partnerships with specific businesses.

Here’s what you can do:

• Take a look at SEEK Volunteer. They publish opportunities for environmental, emergency and even volunteering, as well as corporate and students. Other online platforms include Vollie – just as one of the many examples available.
• Charities often look for volunteers with specific skills. Redkite is looking for hairdressers and beauty therapists to provide support to families facing cancer in NSW.
• Volunteer with a specific cause in mind. As an example, the Australian Council for International Development has a menu of organisations and programs looking for people to volunteer with the goal of ending poverty globally.
• Don’t want to go it alone? The Wayside Chapel invite volunteers to attend as part of a corporate group, where they learn about life on the streets of Kings Cross, and cook a two course community lunch in the Wayside kitchen.

If you’re not able to get a volunteering gig in time for the #28GivingDays Challenge – register for one. That still counts.

If volunteering for a charity is not your thing, you can always help a friend or relative for the day.

Why not offer to:

• Mow the neighbour’s lawns if they are older, in ill health or going through a stressful time.
• Help a friend move and save them a bunch of cash in removalist costs.
• Offer to clean a loved one’s house.
• Set up a car wash for your friends. For free.
• Set up a lemonade stall at your local community sports field.
• Offer to babysit for that couple on your street who really need a night out.

To celebrate #GivingTuesday, we are asking Australians to give a little and then share their efforts with a photo or post on Facebook or LinkedIn. All you need to do is tag @good2give  #GivingTuesday with your post.

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