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How to get involved with volunteering from home

4th June 2020

As much of our country has turned to working from home, many volunteering opportunities have gone digital too. Volunteering from home and micro-volunteering are not new concepts, however, they have become even more popular in recent months.

Micro-volunteering is a bite-sized task or activity, often on a one-off basis and no strings attached, allowing volunteers to donate their time in short, efficient bursts. It could be anything from signing a petition, donating food to a food bank, creating something crafty for a cause in need, taking part in a #twominutelitterpick … the list of possibilities is endless.

In a time when outside activities are limited, volunteering from home has never been as important and rewarding. Here’s why:

• It’s accessible – anyone can volunteer from the comfort of their own home.
• It’s achievable – you can give just a few hours, without the worry about travelling or over-commitment. A small act of generosity goes a long way.
• It’s flexible – your volunteering can easily fit in around other commitments, it’s a good option for people who work full time and/or have families or caring responsibilities.

We want volunteering to be accessed by as many people as possible. There are plenty of easy ways to start volunteering from home, here are just a few ideas:

1. Consider supporting or starting an online campaign for a cause you feel strongly about. Help create social media posts to help spread the word.
2. If you speak more than one language, offer your skills to organisations that may need support with translation, teaching and training.
3. Become a befriender! Offer to call someone who may be isolated once a week for a friendly chat. This can be done through organisations such as Age UK or simply with a neighbour or friend.
4. Dust off your knitting needles or sewing machine and support various causes in need. The NHS is currently in need of scrubs.
5.  Volunteer for an organisation you care about. You can offer to support them from home with admin, phone calls or social media. Search Volunteering Barnet’s roles.

Have a look at these websites for more ways to volunteer from home

1. The United Nations has a whole host of online volunteering opportunities, including translation, art and design, teaching and training roles.
2. Support blind and low-vision people by providing visual assistance through Be My Eyes app.
3. Join Loving Hands to donate blankets for new-borns, shawls for the elderly or coats for dogs.
4. The Wildlife Trust is promoting 30 days of random acts of wildness in June. Download your free pack and do one wild thing a day throughout the whole month of June.

Volunteering Barnet will be sharing micro-volunteering activities to take part in throughout the week on our social media pages. Follow @barnetvolunteer for daily ideas for you to get involved. Let us know what you’re doing at home this week Volunteers’ Week using the hashtag #IVolunteer.

This post is part of our Volunteers’ Week blog series, words by Alice Gray. Alice is the Volunteer Brokerage Coordinator for Volunteering Barnet.