Volunteering and Time Banking
What is it?
Volunteering and time banking is for everyone. We all have something to contribute and it is a great way to meet new people, build new skills, and make a big difference to your community. Many people already give their time to help others – whether it’s making time to have a cup of tea with an elderly neighbour or help them with their shopping, or making a regular commitment to volunteer with a charity or community group.
Time banks offer a great way to both give time and receive other peoples time, such that for every hour you spend helping someone in your community you can get an hour of someone else’s time. We want to make it easier for more people to get involved, and for those who already take part to do more.
How can I get involved?
Anyone can give their time and we all have skills and experiences that could help others and our community.
If there is a cause you really care about or an organisation or group doing good work in your area, you can contact them directly to see if they need volunteers.
Many charities have placed their volunteering opportunities on the National Volunteering Database.
There are also lots of local community organisations that may need volunteers. Many of these will be linked to a local Volunteer Centre or Council for Voluntary Service.
You can also contact Volunteering England, an independent charity and membership organisation, for further information and advice on volunteering and to find volunteering opportunities.
You don’t have to commit a lot of time – you can also get involved if you only have an hour or even a few minutes spare. You can find some of these “bite-size” opportunities online, for example at Help from Home, or use Do Some Good, an iphone app developed by Orange.
Time banking can also offer flexibility – you can give your time a few times a week to just a couple times a month or a year; to find your nearest Time bank.
Where can I find out more?
- Find more information on volunteering at DirectGov.
- Find volunteering opportunities.
- Volunteering England.
- For under 25 year olds.
- For “micro-volunteering” opportunities see Help from Home.
- See people’s real-life volunteering stories on BBC website.