Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills and get practical experience in a variety of roles. That could be in an admin role, as a conservation volunteer, or helping at events.
Hear from some of the VASE team below about their volunteering stories, the skills they gained, and how it helped them get a job in the charity sector.
Volunteering on a stall with my uni sports club
Trish
Current job: Community Engagement and Volunteering Lead
Previous volunteering roles: University sports club captain and president, Home energy survey volunteer, Event admin volunteer
I volunteered as a sports club captain at university and later I ran the club and learnt how to manage volunteers on the committee. After uni, I decided I wanted to work in the community/environment sector and found a volunteer role doing home energy surveys in the evening alongside temporary jobs, where I built evidence of admin skills and working with vulnerable people. Through that role I found out about VASE and applied for a job as Volunteer Centre Manager.
The skills I learnt of managing volunteers and working with vulnerable people as a volunteer were vital to my successful application as the job role required me to help charities with volunteer management and support vulnerable individuals into volunteering.
Louise
Current job: Community Project Lead
Previous volunteering roles: After school group volunteer, Volunteer reflexologist, Cancer group volunteer
The living well group role was extremely rewarding and I learned a lot about people if I’m being honest and how perspective and positivity really does help. Even in the dark depths of people’s lives, they still had hope and positivity and this was what kept them going.
I learned a lot about myself too. Everyone told me to really think about it, how hard it would be, would I be able to deal with it etc I had 2 young children, my mum….
However, I am so glad that I listened to myself as I found it one of the most life changing things that I have done.
It allowed me to see how emotionally resilient I was, and also how to build emotional and professional barriers whilst also having empathy, compassion and understanding for someone’s needs and feelings.
Anyway, I guess bizarrely here I am having done befriending for older people and having to use some of the skills that I learned as a volunteer.
Include Choir Redhill
You can learn Inclusive Communication skills (e.g. Makaton signing / Talking Mats) and support an inclusive choir for people with and without communication or learning difficulties.
Hospices of Hope
Come and join our lovely team of staff and volunteers at Hospices of Hope - Reigate! This role offers the opportunity to be part of a fundraising team for adults and children in their last stages of a terminal illness.
Bylines Network
We're always on the lookout for volunteer writers interested in reporting on local events or sharing their accounts of the things they're passionate about.
The Friends of East Surrey Hospital
We are always on the look out for new volunteers to join our friendly team, we currently have various shifts available throughout the week, ranging from 1-2 hours up to three and a half hours each.
East Surrey Museum
We are particularly keen to recruit stewards. Stewarding involves greeting members of the public, answering queries and handling sales from the Museum's shop.