About volunteering

Volunteering involves giving your time to benefit the environment, community, or someone you are not closely related to. It is a great way to experience new things, meet different people, and be able to share your skills for free. As the Volunteer Centre for Buckinghamshire, we can help you decide what type of role would suit you and help you find it.

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Volunteering

01. Finding a role

The Volunteer Bucks platform is an online tool where you can browse for local volunteering opportunities by your personal interests, location, and availability. Free and easy-to-use, it has an interactive map which shows opportunities across Buckinghamshire as well as a helpful online quiz if you aren’t sure what sort of role would suit you.

Looking for a local volunteer role?

Browse and apply for roles on the Volunteer Bucks platform

If you would like a volunteer role outside Buckinghamshire, or those which require a specific skill set, have a look at the following sites:

For volunteering opportunities across the UK, visit Do-it Life
If you are a skilled or experienced volunteer, sign up with Reach Volunteering
For a range of opportunities, tap into CharityJob’s database
For volunteer roles involving media and communications, sign up on Media Trust’s volunteer platform
To find accountancy and finance roles, visit the ICAEW
If you are interested in becoming a school governor, apply on the Governors for Schools website

02. Types of volunteer roles

Volunteering roles vary considerably so it is possible to choose a role that fits with your other committments, your skills and what you would like to get out of the role. For more information on the wide variety of roles open to you, go to our Types of volunteering page. Roles include:

General volunteering – includes short term (up to 3 months) to long term (over 6 months) roles

Bite-size volunteering – short, specific activities which can take place at home or online

Skills-based volunteering – opportunity to refresh your skills, boost your career and add to your CV

Employer-supported volunteering – offer your time and skills during working hours

Trustee and board volunteering – give your skills and experience to help build strong charities

03. Resources for volunteers

We have selected a range of guides and other resources to help you decide how you would like to volunteer, and also support you in your volunteer role.

What volunteering involves

There is lots of information available which explains what volunteering is:

To get an understanding of what volunteering is and things to think about to find the right role for you, visit NCVO’s Get Involved.
To learn about the difference between short-term and long-term volunteering, read the blog from Volunteer World.
To find out how you can volunteer through your workplace, visit NCVO’s Employer-supported volunteering page.
For more information about roles that can be carried out anywhere and anytime, visit the BBC Do Something Great page for FAQs on micro-volunteering.

Volunteering on a board

Volunteering on a board or management committee offers a great opportunity for you to make a huge difference to a not-for-profit organisation. Your skills and experience could help guide and enable it to grow from strength to strength.

To learn about what is involved in volunteering on a board or management committee, read the Charity Commission guidance and essentials for trustees
To understand the basics of what is involved in being a trustee, download our Introduction to board volunteering guide to find out more.
If you are a new trustee, read through the Charity Commission’s Welcome pack for new trustees.

Supporting your wellbeing

It is important that, as a volunteer, you remember to prioritise your own mental and physical wellbeing. The resources below can help you to do this.

Watch these training videos, produced by Buckinghamshire Mind in partnership with Community Impact Bucks, for guidance on mental health:
To get advice and practical tips around mental health from the NHS, visit Every Mind Matters.
For tips on looking after your emotional and physical wellbeing as a volunteer, visit the RNIB website.

04. The Big Help Out

Big Help Out was launched in 2023 to raise awareness of volunteering throughout the UK, encouraging people to experience volunteering for the first time, and make a difference in their communities.

Around 6 million people took part in the first year; if you would like to find out more about the campaign and how to get involved – as a volunteer, voluntary organisation or a business – visit The Big Help Out.

05. Opportunity Bucks

As part of Buckinghamshire’s Opportunity Bucks programme, ten wards have been identified across High Wycombe, Aylesbury, and Chesham where people are experiencing the most hardship, and where it aims to improve everyday life and generate more opportunities.

If you would like to volunteer in these wards, get in touch with us on volunteerbucks@communityimpactbucks.org.uk or call us on 01296 846678. To find out more about the Opportunity Bucks programme, visit the Buckinghamshire Council website.