What makes someone volunteer

For more news, opinions and ideas about the voluntary sector, join our community. What makes some people more likely to volunteer than others? Behavioural science can be used to overcome other perceived barriers to volunteering. Photograph: Alamy. Is it time for doctors to prescribe volunteering? Read more. Volunteers often discover their hidden talent and passion which directly improves their self-confidence.

The community you volunteer within is also great to learn from as they are from different background with a different mindset. As a volunteer, you choose to invest your efforts into a community and the people who live in it.

If only everyone did something so selfless. Being involved with any organization will endow you with great work experience. If you help in the administration side of things then you will no doubt learn loads about people, planning and the running of an organization. Getting stuck into a volunteering experience sees your personal growth shoot through the roof.

Often volunteers decide to get involved with NGOs because they want to give back to the community they know and love. If an organization has helped someone that you love, then giving back in the form of volunteering is an extremely generous, thoughtful, valuable way to show appreciation. People who express volunteering leadership within their community are frequently richly rewarded with many kinds of helpful recognition.

This includes people who live in your local community, neighbours, friends and family — and last but certainly not least, you. Return "Home". Ways To Get Involved.

Volunteering Overseas. Financial Giving. Why the Work? Why the Sweat? Why the Sacrifice? Q: Okay, so how exactly does this happen? Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it? Click on the HTML link code below. For some it offers the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around them. For others it provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge.

Regardless of the motivation, what unites them all is that they find it both challenging and rewarding. Our Where volunteering begins YouTube campaign tells five inspirational stories from ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

The films illustrate the diverse range of volunteering opportunities available, and the different people who give their time. Below are some of the reasons people choose to volunteer.