Volunteering Opportunities
Want to help your community but not sure how or where to start?
There are hundreds of ways for you to get involved, helping all sorts of fantastic charities and community groups to make a difference to people in Southampton. You might want to do something one-off, ad hoc, or regularly and long term. You might want to use your skills or lived experience, or you might want to try something new.
We want you to get the most out of your volunteering experience and therefore ask that you apply for a maximum of three opportunities in any given month.
The categories below give you an idea of the sort of volunteering you may be able to do, but to see the volunteering opportunities currently available during the Coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, please click here
Please note, the majority of our opportunities will be within the SO14 - SO19 postcodes. If you want to volunteer in the city please have a look and apply but if you're looking for something local outside of these postcodes, please contact one of the Hampshire Volunteer Centres.
If require more information or help please email:
email: volunteer@southamptonvs.org.uk
Volunteering
Promoting voluntary action is central to all we do at SVS. As Southampton’s Volunteer Centre, our work on volunteering is organised on two fronts. Firstly, connecting the public to the city’s volunteering opportunities with a host of different organisations. And secondly, supporting organisations and Volunteer Managers in best practice on all aspects of volunteer involvement. Alongside this we also raise the profile of volunteering across the city with volunteer celebration events, volunteer fairs and attendance at other exhibitions and events to discuss the benefits of volunteering to the public.
Why Volunteer?
People choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. For some, it is the opportunity to make a difference to the lives of others, or to give something back to their community. Other people choose to volunteer to get new experiences and gain new skills, or to use their existing skills and knowledge in a meaningful way.
Becoming a volunteer also provides people with the opportunity to:
- Build Confidence
- Do Something Positive with your Spare Time
- Gain Work Experience/Improve your CV
- Give back to the community
- Improve the environment around you
- Help other people
- Learn or try new things
- Meet new people/make new friends
- Use your Skills
- Get to know your local community
Supported Volunteering
At Southampton Voluntary Services we recognise that some individuals require support, either in their volunteering opportunity or in finding an opportunity which meets their needs. We aim to provide these individuals with adivse to assist them in identifying volunteering opportunities which meet their skills, availability and their needs, to remove any barriers into volunteering. If you would like to contact to our Volunteer Development Worker, we can provide you details of when you can come in for a one-to-one appointment to look at volunteering opportunities.
Volunteering will enhance skills to find employment and references, build networks and create a routine as a model for employment. Learning needs, childcare, health and low morale can all be assisted by volunteering and there is often a chance to gain training.
To find out when our next drop-in service for one-to-one appointments is, please contact us at volunteer@southamptonvs.org.uk
Employer Supported Volunteering
All over England people volunteer with the help of their employer. Some employers run formal employer supported volunteering programmes, others free up time for employees to do their own volunteering. Whatever form it takes, employer supported volunteering (ESV) is on the up and up, because volunteering by employees makes a big difference – both to the organisations where they volunteer, and to the organisations that employ them.
CSR Days
CSR Days (or Corporate Social Responsibility Days) are a day when a team from a company go out to work on a project for a day for a charity or community group.
Is a full day out of the office the way to go? Looking at the top three questions, it may be worth looking at alternative ways of using the CSR hours given to you by your employer. It may be that you could use your skills to help an organisation from your office.
- Could your team provide administrative support from their own desks for an hour a week?
- Could you let staff make a befriending phone call on a Friday afternoon?
- Are you a marketing, finance or strategic team that could provide specialist support & work on a project for an organisation?
If you would like to look into the options of CSR days – please email us at volunteer@southamptonvs.org.uk
Need More Information
You can contact the Volunteer Team at Southampton Voluntary Services by email – volunteer@southamptonvs.org.uk
Information for Voluntary and Community Groups
Volunteering England has some useful information on Employee Supported Volunteering including case studies and best practice guides. To access this Click here.
If you would like to form an ongoing relationship with a business, or you have a project you would like us to advertise, please contact the volunteer team either via phone at 023 8022 8291 or email at volunteer@southamptonvs.org.uk