Doing anything for the first time can be daunting—volunteering is no exception. There are a variety of things to consider, both personally and externally, that can significantly affect your experience. With careful consideration and preparation, you can maximize the most out of a volunteering opportunity. It just takes some thoughtfulness! Here are a few of starting points to consider to help you select a volunteering opportunity that is best for you:

Consider the short-term time commitment

Perhaps the easiest place to start is to ask yourself: what kind of time commitment can I make? Am I looking for something substantial, or something shorter? It might be best to look at it from a weekly commitment standpoint; perhaps you’d prefer an opportunity that only takes place once a week. There are lots of opportunities out there that only ask for 1-2 hours per week. You can also check out the Volunteer Centre’s one-off programmes too.

Then, research what the expectations are of the opportunity and the organization regarding the daily/weekly/monthly time commitment. If your preference matches up, then the opportunity might be a good fit! If this information isn’t available in a position description, don’t hesitate to reach out to someone to ask, so you can respect both your own time as well as an organization’s time.

Evaluate the long-term time commitment

Think carefully about your upcoming weeks and months; are you able to commit to volunteering weekly for six months? For a few weeks? For a year? Or, is a one-off opportunity a better fit for you? No matter the answer, there are plenty of organization that are looking for different lengths of commitments. Carefully consider the expectations of the organization, as some may prefer someone who can commit to volunteering long-term, while others find one-off volunteering perfectly conducive to their work.  Regardless, it is important to honor their request.

Ask yourself what you’d like to get out of an opportunity

The simplest way to answer this question is to consider whether you are interested in developing your personal or professional skills and values—or maybe a bit of both. Personal skills and values refer to the kinds of things that might not directly contribute to the work you want to do professionally, but are just as important to you. They might be ideas that align with your values in a community or as a citizen. Professional skills and values refer to the opportunities that might parallel what you’d like to do once you finish your education. This might mean looking for opportunities that can help build your confidence in a specific field while making a difference in a cause that is meaningful to you.

Assess your skillset

Make a list of what skills you can bring to the table, then what skills you would like to develop. For example, if you are outgoing and sociable, you might consider an opportunity that allows you to interact with lots of people. Or, you might want to reasonably challenge yourself. In that case, you can choose an opportunity that pushes you outside of your comfort zone.

Research the organizational values

While the opportunities we broadcast through CareerHub meet a variety of standards set by the LSE Volunteer Centre, you may find yourself wanting to get involved with organizations we haven’t met yet! Be sure to do some research on their charity before you begin. Some things to consider:

• Are they a registered UK charity?
• What kind of values or principles do they operate under?
• How big is the organization?
• What are their expectations of their volunteers?

You can often find this information on their website, but always feel free to contact the organization directly to learn more.

Sometimes, we need a nudge to get us moving. Use this list of considerations as a way to brainstorm how to begin volunteering in a sea of opportunity. Consider even writing these evaluations on paper to truly reflect; once you’ve done this, you’ll be well on your way to finding the right volunteering opportunity!

If Sophie has inspired you to volunteer, check out one of our other ongoing opportunities or book a one-to-one with David Coles, the Volunteer Centre Manager if you have more questions. And why not follow us on Twitter, and Instagram to stay up-to-date with our events and opportunities and read our blog for more volunteering tips and stories.