Volunteering has always been about helping others. But increasingly, volunteer managers are also recognising that people volunteer for many different reasons, and that the role in which they place the volunteer needs to match that reason.
This matters because, while volunteering strengthens charities and communities, it also has an impact on the individual.
As conversations about wellbeing and mental health have become more open, more people are turning to volunteering not simply because they want to “give back”, but because they are looking for connection, purpose, confidence and belonging. In some cases, healthcare professionals use volunteering, or social prescribing, as an alternative to medication in helping their patients in their wellbeing or sense of loneliness.
Dr PD, a former GP, told JVN how he regularly recommends volunteering to patients and sees “their self-esteem and sense of purpose return”. Our volunteers have reported feeling “renewed” and experiencing improved quality of life through their roles.
For nearly 20 years, the Jewish Volunteering Network has helped connect people across the Jewish community with volunteering opportunities. During that time, we have seen first-hand how volunteering can impact the volunteer as much as the beneficiaries of their volunteering.
Volunteering can give people focus and structure during difficult times. It can rebuild confidence after illness or bereavement, ease loneliness, create a sense of purpose after redundancy, help people develop new skills, or make them feel part of a new community after moving. Often, it is simply about being there for someone when they need support and going home knowing you have done something worthwhile.
One volunteer came to JVN through a support worker after struggling with her mental health and not feeling ready to return to work. We helped connect her to a volunteer receptionist role, where she rebuilt her confidence and routine. Within a few weeks, she felt ready to start applying for jobs again and soon secured a role. Stories like this are not unusual.
Within the Jewish community, these conversations feel especially relevant right now. In recent years, many people have experienced heightened anxiety and uncertainty in response to rising antisemitism, alongside the wider pressures of everyday life. At the same time, we have seen more people wanting to engage with their community in meaningful and practical ways. Volunteering is one of those pathways.
Charities increasingly recognise that as people are juggling busy, complex lives, including work, caring responsibilities, family commitments and financial pressures. As a result, they are creating roles that are flexible, welcoming and realistic.
For some people, volunteering may mean a 20-minute phone call each week. For others, it could involve helping at a one-off event, mentoring a young person, offering professional skills or supporting a garden project over the summer.
Others may have more time to give and want to support a charity in a more ongoing or formal way, such as becoming a trustee.
Whatever the role, what may feel like a small contribution to you can make an enormous difference to a charity and the people it supports.
At the beginning of June, communities across the country mark Volunteers’ Week, a national celebration of the contribution volunteers make every day. Alongside recognising existing volunteers, it is also an opportunity to encourage those who have never volunteered before to explore how they might get involved.
Throughout Volunteers’ Week, JVN will be running activities and events designed to help people experience just how welcoming and enjoyable volunteering can be.
They will range from practical volunteering sessions with charity partners, ideal for those looking to use their corporate responsibility days differently, to opportunities to join us out in the community, where we can help people explore volunteer roles that fit around their lives and interests.
Often, people assume volunteering is “for other people”, or only for those with lots of spare time. In reality, volunteering often begins with a simple conversation or a small first step.
And while volunteering undoubtedly underpins charities and communities, it also strengthens people. It reminds us that we are needed, valued and connected to one another.
As we look towards building a healthier future, perhaps volunteering has an important role to play in that too.
Rachelle Lazarus is charity engagement and volunteer manager at JVN