If you’re interested in volunteering, chances are you’ve spent countless hours talking about it and even scouring the web for the perfect opportunity. And yet, often there’s something that holds you back from hitting ‘apply’. Whatever it is, sometimes there’s no such thing as the “perfect” volunteering opportunity.

But don’t let this discourage you - not being able to find a role that ticks all your boxes is not uncommon. The fact is your skills and interests suit a huge variety of causes and doing something is better than nothing. Here’s some in tips to help you stop procrastination and start volunteering.

Why doing something is better than nothing

If you’ve got your heart set on a particular cause or type of volunteering opportunity, it’s understandable that you might want to wait for a perfect role to come around. Unfortunately, this might mean waiting months before you can hit the ground running!

Being a little bit flexible with your criteria can go a long way. And who knows? You might discover a new passion by volunteering in a different way than what you’d initially imagined.

Take Hania for example. She enjoyed a 6-month stint fostering kittens from her local shelter. However, when she moved to a new apartment, she found out that she wasn’t allowed to have pets in the fully-carpeted unit. After spending another 6 months looking for a hands-on animal volunteering role, she started to think differently. Eventually, Hania was able to sign up for event volunteering at a local animal rescue organisation. While this doesn’t involve taking care of animals directly, it’ll allow her to raise awareness and funds for the organisation. “Although I can’t wait to foster again one day, I’m super excited to be helping an organisation that I am passionate about".

Tapping into ancillary roles

A good way to finally get started with volunteering is to think of what ancillary roles might branch off from your dream role. Here’s some ways to reframe your search:

• Climate change: When it comes to environmental causes, it doesn’t always have to be about making a global impact. Gardening or local reforestation efforts can still make a massive difference.
• Tutoring: If you’ve thought about tutoring young people, think about branching out. There’s a lot of adults who may benefit from your tutoring skills too, whether that’s to help them with their digital literacy, English speaking abilities, or anything in between.
• Sports events: A number of the big major events that bring energy and fun to our communities are looking for volunteers. Set your sights on volunteering at big-name sports events like the City2Surf or Relay for Life. Or how about volunteering at a local sports club? Local sports clubs are in desperate need for more volunteers. As the heart and soul of many communities, local sports clubs keep people active and bring communities together.
• If in doubt, go local: Support your local community by doing anything in your postcode and surrounding areas. You can search via our location filter. Find something for a few hours, meet people from your neighbourhood and you never know, it might turn into your perfect volunteer role.

Search through our volunteer roles to find your perfect (or not-so-perfect!) opportunity.