Career and Employment Service – voluntary work
Introduction
People volunteer for many reasons, the most common of which is a desire to use their time to give back to their communities. They do so for no financial gain but they usually gain in other ways - for example through developing their skills, building networks of useful contacts, increasing their employability; enhancing their self-esteem and gaining insights into career paths that interest them.
Volunteers can be found in thousands of organisations, and voluntary work is possible in hundreds of different roles. All fit together to bring benefits or support to others in the community.
Here you will find information on the following topics:
Volunteer expos at Massey
If you are keen to build your career related skills, gain experience and meet people who share your desire to make a difference these expos are for you. We run an annual volunteer expo on each Massey campus, featuring organisations with a range of volunteer opportunities.
- Manawatu – Wednesday 8th August 2012 from 12.00 noon until 2.00 pm in The Dining Hall
Click here to see our 2012 Volunteer Expo poster.
Nearer the time, you’ll be able to access more detailed information on each of these expos. This will include details of the organisations attending. These expos will also be advertised under the ‘view all events’ tab on Massey CareerHub.
Why volunteer?
Putting some though into why you might take on voluntary work will help you to choose the type of work and organisation that it a good match for you. Typical motivations include:
- To make a difference. Your skills and experience can make a real difference to people's lives and can enrich your community.
- To enhance your experience. Employers value all forms of work experience, including voluntary work. Additionally, volunteering allows you a change to test out career ideas that interest you.
- To build your readiness for work. Volunteering helps you to show potential employers that you have taken the initiative to develop relevant skills and can show commitment. This is especially useful for CVs, application forms and job interviews.
- To learn new things. It should come as no surprise that you’ll get out as much as you put in. By pushing your boundaries and challenging yourself to do something you’ve never tried before you will gain more knowledge and skills. This will prepare you well for your career.
- To enhance and develop your existing skills. Working with different parts of the community will give you experience of engaging and communicating with different types of people.
- To access training. Many voluntary organisations provide training and this is often invaluable for the work that you’re doing and for your future career.
- To expand networks. Volunteering is a great way of meeting people from within and outside of university who you might not normally come across.
- For fun and fulfilment. Volunteering can be both fun and fulfilling.
How to volunteer
There are many ways to find voluntary work. The links in the table below will take you to some of these and to more information on New Zealand’s voluntary sector in general. However you may also want to contact us for further advice. Remember too that If there is a particular organisation you’d like to volunteer with you can contact them directly. They are likely to ask you about the skills and experience you can offer and how much time you can spare (and when).
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Massey CareerHub – see its section on voluntary work/work experience |
Volunteer Now – offers a searchable database of volunteering opportunities and contact details for volunteer centres around NZ |
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Office for the Community and Voluntary sector – this site includes links to sector organisations and to information about volunteering |
VolunteerNet - a site that connects people looking for volunteering opportunities with event organisers looking for volunteers |
Note that it is customary for the organisation to make voluntary work worthwhile for its volunteers – for example by paying volunteers’ expenses, providing training, acting as referees and so on. Note too that volunteers are protected under ACC and Health and Safety legislation. You can access more information on your rights and responsibilities from the following website
Volunteering and leadership
Leadership potential and skills are highly valued by employers. Voluntary work can offer a great way to develop yours. Leadership skills centre upon persuasion and upon getting people to grasp and follow your vision. However, they also encompass earning the respect and trust of colleagues and your ability to:
| Provide care through establishing quality relationships | Earn the trust and respect of other people |
| Show moral responsibility | Show respect |
| Operate ethically | Attract loyalty |
| Encourage others to grow and succeed | Demonstrate your concern for others |
Volunteering and skills development
Voluntary work is a great way to develop skills and traits that are impressive to potential employers. They may include:
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Communication |
Teamwork |
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Creative thinking |
Innovation |
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Event planning and organising |
Problem solving |
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Project management |
Time management |
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Enterprise |
Working independently |
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Willingness to try new things |
Use of initiative |
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People management |
Self discipline |
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Self motivation |
Ability to manage stress |
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Active listening |
Decision making |
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Interpersonal Working with different communities and cultures |
Organisation Positive attitude about the future
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Furthermore, by doing voluntary work you’ll be showing potential employers that you are socially responsible and can demonstrate commitment. Remember too that in job interviews employers often ask for examples of times when you have shown particular skills. Your voluntary work can provide you with great examples to use.
The experience of volunteering is most likely to develop your skills and knowledge if you:
- Seek out and take all opportunities to become fully involved and learn
- Talk to colleagues about their roles, backgrounds, goals and experience
- Maintain a written log of your experiences in which you record what you're doing and learning.
When the placement ends, ask your manager or supervisor to act as a referee for your future job applications. Make a note of their contact details.
It is important to spend some time reflecting on how the placement went - what did you learn, how has this affected your career plans. The Career and Employment Service can help you to think this through.
Choosing a volunteer opportunity
With a vast range of volunteer opportunities to choose from, you’ll want to make sure that you select one that’s a good ‘fit’ for you. To do so, spend some time beforehand considering the following:
Your skills: You can select available roles to match the skills that you have. However, you may also choose to consider the skills that you’d like to further develop – perhaps because they are important for your future career. Either way, talk to organisations that interest you about the roles that might suit you best.
The time that you can spare: Organisations will want to know how much time you can offer them, and whether or not this would be on a regular and fixed basis. Some will be keenest on volunteers who can work on regular shifts.
The causes that interest and inspire you: There are often far-reaching benefits from voluntary work. No matter the tasks that you undertake, the organisation’s cause is advanced by your work.
Whether or not you can travel: There’s no guarantee that the organisations that interest you will be able to pay any travel expenses that you might incur. As a result, you may have to consider how much it will cost you to get to and from the venue where you will volunteer. Consider too how long it will take you to get there. Would this decrease the amount of time you have to actually volunteer?
What your objectives are – In other words, what you want from the experience? What aspects of work do you want to experience?
Taking care of safety
Any voluntary work that you take on is likely to be safe but there are steps that you can take to maximise your safety (and that of others). Remember that you have a responsibility to be safe and to act in a safe manner. To help with this, consider the following:
- What risks might the tasks of my job involve and what can I do to minimise or avoid these?
- Try to work in pairs – particularly when out in public
- If you are working away from the organisation, tell colleagues where you are going; who if anyone, you’re meeting; when you’ll be back and who to make contact with if you’re not back at the allotted time
- Safeguard valuable property – yours and the organisations
- Where you arrange meetings with others, try to use public places or an organisation’s premises. Plan your route and your journey
- ï€ Follow the safety instructions that you are given by the organisation
- When you first join an organisation you should be provided with an induction and this should cover their health and safety policies and procedures.
What to expect from your induction
Almost all voluntary organisations will provide an induction to its new volunteers. You can expect this to cover the following:
| Where applicable, a tour of their premises | Information on any dress code that they have |
| An outline of your role, tasks and responsibilities | An introduction to your supervisor and other staff |
| An outline of their health & safety procedures | Details of relevant systems and paperwork |
| Relevant training that you will undertake | Reporting systems for you to follow |
Volunteering overseas
Given the vast range of opportunities to volunteer overseas that is available it is crucial to do your research first. Not for profit organisations offer these opportunities but you’ll also find a wealth of profit-making organisations that organise trips overseas for volunteers – at a cost.
As you tackle your research, points to consider include the following:
- What are you likely to gain from the experience and from any money that you are paying?
- If you are planning to pay, how much of your money would be going towards the organisation’s administration and marketing? How much is contributed to the project and the community?
- To what extent will you be able to choose the type of work that you’ll be doing; where you will be living; your travel arrangements and how you spend your free time?
- How will the work that you do benefit all parties – you; the organisation and the clients/communities with which you’ll be working?
- What type of experience would be right for you?
- Are you clear about what you’d be doing and the skills required?
- What training will be provided to you?
- What support does the organisation provide to its volunteers – before they leave NZ; in the country concerned and on their return?
- To what extent is the work on offer an ‘adventure holiday’ rather than designed to meet a genuine need for volunteers?
- How would you prefer to work – e.g. on your own; with other volunteers; with people from the local community or a mixture?
- Can I be put in contact with returned volunteers who have worked through the same organisation? If you can, you should.
- What would happen should something go wrong - for example if you have to return home at short notice or fall ill? Would the organisation pay for and/or arrange my journey home; medical treatment etc?
By following the links below you will be able to access some of the vast range of organisations that offer opportunities to volunteer overseas:
- VSA - Volunteer Service Abroad – See Volunteering Overseas – their on-line Guide to volunteering in a developing country.
- AIESEC - international work exchanges – Student organisation involved in international work experience programmes.
- Frontier – This organisation is involved in International wildlife development and conservation work projects.
- Go overseas – This is a community driven website of like minded people who are passionate about teaching, studying and volunteering abroad. It features a 'Help Me Find a Program' forum where users regularly discuss a wide range of travel topics, and a blog community offering a wealth of overseas travel experiences.
- Love volunteers - A non-profit organisation providing volunteering opportunities in developing countries.
- Global Volunteer Network – Offers volunteer opportunities in community projects throughout the world (fees charged).
- Projects Abroad –A variety of teaching and other voluntary projects in a range of places across the world (fees charged).
- Raleigh International Expeditions – This is a youth development charity that runs 3-month expeditions 12 times a year to Ghana, Namibia, Chile, Costa Rica & Nicaragua and Malaysia.
- United Nation Volunteers – Information on volunteer work with the UN.
- Volunteer in Africa – Information on volunteering in Ghana, Africa.
- World Volunteer Web – Information, resources, and organizations linked to volunteering all over the world.
- Youth Challenge International This organisation is sponsored by the public and private sectors in Canada and abroad. It combines community development, health education and environmental work in adventurous projects carried out by teams of volunteers aged 18-30. Fees are charged to cover living costs.
