For a long time now, I have enjoyed volunteering, from collecting donations to dedicating my time to great causes. The best part of charity work is that you feel like you are genuinely making a difference, so it is just as rewarding to you, as the charity you are helping.
I have tried to do my fair share of charity work since moving to university a few years ago, but due to the pandemic, it seems a lot of volunteering has been stopped. Here are five different ways to volunteer online during lockdown!
Catchafire
Catchafire, an organisation based in New York, allows professionals to donate their own time and expertise to non-profits who need their skills. Volunteers of all different professional backgrounds are matched with charitable causes in a match-making scheme. Catchafire is very much skill-based volunteering, and is great for also getting some experience!
https://www.catchafire.org/volunteer-discover/
NHS
Within the past year, we have heard of many stories of people giving back to the NHS. During our national lockdowns, the NHS and local communities have benefitted dramatically from peoples kindness. Some volunteering is in-person, for example collecting groceries for the vulnerable population, but with a DBS check, you can also volunteer from home. One of the online NHS volunteering schemes is simply talking to those who live by themselves and feel lonely. This can make their day, and in turn, make yours.
https://www.england.nhs.uk/participation/get-involved/volunteering/
Do Something
Do Something is a global non-profit organisation aimed at engaging young people to get motivated to make positive changes both online and offline. This is achieved by various different campaigns ran on the site to make a good impact on our society, led by the youth.
https://www.dosomething.org/us
Crisis Text Line
Crisis Text Line is a not-for-profit organisation available in the UK, Ireland, US and Canada, 24 hours a day. The line provides a free mental health texting service through a confidential crisis intervention via SMS. To take part, you fill in an application and do 25 hours of training to ensure you’re ready for the role.
https://www.crisistextline.org/become-a-volunteer/
UN Volunteers
The United Nations Volunteers programme works towards world peace in their work. The UN Volunteers work on local and global scales to support a large number of peacekeeping and humanitarian projects.