JVN Blog

You know those little things that make your day. Those simple tasks that go smoothly, a smile, a nice gesture… They just seem to make such a big difference.

Life is in the little details. Ongoing small gestures can mean so much more than one grand display of love. Simple everyday tasks throughout the week/month can be far more gratifying than one big amazing thing. When you connect the dots between all these little joys, life seems fuller and more satisfying. For some it means the world.

One of the challenges we continuously come across is finding people to make a regular commitment to #volunteer and help with those simple tasks. Volunteers tend to prefer a one-off event or microvolunteering, but many charities require volunteers who can make a regular commitment of once or twice a week. The general perception is that these are big tasks – working in an office, organising of an event and so on. In other words, the tasks that staff simply don’t have the time to do.

However, what is often unappreciated is that there are many much smaller roles on offer. These may only take an hour or two a week, but they are so crucial to the people on the other end.

We’ve prepared a list below of the top five little things you can do to make a big difference. You can find many of these sorts of roles on our website or by calling us on 020 8203 6427…

1. Driving. For an elderly or disabled person, loneliness and isolation can be one of the most depressing yet commonplace things to experience. It can make a huge difference if they can visit a day centre or a club on a regular basis to chat to their friends, play a game of cards or enjoy the entertainment. What they often need is someone to drive them there and back, and many charities are looking for volunteer drivers to take a few minutes out of their day to do this. If you have access to a car, you can be that person and, what’s more, your petrol will be refunded.
2. Fundraising. You know those people who stand in the street with a bucket collecting money? They’re not full-time volunteers. They give just a couple of hours a week, at a time and place that suits them. And the great thing about this sort of fundraising is that you can volunteer for pretty much every single type of charity (everyone needs funds!). There are loads of these roles available, and it’s an opportunity where you can interact with people and get a breath of fresh air too.
3. Volunteering at synagogue. Synagogues are also in need of volunteers to do things like prepare the Kiddush, lead the services or make up a minyan. These are small daily, weekly or even less frequent tasks that are necessary for the synagogue to continue to function but take very little time or effort. It’s often a case of “those who can, do.” So if you can, what’s stopping you?
4. Cooking. Many synagogues and community centres have freezers where they can store food that is brought to people’s houses if they are ill or suffer a bereavement. These people are often unwilling or unable to leave their houses for religious reasons and need the support of local people – possibly not even people that they know – to get through the hard times. If you have a signature dish, why not use it to help alleviate someone’s pain.

5. Leading. One option particular popular with younger people is leading a youth group or after-school club. These are usually weekly 2-3 hour clubs that can help develop some great transferable skills such as creativity, organisation and communication.
   
   They’re also fun to work at and it’s something you can do with your friends. Many clubs and organisations such as Scouts and Guides are often grateful for volunteers, in particular younger people who can relate to their members, and they will give you lots of support along the way.

Hopefully this has given you some good ideas of how, by giving just a little bit of your time, you can make a big difference. And remember, any one of these opportunities is only a click or a phone call away. To see what’s on offer, visit our website today! Or if you’re still struggling to find the volunteering opportunity that’s right for you, give us a call on 020 8203 6427.