Why I Love Volunteering – Guest Blog
Take a look at the ultimate volunteering role –
The job is 24/7. There’s a zero hours contract with no guaranteed time off or holidays. There’s no sick pay and you must keep going even when you are literally dead on your feet. You must be able to multi task and give 100% energy, effort and care at all times. Expect little thanks, no promotion and little or no recognition for this volunteering role.
Who on earth, I hear you ask, would even consider taking a volunteering role like this? Funnily enough it’s what most adults do with hardly a second thought! It’s called parenting.
Parenting aside, I have volunteered for several years. My first volunteering role was with a charity that catered for people who were concerned about the welfare and well being of children. A team of fifteen volunteer call takers worked a bank of phones, taking telephone calls from adults (parents, grandparents, friends, and teachers) from across the UK who were facing a variety of challenges in their parenting roles.
I volunteered for the charity one evening a week and the task was completely absorbing – you never knew what type of call and what type of problem you might encounter. The charity trained its volunteers carefully and we had an opportunity to listen to a number of calls before we were finally allowed to take on our own case-load. 
I loved the comradeship of the volunteer team. I was blessed with a wonderful supervisor, an energetic, supportive lady who had an in-depth understanding of the field. During my time with this organisation I gained real insight into the joys and concerns of caring for children. My day job was also pretty full on and I found the volunteering a refreshing, thoroughly enjoyable alternative.
Right now I volunteer for JVN in a communications role. Doing this work gives me an opportunity to gain real insight into the many challenges faced by small charities. I love the people, their energy and enthusiasm and their ability to surmount all the obstacles that come their way.
When I was thinking about becoming a volunteer a friend encouraged me. She told me that volunteering would change my life. She was right; my life has changed – for the better.
Maralyn – A marketing and communications specialist and guest blogger @JVN
Anyone thinking of volunteering, why not take a look at the following links:
https://www.jvn.org.uk/newsletter/6/
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