FAQs

Volunteering is when someone spends unpaid time doing something to benefit others.  Helping your close friends or relatives isn't volunteering. But doing something to benefit the environment (and through that, other people) is.  Volunteering can be formal and organised by organisations, or informal within communities. It should always be a free choice made by the person giving up their time.

Volunteering ultimately has different advantages for different people. There are some well-known general benefits though, which you can read about here.

JVN is the Jewish community’s leading volunteering organisation. We have helped thousands of people to connect to a volunteer opportunity that suits them.  We typically have over 100 roles from up to 150 organisations to choose. You can find out more about what we do here, or click here to search through our full range of volunteering opportunities.

The JVN search page is intuitive, user-friendly and simple to navigate, making it easy to narrow down your options and find that perfect volunteering opportunity. However, you can also contact our Volunteer Broker, Angie Jacobs who will be delighted to work with you to find a role, that fits your criteria.  

Contact Angie at Angie@jvn.org.uk 

VN has a great variety of exciting options on offer, click here for our current volunteering opportunities.,

Click here for some inspiration and tips to find the one that’s right for you.

JVN promotes opportunities from many Jewish and wider sector charities, so you can pick the one that best suits you. You can search through the full range of options here. 

At JVN, we work with anyone over 18 who is looking for a volunteer role, we also heavily advocate family volunteering for parents, children and other relatives to do together. Volunteering can be a great bonding activity.

Whilst we don't work with those under 18, we can sign post you to charities which do such as Jewish Lads and Girls Brigade, GIFT, All Aboard and Jewish Care. 

We believe volunteering should be open to everyone. Many of our charity partners welcome people with a wide range of abilities, skills and experiences into their volunteer teams, and are committed to creating supportive and inclusive environments.

If you have a learning disability, physical disability, or experience of mental health challenges, we can offer additional guidance to help you find a role that feels right for you. Our Volunteer Broker, Angie Jacobs, is here to listen, understand what matters to you, and support you in exploring suitable opportunities.

While we will always do our very best to help you find a meaningful role, however, as with any client of JVN, we can't guarantee  a placement. What we can promise is that we will work alongside you to give you the best possible chance of a positive and rewarding volunteering experience.

Not all volunteer roles require a (Disclosure and Barring Service) DBS check, though it may be necessary for any role connected to working with someone who is deemed vulnerable.  Should a role need a DBS check need to be conducted, the charity will be responsible for arranging this.  

They will contact the DBS, however their is a strict code on what roles require which DBS.  For more information click here to access official government guidance.

JVN is a free to use for volunteers who want to find a volunteering opportunity. You can search for free here. We do will put on events for volunteers, some of which may demand a small fee.

We also welcome donations of any size, which we rely heavily on to sustain our full range of services. Please click here if you would like to make a donation.

For charities, we allow them to post roles free of charge, however, we also offer a Full Partnership package with additional benefits. Please click here to access the charities’ area if you are a charity professional or representative.

The best way to get to know us better is by coming to one of our events for volunteers – click here to see what’s coming up. However, we have a large presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, so please do check us out on social media too. We would really appreciate any shares, likes or retweets! You may also find us in the press from time to time. Click here to read more about how we promote ourselves.