How can I be a volunteer and what benefits will I have from volunteering?
Volunteering can be a great way of spending time which will both inspire and uplift the people around you.
Members of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce have shared their experiences along with different volunteer opportunities.
What it means to be a volunteer?
Andrew Cole MBE, director of property, partnerships and media at the NEC Group outlines his volunteering experience.
“I've never consciously volunteered as any kind of plan, strategy or conscious effort but when I look back at my life it has been scattered with volunteering in all its forms, from starting a blood bike charity with the Touchwood team, leading on the Solihull Round Table fireworks with the rest of the Round Table members to sitting on numerous Boards and committees to further whatever industry I am involved with or a sector that interests me.
“It's easy to forget that volunteering is all about giving up your time for free for the benefit of others, not just the obvious stuff like turning up at a food bank or shaking tins for charity.
“Volunteering has never been done with the intention of furthering my career but has absolutely had that impact by happy accident, even leading to being awarded an MBE in 2017. What volunteering means to me is multi-faceted;
Widening your knowledge base
Sitting on a school Board of Trustees (in my case Arden Multi-Academy Trust) has given me great insight in to a huge range of learning that I would not have naturally gathered.
Developing a more diverse mindset
Allowing me to not get caught in a small bubble of thinking and understanding. Volunteering often brings challenges and exposes you to a different way of thinking.
Understanding the challenges of others
This not only acts to humble your own thinking, it has made me more appreciative of what I have earned and changed my expectation of what ‘wealthy' looks like.
Making friends
Some of my closest friends have come from being part of something voluntary, such as Solihull Round Table, the Institute of Advanced Motorcyclists to name two.
Improving leadership skills
Volunteering quite often comes with a ‘need to lead' and can be a great, free way to improve how you manage people, often being given responsibilities that would take years to come your way through your employment.
Amplifying your passions
I love motorbikes, it's no secret, so to be able to volunteer with the IAM, the blood bike charities and things such as motorcycle marshalling are simply allowing me to indulge my own interests, but with the added benefit of helping others.
Developing your CV
This is an obvious one, but I would recommend some caution here. Increase your volunteering based on what you are passionate about or have an interest in otherwise your volunteering will not be ‘sticky' and you will drift off to something else, not maximising the benefit for you, the organisation you are serving or your CV! Your CV probably shouldn't be at the forefront of your mind when thinking about how to volunteer.
Feeling fulfilled
Everyone needs to have a purpose in life to be happy (in my view). What better way to get home and grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine thinking about what you have given for the benefit of others that day. There's also no harm in being proud about it, quite the opposite.
Staying Alive
The final one from me, any kind of volunteering will stimulate your mind or your body or both. I'm not even close to being a doctor but I would be surprised to find anyone out there that would argue against there being mental and physical health benefits. This is provided of course; you are volunteering for something you believe in and is not traumatic. If it is, look after yourself as well as others.
Smart Works UK
Smart Works is a UK charity that dresses and coaches unemployed women in need for their job interview.
Launched in Birmingham in summer 2016, Smart Works Birmingham helps women to feel confident, look fabulous, succeed at their job interview and move on with their lives.
Each woman who comes to Smart Works Birmingham receives a complete interview outfit, personally styled for them and theirs to keep, followed by one-to-one interview coaching to help them prepare.
All our high quality clothes are donated by retailers or other women and our styling and coaching is delivered by a skilled volunteer team. At the end of their 2022/23 year they have helped 3,000 women since they established in 2016 and currently have a 72 per cent success rate.
What its like to be volunteering for Smart Works?
Elaine, who is volunteering with Smart Works for five years shares her story about the charity and about her experience.
“I wasn't necessarily looking to volunteer when the opportunity came up a few years ago. Smart Works found me at a time when I was receptive to the idea of volunteering due to changes in my own working life. A simple posting on LinkedIn caught my eye and started my connection with the charity and its manager, Ann.
“The call for volunteers who would be willing and able to help other women get into employment by helping them to navigate recruitment and interview processes, building their self-confidence and self-belief along the way was too loud for me to ignore.
“Each of those women is unique and therefore my conversations and coaching sessions with them are equally unique, whether they are conducted face to face or virtually. Each client gets my undivided attention in the hour or so we typically spend together.
“In that time, we make a connection, we talk about what work will mean for them, we acknowledge the barriers that may have gone before, we recognise strengths, we challenge self-doubt and gradually we build confidence in preparation for their forthcoming job interview.
“The fact that I get the opportunity to meet these women and witness first-hand how their initial vulnerability and uncertainty makes way for emerging self-belief and hope is a privilege.
“I honestly couldn't think of a more suitable charity to volunteer for. We're a good match!”
How to volunteer?
Stylist volunteers help our clients find the right clothes for their interview. To be a good dressing volunteer you need an eye for style, great people skills and plenty of patience. We ask for one per week commitment.
Interview coaching volunteers help clients prepare for their interview by focusing on their skills, their confidence and their presentation. You will need a background in HR, recruitment or senior management to do this role. The minimum commitment is one day per month.
Wardrobe volunteers ensure that our dressing room is immaculate, our fundraising events are incredible and, most importantly, that every Smart Works client leaves her dressing appointment feeling confident about her upcoming interview. If you are highly organised, colour coordinate your wardrobe, love clothes, and have lots of energy this is the role for you. The minimum commitment is two days per month.
To apply for the roles please visit our website and complete the application form and send to [email protected]
Adoption Focus
Adoption Focus is a friendly, dedicated and experienced adoption agency, consistently rated as ‘Outstanding' by Ofsted. We take people through the adoption process in the East and West Midlands. We provide our services in Birmingham, Solihull, the Black Country, Coventry, the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and neighbouring counties.
Our volunteers form the backbone of our organisation and play vital roles and undertake essential tasks such as board, trustees and panel members.
They also form part of our support process by acting as buddies to fellow adopters and influence how we work by sitting on an adopters committee. Lastly, we also have a number of volunteers who undertake various activities to fundraise for us from running half marathons to bake sales.
Without volunteers very valuable input we would be unable to fulfil our mission.
Brendan, one of our buddies, comments on the scheme: “The buddy scheme is something I feel very passionate about. To have access to the experience and knowledge of someone who had been though the adoption process, is invaluable and can be a great source of comfort.
“As a buddy, it is wonderful to be able to help others and be able to ‘give something back'. We had a really good adoption journey and to be able to assist others on their journey is wonderful.”
How to volunteer?
We have a number of exciting volunteer opportunities available to anyone interested these include:
Become a buddy - As an Adoption Focus adopter you could provide peer to peer support to another family starting out on their adoption journey.
Fundraise on our behalf - Organising a bake sale, entering a sponsored event or hosting a coffee morning are all effective and enjoyable ways to raise money to help our adoptive community. For more ideas and suggestions on how you can help please click here
Share your adoption story - Have you adopted? Would you be willing to share your story and help us to recruit more amazing adopters? We find the best advocates for adoption are families who have adopted and we would love to share your experiences with others.
Become a trustee - Our trustees are integral and valued members of Adoption Focus and positively influence how effective we are in the future by playing a critical role in the accountability and fulfilment of all of our legal responsibilities. The position of Trustee is a voluntary role.
Join our panel - we have our own panel made up of adoptive parents, adoption professionals, independent social workers and medical professionals.
Adopters committee - our adopter committee meets three times a year and is instrumental in planning future topics of training, social gatherings and children's events.
Click here for further details.