The Volunteer Charter
Every individual should have the right to volunteer. Volunteers have rights that should be met in the course of volunteering. Volunteering is a legitimate activity in its own right and not a substitute for paid work.
If the organisation you volunteer for is not supporting you in line with the Volunteer Charter, please contact your Volunteer Centre who can intervene if necessary to ensure you are properly supported in a voluntary role.
- Volunteers should have a clear idea of the tasks they are being asked to perform and of the responsibility that goes with those tasks
Will volunteering affect my benefits?
There is a lot of confusion over whether volunteering affects an individual's benefits. This is not helped by the fact that many benefits advisers are poorly informed about volunteering and often give people the wrong advice. In actual fact the rules are quite simple, and it's well worth knowing them so that you can advise volunteers if they have any queries.
Volunteering Overseas
There are around one hundred agencies in the UK that place volunteers abroad on work projects, many of which are listed below - scroll down to find organisations offering both short and long term opportunities abroad.
