FAQs about getting involved

What do you want to do?

Think about the type of activity that interests you. Ask yourself:

Do you want to get involved with people, issues or the environment?

Do you want to work on your own or as part of a group?

Do you want to be involved in management and planning or are you more of a ‘hands on’ person.

Would you be able to work in close, emotionally demanding relationships or would you prefer more practical work?

Be honest with yourself, and the organisation you are considering volunteering with, about what you do and do not want to do.

How much time is involved?

We know that time is precious in today’s world. You decide how much time you would like to spend volunteering. Do you prefer a regular long-term commitment or do you want to get involved for a short period of time? Time commitments can vary from a concentrated one-off effort for an event or specific project, to several hours each week or month, to a full-time commitment. Be realistic about how much time you can spare and over what period of time. Do not over commit yourself. A reliable volunteer for a few hours a month can be more useful than someone whose availability is unpredictable and difficult to plan for.

Do I need to have special skills?

No. You may already have certain skills and talents that you would like to put to use in the course of your volunteering, e.g. financial skills, musical ability or IT skills. You should think about these skills when considering what role you would like to do. Or maybe you want to learn a new skill? This is a great time to learn something new.

Will it affect my benefits?

No. Volunteering will not affect your entitlement to benefits. Make sure you speak to social security staff who will help you take the necessary steps before you begin to volunteer.

What about expenses such as petrol money for travelling to and from placements?

In certain circumstances expenses can be claimed. Always clarify particulars such as expenses before committing to a volunteer placement.

FAQ’s from Volunteer Involving Organisations

Can I get volunteers from the Volunteer Centre?

Causeway Volunteer Centre aims to raise awareness of volunteering and to encourage more people to become involved in volunteering. If someone who has never volunteered before contacts us, we find out what it is they are interested in doing, how much time they have etc. and if we think they would be suitable for your organisation we send them in your direction.

How do you know what our organisation needs in terms of volunteers?

When you register with us as a volunteer involving organisation (or Host Organsiation), you fill in a form that tells us which volunteer opportunities you have currently. For example some organisations need an Administrator for 2 mornings a week, some may need a Youth Leader for 1 evening a week. All organisations need different things and needs change, so organisations should keep us up to date on their volunteer needs.

How does our organisation register with you and how much does it cost?

Registration is FREE. Our centre is core funded by Department of Social Development, therefore we don’t expect volunteer involving organisations or volunteers to pay for any of our services. To register, just call in, give us a ring, or email and we can give you a registration form.

Why do we need to register, can you not just send us volunteers?

You need to register so that we can have your details on our data base. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, all organisations on our data base receive quarterly newsletters keeping them up to date with any training or current developments. Secondly, we need to know details about your organisation so that we can help with anything you need in relation to volunteers. For example, some organisations don’t have a volunteer policy - we can work with you to develop one; or some organisations need advice on Child Protection, we can also help with this. Finally, as we are government funded we need to be accountable to our funders. Periodically we need to meet monitoring requirements in relation to numbers and geographical spread of our registered volunteer involving organisations.

What other services does the Causeway Volunteer Centre provide?

The services we provide to volunteer involving organisations are:

· We raise awareness of volunteering within local communities and encourage more people to become involved in volunteering.

· We help volunteer involving organisations with their volunteer ‘good practice’ (ie provide assistance on issues such as volunteer policies, volunteer recruitment and selection, managing volunteers, insurance etc).

· We organise social events and training for volunteers.

· We work in partnership with organisations to meet POCVA (Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults) requirements.

· We administer a Community Volunteering Scheme Small Grants Programme which funds small local community/voluntary groups for their volunteer related costs.

· We contribute to government policy which relates to volunteers (for example, we will organise local consultations and submissions to draft policies which affect volunteering).

I have heard that the Volunteer Centre pays volunteer expenses – is that right?

The Volunteer Centre encourages all volunteer involving organisations to pay volunteers out of pocket expenses as part of their good practice towards volunteers. However, if an organisation has volunteers and is unable to pay out of pocket expenses (such as travel costs), the Volunteer Centre will pay a certain amount towards them for a limited period.

What about the funding programme that you run?

The Volunteer Centre runs a Community Volunteering Scheme (CVS) Small Grants Programme aimed at local community/voluntary groups with an annual income of less than £100,000 for volunteer related costs. The funding programme runs from February/March each year – calls for applications are made in the local press and through our quarterly newsletter. Grants of up to £1000 are available for volunteer related costs such as travel, childcare, equipment etc.