What virtual volunteering ideas are there?

1) Offer creative help - aid charities with web design, social media, PR - anything that can be done online. 2) Work for a charity helpline. 3) Help combat loneliness with the elderly by giving them a call for a friendly chat. 3) Become an online mentor with the Prince’s Trust online mentoring programme. 4) Lend your vision and help a visually impaired person through 'Be My Eyes' app. 5) Crisis Volunteers’ to respond to these texts and help those who need immediate mental health support. 5) Search for opportunities online where you can help from home.

What is a digital volunteer?

Digital Volunteering, sometimes referred to as virtual volunteering or online volunteering, is volunteering through technology (on a computer or handheld device) that you can carry out remotely.

30th March 2022

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Virtual volunteering ideas for students 💡

Q: Why should I volunteer?

• Helping others and giving back to the community can be very rewarding • It can make your day more meaningful and productive in other ways too • You can add volunteering on your CV and to your LinkedIn profile, it can really help to make you stand out and become even more employable • It is a great way to connect with new people and cultures • For those who believe in karma... If you do good things for others, good things will happen to you!

Volunteering has an abundance of benefits, from making a positive impact on someone’s life, to gaining valuable skills for the workplace and being proven to reduce stress and anxiety.

However, with busy schedules and pressing responsibilities it can be hard to find the time to commit to volunteer work and sometimes it’s just not feasible no matter how much you want to give your time to help others.

Many organisations have become aware of this issue and the way you can volunteer has changed rapidly; these days you can make a huge difference to individuals’ lives from your own home by virtually volunteering.

From lending your eyesight to someone with low vision to mentoring a young person, here are eight great organisations you can virtually volunteer for and easily offer your services to those who need them.

In the midst of looking for jobs? Check out what graduate opportunities we have available on our jobs board.

Why should I volunteer?

Helping others and giving back to the community can be very rewarding
It can make your day more meaningful and productive in other ways too
You can add volunteering on your CV and to your LinkedIn profile, it can really help to make you stand out and become even more employable
It is a great way to connect with new people and cultures
For those who believe in karma… If you do good things for others, good things will happen to you!

What online virtual volunteering programme are you passionate about?

Before applying to virtually volunteer, it’s important to establish what type of volunteer work you’re passionate about and have an interest in.

Whilst there are so many organisations to virtually volunteer at, in order for yourself and those you are working with to get the most out of your volunteering, think about who you like working with and what kind of impact and change you’d like to bring about.

VolunteerMatch is a great resource that allows you to find a number of virtual volunteering opportunities in the areas and industries you’re passionate about.

Once you’ve filtered your interests on their website, they generate vacancies that match your needs from their broad range of opportunities ranging from writing emails and newsletters to designing websites and teaching musical instruments!

Volunteering in a sector that really interests you is a great way to reduce stress and boost your happiness as you’re not only doing something you enjoy but you’re also helping others at the same time.
F Cancer has opportunities to remotely volunteer for a number of charities fighting cancer. On their website, they list the charity looking for help, the project they need help with and the amount of hours required to complete the project. Their virtual volunteering opportunities are primarily focused on content creation from video creation, to web design, PR and social media work.

Volunteering is a great way to boost your employability by gaining valuable skills relevant to the industry you’re considering a graduate career in, if you’re considering a creative graduate career, this is an excellent organisation to volunteer with.

Check out our blog post for more ways volunteering can boost your employability.

Unsure what graduate job is right for you? Take our career test for graduates with a complete guide to job sectors compiled by our industry expert recruiters!
The Silver Line is an excellent charity working to offer support for the elderly who are struggling with loneliness. They offer a 24/7 helpline for older people across the UK offering advice and support and regular ‘friendship’ calls.

They need more volunteer ‘telephone friends’ to carry out regular weekly calls to chat and check in with elderly people who may be struggling.
Help from Home run a virtual volunteering programme that is designed for those who want to volunteer but can’t commit to the same time each week.

They offer ‘micro-volunteering’ opportunities which are great for students’ changing schedules, so no matter if you have a spare half an hour or a whole day, you can make a real difference to someone’s life.

Their website lists hundreds of virtual volunteering opportunities to participate in with all achievable without leaving the house.
If you’re interested in mentoring a young person, the Prince’s Trust online mentoring programme is an excellent virtual volunteering opportunity to get involved with.

If you have a bit more time on your hands, this programme allows you to support a young person online who is looking to start their own business and empower them to take control of their learning and set their own goals.

The scheme provides you will all the necessary training and are on hand to help with any questions throughout your mentoring.

This is a highly rewarding virtual volunteering programme and one that will see you develop a number of valuable life skills. If you need help listing these skills on your graduate CV, visit our student and graduate blog for writing tips and free CV templates to download.
Launched by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Shout is a free 24/7 text messaging platform for people in a mental health crisis.

They are continually in need of online ‘Crisis Volunteers’ to respond to these texts and help those who need immediate mental health support.

Crisis Volunteers need to undergo 25 hours of online training over a six week period, and then after they are required to work just two hours a week.
If you have an interest in wildlife and conservation, virtually volunteering with the Zoological Society of London’s initiative – Insta nt Wild is a great programme to get involved with.

Volunteers help with vital animal monitoring work by watching live images and videos of locations from all around the world and then identifying the animals they see in each image.

By monitoring these animals, the information helps scientists to protect wildlife and develop methods for conserving them.
Be My Eyes is a brilliant app designed to easily help blind or low vision people with their daily tasks through a live video call.

By downloading their app you can become a sighted volunteer and offer visual assistance to those who need it with tasks such as reading expiry dates and reading instructions, helping them to lead more independent lives.

Find more virtual volunteering opportunities

The Gov.uk volunteering section has lots of advice and information on becoming a volunteer and most local councils also list opportunities or organisations in your area that are in need of volunteers.
Search the do something website for virtual volunteering opportunities.
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. They offer a number of online volunteering opportunities for skilled and passionate individuals.

Volunteering has many great benefits and now more than ever companies are offering virtual volunteering UK programmes to get involved with and are in need of volunteers. So, no matter if you can give up a day every week or a couple of hours, your time and efforts are extremely valuable to those in society who are in need.

Or if you’re considering volunteering abroad opportunities, check out our blog for advice and top tips for volunteering abroad.