Volunteers make all the difference
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Lauren and Busayo from Impact Black explain why volunteering has been important to them, to Impact Black, and the organisations they support
Volunteering may range from unpaid support to individuals who aren’t relatives, to volunteering for a group, club or organisation, including roles such as being a trustee, or a governor. Volunteering may also refer to regular activity or can be one off help. 28 million people in England have volunteered recently, and between 2016-20, 24% of Black people aged 16 or over volunteered at least once a month.
Volunteering can have a massive impact on volunteers, as well as the individuals and organisations that they’re volunteering for in a multitude of ways - social benefits; the joy of giving back; enhancing your skill set and more.
Our experiences of volunteering have given us a sense of belonging, personal growth and have been a source of joy and friendship. In addition to this they have informed the development of what we do at Impact Black. As encouragement to others to get involved we want to share what our experiences have meant to us at Impact Black.
Busayo
For me volunteering fulfils a need to be present in my community and to give to others in the way that I know many people have given to me in the past.
Throughout most of my career I have worked in not-for-profit organisations and so sometimes I have felt like I have met that need in my day-to-day work but I think its important for me to do more. I think there is something important about giving your time without being paid for it. I personally try to fit my volunteering around my personal passions and pre-existing skill sets. I have a lot of experience in recruitment for many years so much of my volunteering has been focused on helping younger people with their careers. I also really enjoy giving talks and delivering training so I've been drawn to organisations that support young people to learn. I especially like to help young Black men because I feel like I can relate with their experience trying to get on the career ladder.
In a similar way to paid employment most volunteering opportunities within racial justice organisations aren’t advertised. We are trying to address this at Impact Black but as things stand if volunteering is something that you’re interested in doing you may have to seek it out by approaching organizations cold or building relationships with charity employees. Most of the volunteering that I have done has come through existing relationships or people I have met after taking part in formally advertised volunteering opportunities.
It has been relatively easy for me find volunteering opportunities because I have worked in this space so I have a rough idea of what to look for but others may have to build this privilege over time.
At Impact Black we try to make it as easy as possible for people to get involved. We share information about organisations that work around racial justice in our newsletters and social media posts and you can also register to be part of our Leadership Accelerator Programme which will give you some very specific things you can do to have an impact in our society. If you’re currently thinking about how, you can give your time to a positive cause then join our mailing list you may find something that suits you.
Lauren
Volunteering has supported me to build connections with people, and helped me to learn more about myself. At 16, I volunteered at the office of a local charity, which supported me to have a better understanding of my local community, and how local organisations and institutions worked. Since then, through other volunteering opportunities, I have ended up meeting some of my closest friends.
Most recently, I volunteered for Race Equality Foundation as part of Impact Black’s Leadership Accelerator Programme, which gave me the opportunity to use her communications skills to support the organisation. I also enjoyed learning more about the work that the organisation does.
Across my career I have also worked with people who have been volunteers at non-profit organisations, including working for a short time as a Volunteer Manager.
A lot of non-profit organisations have limited resources - including time. But volunteers can provide more time whilst bringing fresh insights and ideas. There’s often been a wide variety of tasks that volunteers could support. When I’ve worked with volunteers, it’s always been important for me to find out what they want to get out of it, and try to accommodate that. For example, some preferred more internet research based tasks, others preferred to not use technology. It’s really important that they are getting the most out of the experience and it’s working for them.”
The benefits of more time and fresh ideas resonate with the racial justice organisations that we’ve worked with, such as Race Equality Foundation and Safety Box. The cohort members and I supported the organisations with an online campaign and recruiting advisory boards.
Some cohort members on the Programme also supported us at Impact Black with researching into accrediting our programmes.
Having volunteers join us at Impact Black has been refreshing. We were able to benefit from their external perspectives. They have been able provide research that will shape the way we operate in the future.
Through supporting charities working to end racism, not only can we learn more about ourselves, and support our own career prospects, but we can also bring value to these organisations, and the individuals that they support. Whether it’s a one off or on a regular basis, volunteering makes a difference. If you’ve never volunteered before, or haven’t volunteered in a while, why not get involved today?
