Established over 50 years ago, Volunteer Glasgow is the city’s one stop shop for volunteering and exists to improve the quality of life of its residents by promoting volunteering. Volunteer Glasgow’s Volunteering Support Team provides a range of services to help empower more people to take up appropriate, high-quality, inclusive volunteering opportunities in the organisations and communities across the city that need their support. There’s a huge range of activities to get involved in – with a wide range of organisations, charities, community groups and clubs – and some opportunities only require a few hours of your time each month. Benefits of Volunteering: The wellbeing benefits of volunteering have been well documented and can include: Building confidence & self-worth Learning new Skills Meeting new people Improving your employability Feeling part of your community Having fun It’s about finding the right fit for you. How do I get started? You can search and register for volunteering opportunities by clicking the website link at the top of the page. If you would prefer to speak with an adviser, why not stop by our weekly volunteering drop-in which takes place on Wednesdays between 11am – 1pm at the offices of Skills Development Scotland (SDS, Monteith House, 11 George Square, Glasgow G2 1DY. If you require further guidance or support, give us a call on (0141) 226 3431 or email [email protected]. Support for Referral Agency organisations If you are a Referral Agency organisation working with groups and individuals who may benefit from volunteering, Volunteer Glasgow’s Volunteering Support Team offers regular free Volunteering Toolkit training which has been designed especially to empower your organisation to support your clients and service users more effectively to access volunteering. For a fee, we can also provide bespoke training for you and a team of colleagues. We also host quarterly networking sessions which provide a fantastic opportunity to meet your peers from other referral agency organisations, and to share your ideas and experiences around volunteering. Frequently asked questions about volunteering Will volunteering affect my benefits? Volunteering should not affect anybody's ability to claim benefits and is, in fact, actively encouraged by DWP as an activity that can improve general well-being as well as enhancing a person's employability. The UK Government web site says: “You can volunteer and claim benefits if: The only money you get from volunteering is to cover expenses, like travel costs. You continue to meet the conditions of the benefit you get.” Will I get expenses? Most organisations are keen to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses and will do this appropriately. This would typically be travel expenses, on receipt of a bus/ train ticket, or lunch if you are volunteering more than 4 hours in a day. Some organisations are unable to offer expenses which can, sadly, creates a barrier for those who are unable to meet the costs out of their own pocket. Every opportunity that we advertise on our website indicates whether expenses are paid or not. It is then up to the individual to decide whether they want to volunteer for that organisation. Volunteering with a criminal record Most convictions do not automatically exclude people from volunteering. Around half of all opportunities advertised via Volunteer Glasgow website do not criminal record disclosure. If you do disclose convictions you will likely be given an opportunity to discuss the circumstances. If a role involves regulated work i.e. unsupervised contact with children or vulnerable adults, the organisation supporting you has a legal obligation to ensure that you undergo a PVG check to minimise any risk to its service users. I’ve applied for a volunteering role on the Volunteer Glasgow website – what happens next? You should hear from the opportunity provider within a few days but some can take longer. If you hear nothing from them after the individual opportunity stated response time then contact us and we will follow it up for you. You may then be asked to visit for an informal chat, complete an application form, provide references and/or undergo a PVG check depending on the role you are applying for, wait for the next training intake or start tomorrow! Selections methods are varied but you should be kept in the loop at all stages.