About Opportunities

• Registered organisations may list as many opportunities for volunteers as they need.
• The Opportunity Registration Form can be filled out on-line. Volunteering Northland will double check all information before it is published.
• The more information that is provided, the easier it is to find the right volunteer(s).
• One opportunity might need several volunteers (one-off project or events) in which case it is sufficient to fill out only one form. For different opportunities fill out a form for each one.
• A volunteer should not usually be requested for a position that is in excess of 20 hours per week.
• Make it possible to share the opportunity if it requires a considerable amount of hours. You are more likely to get five people one morning a week than to get one person to work all mornings.
• Ensure the position is interesting, challenging and fun. Volunteers want to develop their skills, meet people, contribute to their community and enjoy their work.
• A voluntary position should not replace a job that was paid within the last six months.
• Opportunities should be open to everybody. However, occasionally there will be a valid reason why there must be a specific requirement, such as gender or age group.
• For one-off events, plan well in advance to make sure you will have volunteers when you need them.
• Think about the work you do. Is there any project you have wanted to commence, but for which you had no one available? Are there any tasks that you do - such as filing, word processing, writing media releases, answering telephones etc, that could be done by a volunteer? There are many high skilled people looking for opportunities.
• Let us know if you want support to write up an attractive opportunity.

Guidelines for volunteer opportunities

Appropriate:

• Where the work is for the benefit of voluntary, non-profit charitable organisations.
• Where the job has not been performed by a paid worker within the last six months.
• Where the job will not usually require more than 20 hours per week.

• Where new areas of work are being explored and volunteers may pave the way for the creation of new jobs.
• Where there is an agreement within the organisation about the nature and purpose of the volunteer involvement.
• Where staff acknowledge the value of the contribution of volunteers and adequate resources are made available to support, supervise and train the volunteers.
• Where there is an opportunity for the volunteer to benefit from the work by achieving personal goals.
• Where a task can be carried out better by a volunteer than by paid staff. This might include one-to-one befriending, advocacy, visiting, etc.
• Where a distinct area of work can be identified for which the volunteer can take responsibility and which complements or extends the work of paid staff.

Inappropriate:

• Where the work is for the benefit of a profit-making organisation.
• Where the volunteer receives remuneration implying low-wage status rather than voluntary work.
• Where the work will typically require more than 20 hours per week.
• Where the work is normally considered to be the responsibility of a statutory service, e.g. nursing care, teaching etc.

• Where the volunteer would be undertaking work which is the subject of an industrial dispute.
• Where the volunteer would be performing tasks carried out by paid staff in the past six months or where their involvement would reduce the likelihood of employment of paid staff.
• Where the involvement of volunteers would jeopardise the wage or employment conditions of paid staff.
• Where there is a disagreement within the organisation about the nature and purpose of volunteer involvement.
• Where there are insufficient resources to provide proper support, supervision, training and workspace for volunteers.
• Where there is no money available to pay volunteers out-of-pocket expenses.
• Where the work offers no rewards to the volunteer, e.g. work is too demanding, tedious, dirty and unpleasant and the volunteer does not have an opportunity to achieve personal goals.
• Where unacceptable risks to health and safety are involved, e.g. physically dangerous work, potentially violent work etc.

Types of volunteering

• Long-term: The traditional type of volunteering. A volunteer commits to a role at an organisation for at least three months and might work for the organisation for many years.
• Short-term: Volunters help out with a project that has a begin- and end-date. Like organising an event or sorting out a library.
• One-off: A volunteer helps out to complete a project that only takes a short while. It might just be for a few hours.
• Skills-based: An organisation might need the specialized skills and talents of an individual.
• Team: A group of friends or like-minded people may want to volunteer together as a group. Younger people tend to prefer to work in teams as well, on specific project that have a clear beginning and end. A mentor might accompany the team.
• Virtual: A volunteer completes tasks, off-site, for instance by using the Internet. This could be website maintenance, designing the newsletter, copywriting, etc.
• Events: Organisations that run community events need volunteers to make them happen. Recruitment of volunteers might start a year before the event.
• Corporate: Companies allow their employees to volunteer during work hours. These formalized Employee Volunteering Programs (EVPs) are regarded as a part of the companies' sustainability efforts and their social responsibility activities. They might offer their specialized skills, or work as a team on a one-off project.

Types of volunteer activities

Areas in which your organisation might offer volunteer placements:

Administration / General office type roles: