Why is it so hard 2 find a charity that I can volunteer for?

mbdx3bbl

I've been looking for a volunteer position in helping refugees for a quite long time. I've got a master degree in HRD, which basicially teaches ppl how to settle down and helps them find a job. I had some volunteer experience be4 but not in helping refugees. I've got couple of foreign friends who I helped thr all these yrs - draw them a plan and give suggestions etc.
I've tried the refugee action which based in manchester when they had vacancies, and nw i'm still on the waiting list, forever.

I just don't know if it's purely my problem or am I looking into a wrong direction. Help plz.

BTW. I run a small trading company so hv plenty of time to do the work as long as someone need me.:o

AJ73

Hi,


Although I appreciate this is a forum and not your application email, if you do use the same style of writing in your emails to charities I would advise you not to use txt talk, which many people find off putting.


If the charities you wish to volunteer for have specific roles then my advice would be to email back applying for that specific role, be persistent, if you're then the charity will be interested.


Regard,

Savvy_Sue

I work for a charity. It can take several months to get from the "I'd like to volunteer for you" call to actually starting work with us.

A call to check on how their processes work might be helpful.

Ours starts with an invitation to a session where we explain what we do, how we do it, and why we do it that way. These are held 3-4 times a year, so if you've just missed one there's a bit of a wait there.

If you want to take it further, we ask you to complete an application form. We interview you, take up references, and carry out a CRB check.

THEN we start offering you 'slots' on our rota.

Maybe they work in a similar way?

fengirl_2

I used to be chair of a small refugee support organisation and we were always snowed under with applications from volunteers - for some reason this sector seems to attract a lot of people! There were always more than we could usefully use and I'm sure other organisations agree that it is better to not engage volunteers when there is no real job for them to do.
Have you been to your local Volunteer Centre to see if there are similar opportunities in other orgs?

mbdx3bbl

hi sorry about my "cv-complain" post just i've been wondering around for half a yr now..and im a bit desperate :P (run my own charity is my dream but i can't find a start if this explains why im here)
Thanks for all the advice and i'll keep trying sending cv and giving calls to them. Thank you.

LittleVoice

mbdx3bbl wrote: »

. I've got a master degree in HRD, which basicially teaches ppl how to settle down and helps them find a job./quote]

HRD = Human Resource Development ???

Where did you do a Masters course which taught you how to settle down and find a job?

MrsTinks

mbdx3bbl wrote: »

hi sorry about my "cv-complain" post just i've been wondering around for half a yr now..and im a bit desperate :P (run my own charity is my dream but i can't find a start if this explains why im here)
Thanks for all the advice and i'll keep trying sending cv and giving calls to them. Thank you.

OK I'm gonna jump on this because I have some knowledge in setting up a charity and the sheer blood and tears that goes into it!
How do you propose to feed yourself or are you going to be making a living from running a charity? If you are then be prepared for it to take A LOT of years for a charity to have the need and the funds for a paid position!
The rules for setting up a charity are incredibly strict and you are governed every millimetre of the way by the charity commission - and they do NOT have a sense of humour. If they dislike how you have phrased a paragraph they will reject the application for the charity until it meets their approval.

I think being involved in charity work is great and should be encouraged but having an ambition to one day run a charity? New one on me

What out of interest would your mission statement be?

As for doing voluntary work - keep sending your CV and covering letter to charities - I don't know much about immigration charities to be honest, mainly St Johns and animal rescue, but as mentioned please make sure you do not use text speak I used to employ a lot of people and I'd forgive spelling errors in their applications but I wouldn't even reply to applications if I found as much as one "txt spk" in there...

Savvy_Sue

MrsTine wrote: »

but as mentioned please make sure you do not use text speak I used to employ a lot of people and I'd forgive spelling errors in their applications but I wouldn't even reply to applications if I found as much as one "txt spk" in there...

That may be a bit harsh, depending on what the volunteer wants to do. We do have an application form for volunteers, and although I'm not sure we state anything explicit on it, we would certainly not rule someone out if they had difficulty filling forms in, or if they needed help filling forms in. I don't think that really applies to the OP, so possibly a side issue.

However it always worries me that we expect our volunteers to take in a lot of information which we provide in a handbook. We do 'talk through' what's in it, and then send them away with it, but it still seems that puts a barrier between us and any volunteer who struggles with reading, or whose first language isn't English.

PS I agree with you about the difficulties of setting up a charity. Don't do it unless you absolutely have to! Far better to set up a local branch of an existing charity, or support an existing charity. No point re-inventing the wheel, which you will end up doing if you start from scratch!

aberdour

I had exactly the same problem. I've been registered with various organisations/volunteer centres to help refugees for years and have never been offered any work. I have a French degree which I thought would help since many refugees come from French-speaking N.Africa. Obviously not!

Savvy_Sue

Well, after seeing what fengirl said in post 4 there may be a reason there.

We aren't a refugee charity, but I know that some of our potential volunteers feel ignored too, at least initially. For example, three people expressed interest to me not long ago, so I passed their details on to my colleague who deals with this. I know they've been added to 'the list' for the next evening we hold, but meanwhile one of them has said to one of our existing volunteers that they haven't heard anything yet. They will, just not quite yet.

Meanwhile people who have attended one of our evenings are being invited in for interviews and to check ID for CRB checks, but there are only so many hours in the day for doing this, so it does take time.

It is always worth checking with a charity how their recruitment of volunteers 'works', and making sure a letter hasn't gone astray or you haven't fallen down some crack somewhere. It happens in the best organised of places!

epsilondraconis

mbdx3bbl wrote: »

I've got a master degree in HRD, which basicially teaches ppl how to settle down and helps them find a job.
...
hi sorry about my "cv-complain" post just i've been wondering around for half a yr now..and im a bit desperate :P

A friend of mine applied to a large number of charities after deciding to change career, however they weren't offered anything either. He wasn't even seeking paid employment and was happy to work for nothing for 12 months or so. He too had a degree, albeit in IT as opposed to HRD.

I guess worst case scenario, you will need to employ some of the techniques you learnt during your masters to help you find a job and settle down.

I have to say that if I were in your position, I wouldn't have used text speak on this forum. You need to think that every encounter you have in life could be an opportunity for you. I'm just thinking that someone who works for a charity may have read your post and thought that you sounded like the type of person they were looking for. They may have PM'd you and someone positive could have happened. As it is, you seem to have turned some people off by using text speak, plus there is poor punctuation and it just looks like your posts were rushed and not thought out. This is after you state that your have been waiting 6 months for something to happen and have plenty of spare time available. Please don't think I'm being unduly critical - I'm simply telling you of my immediate reaction upon reading your posts.

Anyway, I trust you'll find something soon.