5 Volunteering Ideas that take Less than An Hour

Volunteering by definition is freely offering to do something, or working without being paid. Whether you’ve got a charity in mind when raising awareness, there are ways to volunteer that take no time at all. Volunteering doesn’t have to take hours out of your week, or something that you’re committed to for months on end, any way that you can help raise awareness benefits a non-profit organisation.

So, what can you do to volunteer in less than an hour? Here are some ideas that make a world of difference in the shortest time.

Sharing with friends and posting on your social channels

Regardless of your social channel of choice, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or even TikTok, there are ways to support charities by sharing their content with your followers. Visited a shop and grabbed a bargain? Share! Dropped donations at a charity reuse bank? Share! Seen a moving story from someone that has been involved with the charity? Share!

Never underestimate the power of social, and one thing is certain that whilst we’re all unable to meet and share stories in person, social has become our connection to the rest of the world which can be huge for awareness.

Sorting stock for charity shops

Charity shops rely on the fact people donate high quality clothes, books, bric-a-brac and more to stock their shelves and keep footfall into the stores, but you don’t have to spend hours of your day helping to sort stock. If you’ve got items sitting, unloved, then sort them out, bag or box up and send them to us and we have a number of ways you can donate your items, such as our retail banks, our free postal services and of course, our shops when they reopen post-lockdown.

Have a call with someone who needs a chat

Whether it’s a friend, colleague, family member or complete stranger you’ve seen isn’t coping very well, sometimes lending an ear to listen to someone can mean more than anything. Volunteering to take the time to support someone in their time of need can make the world of difference to both people, especially at the moment when the world isn’t quite back to normal.

Walk an hour a day to help raise awareness

Exercise is something that is so easy to put off, but when it’s done, you often feel so much better for it. If you’re in the routine of walking or running regularly, or maybe you’ve joined an online gym class, then think about how you can spread awareness of a charity that means a lot to you. Most charities have running vests, iron on stickers or lanyards they can donate to people who are out and about in the community.

Do what you can in the community

Being safe during the pandemic is paramount, but there’s so much you can do to volunteer for a charity in the community. Whether it’s doing a solo litter pick for an hour in aid of your chosen charity or simply sharing the events and work that is continuing for many in preparation post-lockdown, all of these activities are crucial to gaining awareness for charities who rely on public support.

For more information on volunteering for The Air Ambulance Service, see what opportunities are available here.