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Advice & Tips

Your guide to finding the right volunteer opportunity.

Connections

Why a willingness to listen and a genuine desire to help is all you need to volunteer

“When I first started volunteering, I just wanted to make some friends and get to know the local community. I didn’t expect to form a friendship that would mean so much to me.” That’s how Fergus describes the start of his volunteering journey. Having recently arrived in Australia, Fergus, who has a background in medical and paramedic studies, wanted a way to connect and form friendships with people outside of work.

How being a companion helped this volunteer better understand life in Australia

When Maheshkumar Pandya first discovered the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme (ACVVS) through SEEK Volunteer, he saw it as a way to give back to the community. What he didn’t expect was the wealth of knowledge he'd gain and the friendships he'd make – not to mention the joy of an unexpected karaoke session.

How providing companionship creates meaningful connections both ways

For aged-care volunteer John Bende, the benefits flow both ways. When he discovered an Aged Care Volunteer Visitor role on SEEK Volunteer, John knew it would be another great way to give back to his local community.While he already knew how rewarding volunteering could be, he didn’t expect to make such good friendships with the people he’d be visiting.

Kindness matters: How volunteering can spread positivity

Simple gestures of kindness can sometimes make the world of difference. Kindness matters because it has the power to improve lives, build stronger communities, and create a ripple effect of positivity. One of the most effective ways to spread kindness is through volunteering. By helping others, you can not only improve their lives but also enrich your own.

How volunteering can help ease loneliness

Loneliness is something many people experience – it can affect people of all ages and backgrounds. It’s natural to feel lonely or isolated at time, especially if you’re living far from loved ones, going through a period of change, or find it difficult to make connections. The holiday season, with its focus on togetherness, can sometimes highlight these feelings – but it also offers an opportunity to create new bonds.

Building a stronger community through volunteering

The pace of modern life can make it tricky to spend time fostering community. However, there are many important health benefits to a strong community that make it worth the effort. A strong community not only provides a sense of belonging and support, it contributes greatly to your overall well-being.

Don’t know what to do with your life? Find your purpose through volunteering

It’s not uncommon to sometimes feel that your life lacks direction. Many people reach a point where they ask themselves, “What else could I be doing with my life?” This question can tend to pop up around big life events—graduating from school, changing careers, or reaching a milestone birthday.

Making friends through volunteering

With so much of our lives spent online, social isolation has become a real issue for many people. This is especially true if you’re new to a city, have a demanding job, work remotely or simply find it challenging to meet new people. The result can be intense feelings of loneliness.

Finding your life purpose through volunteering

In the quest to find more meaning and purpose in life, many people turn to self-reflection and looks for ways to experience personal growth. One popular way to give your days more purpose is through volunteering for a cause you care about. By dedicating your time and energy to doing something that can make a positive impact on others, you can learn more about yourself and your purpose in life.

How to give guidance and support through mentoring

Are you a passionate community member with a knack for connecting with others? Or simply someone with a decent amount of life and work experience looking for a way to give back? Mentoring could be the ideal volunteering opportunity for you, allowing you to make a real difference in the lives of others.?

What to expect when you apply for a volunteering role

When you first decide to volunteer, the anticipation can be exciting. You’ve found some capacity in your life and volunteering is how you have decided to use this time. You’re feeling proud of yourself and ready for the opportunity to help others.

Raising a toast to you on International Volunteer Day

International Volunteer Day is a United Nations recognised occasion, occurring every year on December 5th. It offers us an opportunity to reflect on all the amazing volunteer work being done in our communities, as well as shed light on some causes that still need a helping hand.

Introverted and wanting to volunteer? Here’s how

Think volunteering is off the table just because you’re an introvert? It doesn’t have to be. Introverts possess an array of unique skills and aptitudes (some that you may not even be aware of yourself) that fit perfectly into the volunteering landscape.?

The top 10 most in-demand volunteer roles

With the rising cost of living, individuals and families are leaning on community services more than ever before. In many instances, the only way organsations can meet the increased demand for their services is through the help of volunteers.

Give the gift of friendship this festive season

While many people have plans with loved ones over the Christmas season, there are also countless Australians who spend the holidays alone.

Only have a small amount of time to give? Event volunteering is for you

Time. It’s the main barrier to volunteering. Most of us want to volunteer but can’t find enough time. Combine this with the warmer weather and local communities encouraging people to head out and about again, events are now returning to our calendars.

How volunteering can build important social connections

Whether you’re someone who makes New Year’s Resolutions or not, the closing of one year and the beginning of another offers an informal milestone to reflect on the past and plan for the future.

Helping you navigate vaccination requirements when volunteering 

Trying to find the right volunteer opportunity can take time. SEEK Volunteer has many useful ways which can help you search thousands of opportunities to help fast track your journey to volunteering.

The value of reconnecting and what it could look like for you

It’s been over a year since our country catapulted into a procession of droughts, bushfires, flooding and the global pandemic. Amidst these disasters, almost six million volunteers dedicated over 600 million hours to help others

New year, new ways to volunteer

Take a big deep breath out. 2020 has turned its final page and a new year is upon us.

How volunteering can positively impact your kids

Do you want to spend quality time together as a family? Why not volunteer to help others? Volunteering as a family can be very rewarding and at the same time give back to the community.

Sharing your creative talents through volunteering

Whilst we may not all be able to write songs like David Bowie or paint like Picasso, at some level, we are all creative. It might be as simple as a knack for capturing the perfect photograph, a flair for flowers, your prowess in the kitchen or perhaps you just have an innate ability to look at things in new and unorthodox ways.

Penny’s Story

I started being a volunteer in 1995 with a group called Kids camps. I was a street kid living in a youth hostel at the time and had no real direction till one of the youth workers asked if I wanted to help on one of these camps.

Di’s Story

I decided that a great way to start my volunteering was to apply to St Vincent De Paul’s, a wonderful chain of op-shops that donate to the less fortunate.

Claudette’s Story

I first started volunteering at the Centre when my children left home and I had retired. The initial decision was made because it was so close to home, but now it has become an integral part of my week.

Emma’s Story

Every year at SEEK we are provided with a volunteer day where we can leave the office and choose to volunteer with an organisation of our choice. Last year, my team chose to volunteer as a group at the Royal Children’s Hospital in the cancer ward.

You can help change someone’s life

If you’re thinking about volunteering, it can help to understand more about the impact you can have. Volunteers help to deliver critical services to our community that wouldn’t otherwise be delivered.

Friends who volunteer together, stick together

It is an all too common occurrence. It’s July, and you realise you haven’t seen your best friend since February. You both reach for diaries to find a time to get together but between kids’ sport, work trips, holidays and a seemingly endless stream of birthday celebrations, you both realise that the first weekend you both have free isn’t until late October. Yep, October.

Cameron’s Story

We knew we were signing up for a physical challenge, but we didn’t realise the extent to which it would provide us with a mental challenge, team building experience, and how much we would really contribute to Oxfam.

Brigid’s Story

I wanted to use my work/life experience and skills in a meaningful way to volunteer, so when I found the opportunity on SEEK to provide mentoring to an underprivileged child through the Smith Family, I knew it was the right choice for me.

Bill and Maree’s Story

Grandparents Bill and Maree volunteer for Easy Care Gardening one day a week.

Be brave – step out of your comfort zone

The comfort zone – that wonderful place where your tracksuit pants and stained but much-loved Princess Diana commemorative coffee mug are free to roam. A place without hustle or hassle, a place of routine and familiarity.

How to find connection through volunteering

Many of us are already volunteers without really considering ourselves as such. Our passions, interests and communities often instinctively lead us to become involved in volunteer activities which are close to our heart and strengthen our immediate communities.

New Year, New Me, Now What?

Now that the clock has ticked past January 1st, so begins that little voice inside our head reeling off all the self-improvements for the new year ahead.