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Mentoring and befriending

Mentoring and befriending is a one-to-one relationship where you volunteer your time to support and encourage someone else. For example, you can help someone experiencing the loss of a family member or coping with a change in personal circumstances, like redundancy or retirement.

Rachel's story - peer mentoring

Rachel Casey, 21, is the first person in Kent to qualify as a peer mentor for the Kent 16plus Service. This service works for children in and leaving care.

Rachel, from Dover, was helped by a mentor when she was younger, so she decided to try it herself.

"My mentor gave me a lot of confidence without pressuring me to do things. But it wasn't just sitting around talking - she suggested things we could do. And it was fun.

"I've just passed my BTEC diploma in mentoring and I'm looking at going into youth work. I certainly don't think I would have thought about doing that if I hadn't done it through my volunteering. But not only that, volunteering gives you a lot of self esteem and it does help you feel good about yourself."

Rachel is now mentoring another Rachel, 18, who in turn plans to become a peer mentor herself.

"I think she likes being mentored - she hasn't told us otherwise yet!” said Rachel. “When I first met her, she was at quite a vulnerable stage, but she's really progressed. It's been really nice seeing her blossom, and knowing that I've helped."

You can find more information and various mentoring opportunities on the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation website.

• Mentoring and Befriending Foundation Opens new window

Volunteering in your community

Donating just a few hours each week can make a real difference within your local area. From helping run a community-based recycling scheme to providing support over local health issues, there are many ways to help.

Visit the Community Service Volunteers website for more information on what's available and examples of structured local projects.

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Sheby’s story - Concrete to Coriander

Sheby volunteers on the 'Concrete to Coriander' project. It's run by CSV Environment and the Bangladesh Women's Garden Club at Small Heath Park in Birmingham. The project lets people use existing gardens, many of which have been long abandoned, as allotments to grow fruit and vegetables.

"I started volunteering on the project four years ago. I found out about it because my mother was the chairperson of the project. Now it is a thing that my whole family enjoys. Even my kids come along in the school holidays and they love it.

"Volunteering with Concrete to Coriander is a great opportunity to meet people from the community and talk and laugh with them. It is also a good way to keep fit and healthy."

• Concrete to Coriander project Opens new window

Managing volunteers

Many community organisations rely on volunteers to help them with their work. The volunteers may be supervised by a volunteer manager, whose duties include recruiting and managing other volunteers, in addition to their other responsibilities.

Volunteer management at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

Good volunteer management is vital to the smooth running of the RSPB. For every paid employee, the organisation works with approximately eight volunteers. Volunteers fulfill a wide range of roles, ranging from quantity surveyors to breeding bird surveyors.

Alan Murray is Head of Volunteering Development at the RSPB. He talks about the importance of volunteer management for the organisation, and how they go about supporting and managing their 14,900 volunteers:

"It’s not the same as managing paid staff. In a lot of ways it’s actually trickier getting people to do something for your organisation unpaid."

The RSPB runs five ‘Working with volunteers’ training courses a year for volunteers and staff responsible for managing volunteers. The course covers a variety of topics, like reasons for involving volunteers, recruitment, induction, management and dealing with difficult situations.

The RSPB employs 20 Volunteering Development Officers. Volunteers themselves are a key part of these teams. This is because the RSPB sees it as important to ‘practice what they preach’ with regards to volunteer involvement and volunteer management.

The role of the teams is similar to Human Resources. They help staff and volunteers with all elements of volunteer management, from identifying appropriate roles to recruitment and management of difficult situations.

In the RSPB, the Personnel Department looks after the paid workforce and the Volunteering Development Department is responsible for volunteers. From Alan’s perspective this is key. It recognises the uniquely specialist skills required to support, motivate and manage volunteers and to develop volunteering within an organisation.

• Volunteering for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Opens new window

Volunteering to work with animals

Jo's story - Cats Protection

After finding a stray cat in their garden, Jo and Julian got involved with the North Herts branch of Cats Protection.

Jo says: “Finding the time to volunteer can be a big consideration for a lot of people. I don't have much spare time left in between running a business and volunteering. But I think a lot of people could find a spare hour or so a week, as there are many types of volunteering opportunities available.”

• North Herts Cats Protection Opens new window

Alison's story - dog socialising

Alison started volunteering at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home after the death of her identical twin, Margaret, from breast cancer last year. She says volunteering has helped her cope with Margaret's death, and in her recovery from the depression it caused.

"I feel so much better after I have been with the dogs - it's hard to be miserable once you've been around them. And dog-walking is good exercise too - which also helps depression," she says.

Alison volunteers twice a week at Battersea, and this has led to her volunteering for other organisations, in addition to working part-time. She says that although working with the animals is a major benefit to her, she has also found that mixing with other people at Battersea has helped her recovery.

• Volunteering opportunities at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home Opens new window

Useful links

• Winners and case studies of The Queen's Awards for Voluntary Service

• Case studies of people awarded honours