[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Volunteering is on the rise with many people getting involved in some kind of charity work. At Awareness Foundation, we keep our doors open to volunteers. Volunteers are not only beneficial to us for service delivery, they are also incidental to our operations.
Our volunteers lend their expertise on the board of Trustees, to fundraising campaigns and special events, and they provide additional services with specialized skills as well.
Through our volunteers we can reduce our operating costs, the costs of hiring a full time or part time employee. Volunteers with high-level skills can be the key to maximum mission capacity.
The benefits for volunteering are enormous. Volunteering offers vital help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and impact on the community. It helps the volunteer to find friends, connect with the community, learn new skills, and even advance their careers.
Since 2019, we partnered with the University of Chester to help advance careers of some students who want to volunteer and are interested in our programs. We have been offering 150-hour-work based learning placement that help students develop the required skills in the workplace, in order for them to become more competent future job applicants.
This placement gives our volunteers the opportunity to practice important skills, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization. It also helps further develop the volunteers’ social media and marketing skills. The students/volunteers develop practical and work-related skills, build their professional network and enhance their employability.
The students/volunteers start by taking orientation and training in Health & safety, and safeguarding. Then they get introduced to our mission, vision, policies and procedures. The Awareness Foundation recruit, train, supervise, support and acknowledge the volunteers by thanking them at the end of the placement. We share with them details about the impact their work makes. We provide them with evaluation and a recommendation letter. We make sure to let them know that they are welcome to come back again.
The bottom line, volunteering can be fun and easy way to explore interests and passions. It can be meaningful, interesting and an energizing escape from the routine of school or family commitments.
Recruiting volunteers is as important as raising money, both opponents not only help our charity survive, but also thrive.
Reem Essa
CEO[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]