Volunteer your skills and change the world

A skills-based volunteer is an experienced person who volunteers to share their professional skills with a good cause for a specific project or an ongoing role. The volunteer’s expertise could include a wide range of specialisms such as HR, digital, finance or marketing - areas which are generally under-resourced in the charity sector. 

There are a number of reasons why you should volunteer: 

• Support a cause that you believe in - Volunteering is a great way to support a cause that is close to your heart. Whether you want to help tackle the climate crisis, support marginalised groups or do something within your local community, you will find an organisation in need of your expertise.
• Make a difference - Your professional skills could make a real difference, particularly to small charities that are often overstretched and under-resourced. The skills that you use in your day job are incredibly valuable and charities will be grateful for your expertise and guidance.
• A sense of meaning and purpose - Being part of a cause and acting in solidarity with others can bring a sense of belonging and community. Being involved in something bigger than yourself can help to give your life greater meaning and purpose.
• Volunteering is good for you - Volunteering is good for your overall well-being. Serving others and making a difference can be really rewarding and make you happier in a more holistic way. It’s also a great way to meet and interact with new people.
• Personal and professional development - Volunteering is a good opportunity to broaden your experience, meet new people and develop skills such as leadership and influencing. You will be using your expertise in a new environment, facing fresh challenges and learning how to deal with different situations - all of which will benefit you in your personal and professional life.
• The world needs you - The world is facing a lot of significant challenges right now and needs all of us to step up and help. By working together, sharing skills and expertise, we will create a thriving, fair and sustainable society. 

Read some of stories from the Reach community to see how others have made a difference.

Organisations can post three kinds of roles on Reach - project roles, ongoing roles and Trustee/Governor roles. Time commitment can vary, but you can specify your availability when searching for roles. Even if you have just a few hours a week, we’re confident you’ll be able to find something suitable.

Reach opportunities fall into three categories - short-term projects, ongoing roles and trustee/governor roles. Short-term projects and ongoing roles need to relate to one of our skills areas, which include most skills within creative services, business development and strategic planning. Take a look at our opportunity search to get a better picture of what's available.

We review all opportunities to make sure that they:

• require three or more years professional experience in one of our skills areas
• are unpaid
• are based in the UK
• are not overly burdensome on the volunteer, for example, line managing paid staff or requiring more than 15 hours a week

We also accept opportunities specifically for trustees with lived experience of your cause, either with or without specified professional skills.

Our services are always free to volunteers, and there are two ways in which volunteers can apply for roles.

Create a volunteer profile

Create your volunteer profile, which involves writing a bit about yourself, your interests and availability for volunteering. We will also ask you to provide either a CV or link to your LinkedIn profile. We’ll use these to check that you meet our criteria for volunteers.

You can choose to make your profile public, or for organisations to see it only once you have applied to a role. 

Once your profile has been approved, you can search the Reach platform for opportunities and find an amazing cause that needs your skills.

Apply as a guest 

To apply as a guest, search for an opportunity, then select “Apply” then “Apply with a guest account”.

You will be taken through to a quick form, where you can share some information about yourself and your work history, and apply for the opportunity you're interested in.

We’ll review your application and work history to make sure you meet our criteria and the essential requirements for the role,

Once we’ve approved your application, it will be sent through to the organisation. You'll be able to manage your applications and talk to the organisation searching for a volunteer through your dashboard.Your guest account will expire after 30 days, or once you have applied for 5 roles.