This week we had the opportunity to speak with one of our most active volunteers for Building Futures Together, Shelly. Building Futures Together currently run a befriending programme aimed at reducing isolation and loneliness in the Slough area.
Her motivation behind volunteering for this amazing charity was to get the chance to help a broad range of people with various issues. Her volunteering journey has included helping both children and adults so that she feels she is really making a difference wherever possible. Shelly describes herself as “someone who loves to help people” and that most definitely shows!
“It gives me satisfaction to know someone is being helped”.
Shelly expressed that the pandemic and certain volunteering services becoming more remote in response to social distancing measures, has given her the opportunity to have experience in volunteering both online and offline. The advice she gives to those looking to take up volunteering is to do a mixture of the two if you can, as the flexibility allows you to have a wider experience, and a better understanding of the help you are providing. The rise of flexible or ‘Micro Volunteering’ is something that we have explored within previous Volunteero blogs so it’s great to get some first hand insight from our own users.
“I enjoy working alone but I also like working as a team as I feel this gives you experience and a good outlook on life doing both”.
Most of the memorable experiences Shelly has gained throughout her volunteering journey has been when working with children, as she has felt a lot of fulfilment being part of the learning experience when helping out in the creche. In terms of Building Futures Together, she has found a passion for “supporting people who are going through a hard time”.
In terms of the future, Shelly intends to carry on volunteering with Building Futures Together, as well as taking on some more face to face roles, helping and supporting those in need.
A big thank you to Shelly and her astounding volunteering efforts! If you'd like to know more about how your charity can improve the experience for your volunteers and save a great deal of time in the process, please get in touch or book a demo.
