A helping hand: Voluntary work can bring unexpected rewards in your professional life

Like many people who were adopted as children, Dean Allen got to a point in his life when he decided he'd like to know more about his birth family. It was a journey that changed his life. The only problem was that he did it alone. He didn't know that adoption intermediaries, who make contact between adopted people and their birth families in a sensitive and professional manner, existed. That is, until he saw a television documentary about adoption reunions, which featured the adoption charity AAA-Norcap and its volunteer intermediaries. "It got me thinking about how exciting and enthralling it must be to get involved in adoption reunions like that," says Allen.

He is now a volunteer intermediary and a trustee of the charity. Most of the work is done by phone and letter, meaning that he can easily fit it around his day job. "I work in the insurance business and it's so nice to have this other area of my life where I deal with people and their emotions and I really help them," says Allen.

There are thousands of opportunities all over the country where people can volunteer the time and skills that suit them. Gone are the days when volunteering was just about giving – today's volunteers expect, quite rightly, to get something back, adds Jayne Villiers, a volunteer co-ordinator for Crimestoppers. "My volunteering experience has enabled me to meet new people, form new friendships and have a real sense of satisfaction," she says.

Chris Dobson, head of volunteering at the older people's charity WRVS – where volunteers do anything from delivering hot meals at Christmas to making daily phone calls to someone who may otherwise have no contact with anyone at all – agrees. "Making new friends is the reward people most commonly report, but others do it simply to have some fun," he says. "Then there are those for whom it's quite personal – perhaps a hospital has treated a loved one and they want to give something back or perhaps they've had a bereavement and they need to get out of the house. Some people, especially younger people, do it because they're interested in a career in a health setting and they want some experience."

Statistics show that the number of people volunteering has increased from 39 per cent in 2001 to 43 per cent last year. Mike Locke, director of public affairs at Volunteering England believes the general increase is down to the Government, who he says have tried very hard in policy and funding to get more people volunteering. "In fact," he says, "this Government – more than any other Government before – sees volunteering as an essential part of our social lives."

Locke has concerns about the current economic climate, fearing that an increase in overtime will mean people won't have the time to volunteer.

But Angela Hinker, head of HBOS Foundation, which organises volunteering opportunities for HBOS employees, is more optimistic. "We've found that volunteering is even more important at a time like this. It can act as the one positive thing in people's lives," she says. "Also, working with people with even bigger problems out in the community, does help them keep things in perspective."

HBOS is one of many businesses that offers a range of volunteering opportunities to staff. Last year alone, they were involved in 896 volunteer days and Hinker says the individuals, the local community organisations and HBOS all benefit. "When we asked colleagues for feedback, 93 per cent said they had a better working relationship as a result of the volunteering; 92 per cent said morale had improved; and 85 per cent said they felt more valued as employees."

Business in the Community – a group that helps to set up employee volunteering schemes for companies like HBOS – says employees gain new skills too. "Employee volunteering is moving from fairly basic team-building, such as painting a fence in a school, to more skills-based activities which can link people to development and training. They get the motivation of a team day, but the skills development too." Fujitsu, for instance, has linked its community work with its graduate development.

While Colin Barnett doesn't volunteer as part of his work, he has got permission from his employers to be on call 24/7 as part of his volunteering role at Kinder Mountain Rescue. "I was in my local pub and got talking to a couple of guys who were both in a local mountain rescue team," he says. "Having walked and climbed for most of my life, it sounded really interesting work and I decided to join the team. Seven years later, I am still in the team giving something back and using my skills to help others who need it in wild and wilderness places. We are on call in all weather."

You could even set up your own volunteering project, like Ali Saidi, who runs an after-school tennis project in his old school. "I'm studying chemical engineering at university and wanted to do something relaxing and different," he says. "Being a tennis coach, I thought that would be the best thing to get involved in."

Timebank – which helps match people with the right local volunteering opportunities to suit their interests and availability – helped Saidi set up the project. "I needed some help with things such as the paperwork and making sure it went smoothly and now it's going really well," he says.

Helen Walker, chief executive at Timebank, says volunteering doesn't have to be time consuming. It can be as little as an hour a month, she says, and volunteering opportunities are increasingly tailored to individual needs. "We know that if people are valued they will come back," she says. "So there needs to be a big emphasis on matching people with what they really want to do. There's no point in getting someone to clear out a garden if they want to work with young people."

Jason Tanner, spokesperson for Community Service Volunteers (CSV), says that one way to test the waters of volunteering is to get involved in the CSV Make a Difference Day on Saturday 25 October. "There are plenty of activities for the two weeks either side," he says. "Research shows that in previous years, up to two-thirds of participants have never volunteered before and up to two-thirds then go on to volunteer, so it's a great way to try it out."

'It makes me feel like I'm helping to make a difference'

Amarpal Bilkhu, 19, volunteers with the National Autistic Society, befriending a 10-year-old autistic boy

"I volunteered in a charity shop when I was at school. But after about two years, I decided I'd like to do something more demanding. As I'm studying to be a doctor, I thought it would be good to get some experience working with people.

For just over a year now, I've been befriending a 10-year-old boy with autism, who I take on trips to various places such as the cinema, the zoo and the aquarium. I also spend time at home with him which gives his parents some valuable respite.

At first, I found it quite difficult. He's got fairly poor communication skills, but I've learned his way of communicating. Now, I find it very satisfying, not only because it's helped develop my communication skills and confidence in speaking to patients, but because his parents say he is behaving better. That makes me feel like I'm helping to make a difference. Autistic people find it difficult to socialise but he's managed to build up a rapport with me.

It's also rewarding just to think I've helped him do things like use the train or hand over money in a shop."