GVC has been up and running since 2006 and works in the Galway city and county. What we do is very simple. If are interested in volunteering, we can meet and provide you with a wide range of choices in what you can do, and we also help you to find a volunteering opportunity that is most suited to you.
Usually we have other 100 ‘live’ opportunities so we almost always find something you would like to do. There is no obligation on you to volunteer immediately if you use the service, so there is no pressure! To date GVC has found volunteer work for 500 people all over the county.
When organisations need volunteers they fill out a job description, so for each opportunity we have details on what the work entails, where it happens, and at what time it takes place. We are able to provide you with all the information you will need to make a decision on where to volunteer?
So WHY Volunteer?
People often think that volunteering is some sort of sacrifice of time, and volunteers get no benefit. This is not the case. Research shows that volunteering is good for your health and it increases your employability. People volunteer to meet other people, learn new skills, gain experience that can help with career development, and to get a different perspective on life.
Sometimes your own problems don’t seem so bad when you are helping other people with far more difficult challenges in their lives.
Fundraising Roles – Help needed
As you probably have noticed there are always organisations that hold street collections or bag-packing events to raise funds.. We would ask you to please consider helping out with these as it is getting harder and harder for community groups to raise funds at the moment. A lot of organisations rely solely on this type of fundraising to do their valuable work.
From talking to people we meet in the office, we know that these type of roles are not seen as the most ‘glamorous’ for volunteers, but we would ask you to have a think about the following:
— People generally don’t like fundraising because they think you may have to hassle people for money. A lot of the time this is not the case, as a lot of organisations are selling badges, daffodils etc. All you have to do is be at a table and members of the public approach you. The more volunteers an organisation has helping out, the more tables they have and the more money they raise!
— These roles would usually only take up 2 hours of your time.
— You can help a different organisation every time
— You could ask a few friends or colleagues to help out also and make it a nice social afternoon in town.
If you haven’t thought about fundraising before, or felt uncomfortable about doing this type of work, we would urge you to reconsider. Give it a try and if you don’t like it that’s fair enough. We think you might be pleasantly surprised.
Contact Details section
For more info visit our website at www.volunteergalway.ie or our office at 17/18 Mill Street
Phone: 091 539930
Email: [email protected]
Donncha Foley
Development Manager
Galway Volunteer Centre
17/18 Mill Street
Galway
p: 091 539930
m: 087 1353546 [email protected] www.volunteergalway.ie
