Pick the volunteer job you can carry this month

Someone has told you to volunteer. A friend said it, or a page like this one, as if it were the easy answer to feeling low, lonely or stuck. Some of what you feel hearing it may be fair: it takes energy you may not have, it sounds like one more job, and finding a place can be harder than anyone says.

If you want volunteering to ease a low mood or loneliness, pick one small, regular job that fits what you can carry right now, and treat wanting company as a fine reason to go.

If you are far past a low patch, if getting out of bed is the daily fight, or you have no spare time or money at all, read the last section first. This is not a page that promises volunteering fixes everything.

Why people suggest it

Many people say it gives you practical experience, a line on a CV or résumé, and contacts that can lead to a job offer, which helps if you have a gap in your history. Some people say it works against depression, isolation and low self-worth because it gives you a purpose and moves your attention off your own problems. Some people say it is an unusually good way to meet people, because you are doing something together and sharing a reason for being there. Some people say it brings a kind of pride that a paid job does not always give, because your work reaches people directly, especially people the system overlooks. And some people describe it as a fair swap: the organisation gets help, and you get company.

The NHS’s guidance on mental wellbeing includes giving to others, and says acts of giving and kindness can improve how you feel by creating positive feelings and a sense of reward; it mentions volunteering in your community as one way. That is a modest claim. One person puts the limit bluntly: where depression is a medical illness, it needs treatment such as medication or therapy, and volunteering alone will not cure it.

Fit decides it

The people who found it good and the people who found it draining are often describing different jobs. Some people say each person has different comfort levels with different causes, such as homeless people, animals or older people, and that the right fit prevents burnout and lets you use a skill you already have.

A few starting points, each from what people say:

• Animal shelters. Some people call them an easy, popular first step, with the reward of time spent with animals. They also warn of the tug to adopt, and that shifts run on a fixed schedule. One person warns some shelter work involves euthanasia and can be hard on you emotionally. One person points out that a shelter may already have arrangements for free food and may need a particular kind of cat litter, because the clumping kind can damage its plumbing and washing machines, so ask what they want before you bring any.
• Delivering meals to older or disabled people who cannot drive. Some people say it lets you see how the person is doing. It can need a vehicle, though one person says help with food preparation is needed too.
• Roles for people who dislike animals, the outdoors, physical labour or social contact. Some people say they exist, and give baking for foster youth as an example.
• Small tasks. One person describes helping a child’s teacher by cutting and laminating materials as quietly satisfying without a big commitment. One person says nursing homes need people to sit with residents, and that it takes little physical effort.
• Working from home, if you have a skill such as tech support, design or data entry, according to one person.

And some warnings, also from people’s own experience. Some people say volunteers can face abuse from the people they serve, or be treated like retail staff. One person says that taking in heavy stories, such as at a soup kitchen, can be overwhelming if you are already in a sensitive state, and that they would leave the role quickly. Whether human-facing or animal-facing work suits you depends on you and on the week you are having; neither one is the safe choice for everyone.

Getting in

Some people say finding a role is as selective and as much work as applying for a paid one. One person says places screen carefully because they cannot fire a volunteer the way they can an employee. Some people say local roles are easy to find with a search and a visit to an open house. Some roles need an orientation or a class first, and one person says a few clinics and humane societies charge for the class. If a holiday is what has you thinking about this, some people say spots fill quickly and need booking early, and some argue that helping outside the holidays does more good; there is a page here on deciding the day in advance.

Is it wrong to go for the company?

If you feel it is somehow cheating to want friends from this, some people raised the same worry. Some people answered that it is not wrong, as long as the work is done well and the socialising does not get in the way of it. One person says organisations care about reliable volunteers and do not interrogate hearts. One person warns that if you tell the others your only reason is to meet people, some may be put off, though others will not mind.

When you cannot start

Some people say heavy depression or social anxiety can make the very first step impossible, and some say you may have too little time or money for it at all. Some people argue that “just volunteer” ignores that finding a place takes as much effort as finding a paid job, and call it unfair to ask people in a tight spot to give free work. Both can be true for you. One person says to invite a friend along, since a friend may want to go and be afraid of going alone. Some people say to ask only once. One person suggests building up gradually to social situations rather than starting with the hardest one.

Benefits and pay

The UK government’s guidance says you can volunteer and claim benefits if the only money you get from volunteering covers expenses and you keep meeting the conditions of your benefit. One person warns that in some countries volunteering is classed as work and can mean your benefits are cut. In the US it depends on the programme: SNAP can count verified volunteer hours toward its work rule for adults without dependents, each state sets the rule for unemployment benefits, and Social Security says work you do while on disability benefits may be taken as a sign you can do more. The question below on benefits has the detail. Whatever country you are in, ask the office that pays you before you start, and say what you are planning.

Who this page is not for

If you need income now, time spent volunteering may be time you cannot spare; for that, there is a page here on temp agencies. If you cannot leave the house, or you are in a depression deep enough that getting dressed is a struggle, this is not the first step, and a doctor or therapist is. If you are already worn down by caring for others, more unpaid giving may not be what you need. And if volunteering reminds you of what you do not have, such as family or a partner, one person warns that around the holidays it can sharpen that feeling rather than ease it, and it is allowed to leave it for later.

If the days feel heavy and nothing here seems to touch it, the numbers at the top of this page are for you, and so is a GP or doctor.