1. Your own network: family, friends, neighbours, colleagues

Start talking to all these contacts and telling them what your plans are, you will find that many of them, unbeknown to you, volunteer. They are best placed to talk about their charity and what it is like to be a volunteer there, and if you are interested, to introduce you to the relevant person.

2. Volunteer Bureaux

Volunteer Bureaux keep files on a large number of local charities requiring volunteers and their role is to match the skills (and time available) of prospective volunteers with the sort of work the charities need doing.

Many areas have one and you should find details in your local telephone directory or ring Volunteering England on 0845 305 6979.

3. Advertising / PR

From time to time charities will promote their need for volunteers through the local media and it is also worth checking the noticeboards in your local library and community centres. The Guardian once a month on Wednesdays (Society section) and The Evening Standard on Mondays (London Jobs supplement) publish pages of ads from charities looking for volunteers; The Big Issue also carries ads.

More useful organisations

Community Service Volunteers (CSV) 237 Pentonville Road, London N1 9NJ, 020 7278 6601
have 4 types of volunteering opportunities:

• young volunteers (16 to 35 year-olds) who are placed in projects all over the country, living away from home e.g. helping elderly people / children and adults with disabilities/ homeless people. 0800 374 991
• retired and senior volunteers (age 50+) who work on projects in education, the environment and community care in the local community.
• student tutors who volunteer in local schools for a morning / an afternoon a week
• employee volunteering: employees encouraged to volunteer in their community with the support of their employer.

Volunteering England Regent's Wharf, 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RL 0845 305 6979
helps increase awareness of the opportunities and benefits of volunteering.

REACH 89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TP, 020 7582 6543
finds part-time voluntary work for business and professional people which uses their skills and experience.

Useful publications

Reference and wider reading about the sector

Employment/ Volunteering

• The International Development Directory Directory of Social Change
• How To Work For A Charity on a Paid or Voluntary Basis by Jan Brownfoot and Frances Wilks, (out of print though available in some libraries), Directory of Social Change
• The Voluntary Agencies Directory National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
• Top 3000 Charities Caritasdata, London
• Charity Trends Charities Aid Foundation
• The UK Voluntary Sector Almanac (NCVO)

Management

• Just About Managing? Effective management for voluntary organisations and community groups by Sandy Adirondack, London Voluntary Service Council
• Managing Without Profit The art of managing third-sector organisations by Mike Hudson, Penguin
• Understanding Voluntary Organisations by Charles Handy, Penguin
• The Complete Fundraising Handbook by Nina Botting and Michael Norton, Directory of Social Change in association with the Institute of Fundraising