Volunteering in the UK with international organisations

If you don’t fancy going overseas but would still like to make a difference internationally there are many opportunities to volunteer in the UK with organisations working hard to make a difference overseas. You can look for organisations that work around issues that you are interested in such as:

• Poverty;
• Education;
• Gender equality;
• Health;
• The environment.

Alternatively you could look for particular types of volunteering roles, for example:

• Fundraising;
• Campaigns;
• Marketing;
• Research;
• IT, social media and website design.

Most organisations will welcome volunteers. Be aware that international development is a competitive sector so thinking carefully about what you want to do, why you want to do it, and what you can offer can help when applying for volunteering roles.

Whilst a large proportion of the larger international development organisations in the UK are based in London, there are still many that are based in other areas of the UK too. It’s worth checking what volunteer support is provided including costs covered whilst you are volunteering.

Many organisations that run volunteering opportunities overseas look for volunteers that have experience of volunteering in their home country or the UK. Volunteering with local organisations focused on local issues can therefore a great way to gain valuable transferable skills and experience for volunteering overseas whilst making a difference here in the UK.