Citizens Advice has information for people who receive benefits and are worried how volunteering might affect their benefit claim. You can also contact the Welfare Rights Unit for advice in Leeds.
Organisations often offer reasonable travel expenses (bus fare) and lunch or refreshments expenses. You can ask about this when you’re applying or there might be information on their website.
You might be offered a volunteer induction or have a volunteer co-ordinator. This means you can ask questions, get support and training. Remember that everyone is a bit nervous to start with – the team will be used to helping people settle in!
The good thing about volunteering is that you can go at your own pace and apply for work you will enjoy. If you have any worries or concerns, talk to the volunteer co-ordinator or supervisor/manager about how you feel. They might have another role you could try or be able to support you to develop your skills without feeling worried or stressed. Organisations want volunteers to be happy and productive!
If you want to explore volunteering opportunities and think about what sort of role might be right for you, you could use our Action Plan to help you get started. It helps you set goals, create ideas to achieve your goals, plan the steps you want to take and review how you’re doing.