DofE volunteering ideas: what counts and where to go
DofE volunteering ideas that count for Bronze, Silver and Gold, how many hours you need, and live roles near you open to 14 and 15 year olds.
Updated on 7 November 2026
What counts for the Volunteering section
The Volunteering section is about giving your time to help other people, your community or a cause. You can do it on your own or with friends, in person or online. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award sets the rules for what counts. In short:
- These count: charities, social enterprises, not for profit groups, DofE’s Approved Activity Providers, social action causes and campaigns, and roles inside the school or centre that runs your DofE.
- Online counts. Running a campaign or helping with a project from home is fine.
- Most businesses don’t count, because they exist to make a profit. If you’re under 14, you can’t volunteer for a profit making business at all.
- You can’t be paid, apart from expenses. You help out alongside the staff; you’re never counted as one of them.
- A one off sponsored run doesn’t count, and nor does raising money for your own DofE group or kit.
Before you start, your DofE leader has to approve your activity. Ask them early, because a role can take a few weeks to set up.
How long, and how many hours
How long you volunteer depends on your level. DofE explains it all on its timescales page.
| Level | Volunteering section | If you skipped the level below |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 3 months, or 6 if it’s your longer section | (Bronze is the first level) |
| Silver | 6 months | 12 months |
| Gold | 12 months | 18 months |
You should do about an hour a week. So a 3 month Bronze section is about 13 hours, spread across 13 weeks, and a 6 month one is about 26.
At Silver and Gold you can do fewer, longer sessions instead: at least one session a month, and no more than 6 hours in a month. That opens up bigger roles, like a monthly event or a conservation day.
You can start Bronze in the school year you turn 14, Silver in the school year you turn 15, and Gold once you’re 16.
The five most popular ideas
These are the five activities DofE participants choose most often.
- Sports leadership. Help coach a junior team at a club you already go to: setting out kit, running drills, refereeing a match.
- Helping children. Brownies, Cubs, a holiday club, a reading club at a primary school. You help the adult leaders run the session.
- Litter picking. A regular litter pick in a park, on a beach or along a canal, often with a local group. It counts when it’s a weekly or monthly commitment, not a one off.
- A charity shop. Sorting donations, pricing, putting out stock, helping customers. Some shops take volunteers from 14 with a parent’s permission, others from 16, so ask the shop.
- Scouts and other uniformed groups. If you’re a member, helping run the younger sections is a classic Volunteering activity.
More ideas, by what you care about
Animals and the outdoors. Help at an animal rescue centre or a city farm. Join a conservation group clearing paths, planting trees or building bird boxes. Look after a school or community garden. See environment and animal welfare.
Helping people. Help at a food bank, a lunch club for older people or a community café. Visit or phone an older neighbour through a befriending group. Help at a library, if your branch has a role for young volunteers (ask what age they take). See community support.
Kids and teaching. Help younger pupils with reading. Run a lunchtime club at school. Be a peer mentor for Year 7s. See education.
Sport. Help at a weekly parkrun or junior parkrun, a disability sports session, or a club’s match days. See sports and recreation.
Creative. Help backstage at a youth theatre, at a museum’s family days, or at a local arts festival. See arts and culture.
Online and campaigning. Run social media for a small local group. Start a campaign at school about something you care about, like plastic waste or mental health, and keep it going week by week.
Faith communities. Help run a children’s group, set up for events, or work the sound and projector at a church, mosque, gurdwara, synagogue or temple.
Whatever you pick, choose something you’d still want to do in week 10. That’s the part your Assessor will notice.
Ideas if you’re 13 or 14
Plenty of places ask for volunteers to be 16 or 18, often because of their insurance. Don’t take that personally. The places most likely to say yes at 13 or 14 are:
- groups you already belong to: Scouts, Guides, cadets, a sports club, a youth club
- roles at school: reading helper, club helper, school council project, eco group
- community gardens, conservation groups and litter picks that welcome families and teens
- online campaigning and fundraising for a cause (as an ongoing project, not a single event)
At this age, expect to need a parent’s permission in writing, and expect to work alongside an adult rather than on your own. Our guide to volunteering for young people explains the age rules in full.
Find a DofE volunteering place near you
Search volunteering near you by place, cause and skill. Every role shows the organisation behind it, and its age range when the organisation sets one. If a role doesn’t say, message them and ask whether they take DofE volunteers your age. DofE also has its own Opportunity Finder, with roles offered to DofE participants.
The newest roles open to 14 and 15 year olds
Your Assessor, and keeping a record
Every section needs an Assessor: an adult who checks your progress and signs off the section at the end. DofE’s Assessor rules are simple. They must be over 18 and independent, so not a family member, and they should know about the activity. For Volunteering it’s usually the person who runs your role, like the shop manager or the club coach.
At the end, your Assessor talks with you about what you did and writes a short report in eDofE. They’re looking for effort, sticking with it, and progress towards the goal you set at the start.
Keep a short note each week of what you did. If you volunteer through Vinspired, the experience log does this for you: you log your hours and the organisation confirms them, so your Assessor has a dated record to write the report from. The report itself still goes into eDofE. Found your role somewhere else? You can add volunteering you did elsewhere with a referee who confirms it.
For DofE leaders
If your school runs DofE, Vinspired lets you see the hours your students have confirmed across every activity, not only DofE, in one place. Read more for colleges and schools.
Questions
How many hours of volunteering do you need for Bronze DofE?
About 13 hours: an hour a week for 3 months. If Volunteering is your longer section, it’s 6 months, so about 26 hours.
How long is the Volunteering section at Silver and Gold?
Silver is 6 months, or 12 if you didn’t do Bronze. Gold is 12 months, or 18 if you didn’t do Silver.
Where can I volunteer for DofE?
At a charity, a social enterprise, a not for profit group, a DofE Approved Activity Provider, a campaign, or inside your school or centre. Most businesses don’t count.
Does litter picking count for DofE volunteering?
Yes, when you do it regularly, for example every week with a local group. A single litter pick on its own doesn’t make a section.
Can you volunteer at a library for DofE?
Yes, if the library has a role for young volunteers. Ask your local branch what they offer and what age they take, then check it with your DofE leader.
Can I volunteer for a business for DofE?
Usually not, because businesses exist to make a profit. A few that work for their community can count. Check with your DofE leader first.
Can I do my DofE volunteering online?
Yes. Campaigning, running social media for a small group or helping with a project online all count, as long as you keep at it week by week.
Who can be my Assessor for Volunteering?
An adult over 18 who isn’t in your family and knows about your activity, usually the person who runs your role.
Next step
Search volunteering roles by place, cause and skill. Each role shows its age range when the organisation sets one, and you can message the organisation to check it works for your DofE before you start.