Remote Volunteering

Remote volunteering means giving your time without leaving the house. It is the same work, done over a phone line, a video call or a shared document, and for a lot of organisations it is now how a large part of their support runs.

Popular causes remotely

• Befriending and check in calls, where a weekly phone conversation is the whole role
• Mentoring and tutoring, delivered over video to young people anywhere in the country
• Design, writing and translation, given a few hours at a time to organisations with no budget for it
• Research, data and admin, the unglamorous work that small charities are permanently behind on
• Moderation and online community support, keeping support forums and groups usable

Browse every cause on the impact areas page, or start from a skill you want to build.

How to start remote volunteering

1. Browse the live roles on this page and open anything that looks like your kind of thing.
2. Apply in a couple of minutes. There is no CV stage and no interview for most roles.
3. Log your hours as you go, so your contribution becomes a record you can show.
4. Earn verified badges and certificates for your CV, your UCAS application, or your LinkedIn profile.

About remote volunteering

Remote volunteering exists because two things turned out to be true at once. Charities discovered during the pandemic that a lot of their work did not need a building, and a lot of people discovered they would volunteer if it did not require a commute. What is left is a set of roles that are genuinely location independent: nobody involved needs to be anywhere in particular for the work to happen.

It suits people conventional volunteering leaves out. If you have a disability that makes travel difficult, caring responsibilities that make fixed hours impossible, shift work, small children, or you live somewhere with almost nothing local, remote roles are not a lesser option, they are the one that fits. Organisations know this, and the good ones design their remote roles around it rather than treating them as an afterthought.

Verification works the same way it does for any other role on Vinspired. Your hours are logged against the organisation you gave them to, they confirm them, and the record that produces is the same record an in person volunteer builds. A remote hour and an on site hour count identically toward your badges and certificates, because they are worth the same to the organisation that received them.

Common questions about remote volunteering

Does remote volunteering count the same as volunteering in person?

Yes. Hours are logged and verified by the organisation you volunteered with in exactly the same way, and they count identically toward your badges, certificates and your record. Employers and universities do not distinguish between the two.

What skills do I need for remote volunteering?

For most roles, none beyond being able to use a phone or a video call. Some roles do want a specific skill, such as design, translation or bookkeeping, and those say so on the listing. Befriending, mentoring and admin roles train you.

Can I volunteer remotely from outside the UK?

Often, yes. Many remote roles only need you to be available at UK friendly hours, though some, particularly those involving young people or vulnerable adults, require UK based checks. The listing will say.

Do I need experience to start volunteering?

Almost never. Most organisations are looking for reliability and interest rather than a background in the work, and they will show you what to do. If a role does need a specific skill or a DBS check, it says so on the listing.

How much time do I have to give?

As much or as little as suits you. Some roles are a single afternoon, some are a couple of hours a week, and some are one off events. You can filter by how much time you have before you apply.