Volunteer
Better Together would like to thank you for your interest in becoming a volunteer for our association. Volunteers play an important role in any organisation and we appreciate any time and effort someone might be able to commit to the organisation.
There are an unlimited number of ways you can support our organisation, and there are various ways to get involved and assist Better Together.
There are many reasons why people volunteer and many benefits that flow on from this.
WHY VOLUNTEER WITH BETTER TOGETHER?
Help others while you help yourself!
1. Volunteering with Better Together may allow you to enjoy better physical and mental health.
Assists you to stay physically healthy
In the US research conducted in studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate, and has been known to lessen symptoms of chronic pain and heart disease. Volunteering can lower stress levels and help manage chronic illnesses. Volunteers are also said to score higher than non-volunteers on several measure of overall satisfaction of life, emotional wellbeing and health.
Combat depression and increase positive emotions
Other health benefits of volunteering are its ability to reduce the risk of depression and increase your overall levels of connectedness. When volunteering with Better Together you will be out of isolation and providing regular contact with your local community members. Also much research has shown that volunteering has created what has been referred to as “the happiness effect”; the more one volunteers the happier they become. This increasing in positive moods and emotions in turn strengthens ones immune system.
Volunteering increases self-confidence
Volunteering can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. And the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals.
2. Meet New People and Community Networks
Volunteering can increase your social and relationship skills and a great way to make new friends and strengthen already existing ones. Volunteering brings together a diverse range of people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Both the recipients of your volunteer efforts and your co-workers can be a rich source of inspiration and an excellent way to develop your interpersonal skills. Volunteering also offers an incredible networking opportunity. Not only will you develop lasting personal and professional relationships but it is also a great way to learn about people from all walks of life, different environments, and new industries. Networking is an exciting benefit of volunteering and you can never tell who you will meet or what new information you will learn and what impact this could have on your life.
Better Together can assist with networking, as we are a community organisation which thrives and drives on its local community networks. One of our fundamental philosophies is that as a community we operate “Better Together” so creating, developing and maintaining those networks and collaborations is vital to our organisation success and vitality. The better our organisation is connected to our local community the better we can serve and deliver the best supports possible for our service users. The relationships you can develop from volunteering with our organisation could also potentially benefit you in a paid role and make that role easier in the future, as the better you know your community the easier it is to work with it.
3. Expand and Learn New Skills and Knowledge
Volunteering is the perfect vehicle to discover something you are really good at and develop a new skill. It is never too late to learn new skills and no reason why you should stop adding to your knowledge just because you are in employment or have finished education. Choosing to volunteer with Better Together will give you the skills and knowledge to work to create and develop a more inclusive community. We strive to be on top of the latest principles on inclusion and developing valued roles and relationships for vulnerable people.
You can use the opportunity to develop your knowledge of the disability and community industry, whilst teaching you valuable new skills or supporting you to build upon the skills you have already and use them to benefit the greater community. Being a non-for-profit community organisation Better Together has the ability to offer a range of opportunities for you to work in a variety of activities anything from;
• administration
• operations
• community connecting
• disability supports
• program development
• public relations
• promotion
• marketing
• event management
Better Together also provides volunteers an opportunity to develop their skills in anything from
• public speaking
• problem solving and adaptability
• time management
• communication
• team work
• organisational skills
• timelines
• leadership
• professionalism
• customer service
• planning
• creativity
4. Become more employable
• 73% of employers would recruit a candidate with volunteering experience over one without
• 94% of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills
• 94% of employees who volunteered to learn new skills had benefited either by getting their first job, improving their salary, or being promoted
• As a volunteer you are 30% more likely to find employment
Volunteering is an excellent way to get work experience. You’ll also develop desirable transferable skills, so you can impress future employers. You will also be networking and making relationships within your local community which can increase your pool of knowledge about local jobs.
Better Together has a reputation of being at the forefront of systemic industry change and development, teaching, learning and guiding other businesses, community groups and organisations to ‘be part of the change’. Better Together’s aim, mission and vision has been developed and based on progressive principles and philosophies.
5. Better Community Connections
One of Better Togethers principals are partnerships, alliances and collaborations. We believe that to be a community you need to be a part of it. We believe that Individuals, organisations and businesses working together creates better and stronger community connections resulting in better outcomes for all.
For more information please contact us