4 Tips to Consider for Your First Volunteering Trip

If you’re thinking of volunteering overseas, you’ll want to be sure you’re investing your time and money in an organisation that is high quality. Unfortunately, there are a lot of organisations that do more harm than good. No one wants to be a part of an organisation like this, and it’s easy to choose one that is high quality when you sort through the thousands of possibilities. We’ve compiled a list of useful tips to help you choose an organisation that represents your interests and ideals. Furthermore, when you invest time and money in a quality organisation, you will be prepared to make the maximum potential impact on a community.

Do Thorough Research

When you apply to volunteer abroad, the first thing to check is how your organisation supports its volunteers. Check out the organisation’s website, social media channels, and blogs to learn more about it, and find out if other volunteers have had good experiences. If you have questions about what the organisation is looking for or how your role will fit into the bigger picture, ask your organisation directly.

Understand Their Program

So, you’ve done the research and are now ready to commit to a program. Terrific! Next, it’s important to fully understand the program’s aims, as well as what you’ll be doing and how you’ll develop your skills and knowledge. It’s also essential to make sure that you’re working with a team of other volunteers and understand their backgrounds and what they bring to the table. The last thing you want is to jump into a program not knowing what to expect.

Check Out the Impact of the Project

People often get carried away when they volunteer abroad, and it’s easy to forget to check if the organisation is doing good work. Unless you’re volunteering directly with local people and helping them out, your time could be wasted. Be sure to ask the organisation about the way it works and what impact you’ll have, and try to connect with local people who want to volunteer for that group or other groups in the area doing similar work.

Talk to Previous Volunteers

Lastly, it might be a good idea to reach out to previous volunteers. You can learn what to expect from a volunteer program by talking to past volunteers. Some programs also have Facebook pages or websites where past volunteers have left comments about their experiences. These are great places to discover what you can expect and what others have gotten out of volunteering.

Conclusion

We hope this article proves to be useful when it comes to helping you best prepare for your volunteering trip. Be careful when choosing a volunteer program. Before you commit to it, make sure you’ve done everything you can to learn exactly what you’ll be doing and how it will support the community. Be sure to keep everything you’ve learned here in mind so that you can maximise your volunteering experience and change the world for the better. 

Are you looking to volunteer abroad? Volunteering Solutions was established in 2006 with the aim of changing the face of volunteer travel, and in the last 12 years, we have had more than 14,000 volunteers who completed their journeys with life-changing experiences. For more information, visit our website today!