Microvolunteering – What It Is and How To Take Part

Have you come across the term Microvolunteering before? You might be wondering what on earth it is and how something ‘micro’ could have any impact at all. We’re taking a look at microvolunteering to learn exactly what it is and how you can take part.

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What is Microvolunteering?

Microvolunteering is the idea that many people, doing little things, can have a big impact. It’s making volunteering accessible to everyone, including those that wouldn’t have time to take on ‘traditional volunteering roles’. It gives a series of bite size, easy, short tasks that can be completed anytime and anywhere.

Since 2014 they’ve even have a dedicated day that aims to encourage organisations, microvolunteering platforms and volunteers to work together to promote and encourage the idea. Microvolunteering Day takes place on 15th April every year.

How to take part

The best place to start would be to think of a cause that’s important to you. It could be the environment, health, communities, science, fighting poverty etc. The list is endless. Look for opportunities to help in these fields.

The benefit of microvolunteering is that you can still help even if you don’t have much time. These are small/one-off actions that you can do easily as part of your normal day, even whilst you’re travelling to school/college/work on the bus! It’s also great if getting out of the house isn’t easy for you – there are lots of things you can do from the comfort of your own home using a smartphone/tablet/laptop and an Internet connection. Opportunities could include signing petitions, completing surveys, playing games or doing a bit of photo tagging.

Why is volunteering good for you?

While microvolunteering makes a difference in the lives of others, it can also make a difference to your own life. As well as making you feel good, and feeling like you’re making a difference, you could also have an opportunity to learn new skills, gain new knowledge and meet new people.

Finding Opportunities

If you are interested in giving it a go then visit the Microvolunteering Day website. They have bite size actions you can do straight away that can take anything between 1 and 30 minutes. They also have details of other microvolunteering platforms that you can visit for details about further small tasks beyond Microvolunteering Day.

Want to learn more about different types of volunteering that’s available, including microvolunteering and volunteering at events, behind the scenes, citizen science, sport, nature etc? Take a look at these volunteering guides from the Do Something Great page on the BBC website.

If you find that microvolunteering makes you feel good, perhaps you might think about moving on to dedicating more time to volunteering. Check out the Volunteering Wales website to find volunteering opportunities in your area.