Why do you volunteer?

Why do you volunteer?

On Monday our team thanked all of the volunteers here at Citizens Advice in West Sussex, it’s hard to put into words just how important volunteers are to Citizens Advice. Put simply, we couldn’t do it without all of them! Today we decided to ask our team of volunteers why it is they volunteer with us, here’s some of the stories we got:

• Clare B – “I volunteer at Crawley Citizens Advice because I believe it makes a real difference to people’s lives. All the people that work and volunteer here are amazing; so friendly and supportive. The work is diverse and challenging but enormously rewarding. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to know that I’m doing something worthwhile for the local community.” 
• Helen – “I volunteer in the communications team once a week in Shoreham. We try to make sure that everyone who needs CAWS’ support knows that we’re there for them – and to encourage more people to become volunteers! It feels great to be a small part of such a fantastic and friendly team. I’m full of admiration for our advisors’ knowledge and their dedication to helping people who are facing problems. Why not join us!”
• Lesley – “When I retired, I knew Citizens Advice was really busy and needed help. I also knew I’d be dealing with people of all ages and nationalities, not just one section of society but everyone. That really appealed to me. It feels like a privilege that people tell you their closest personal problems. It’s so important to have empathy. “There is a very supportive team at CAWS and there’s always someone to talk to – it really helps to be able to share things. There is good training too and you are kept up to date with how policies and entitlements are changing. I have structured guidance to refer to and excellent supervisors. I feel very fortunate. I would 100 per cent encourage people to volunteer at CAWS.”
• Tim – “Clients are always pleased to see us. I feel a sense of satisfaction knowing Citizens Advice, and I personally, have been able to make a small, and sometimes big, positive difference to their lives. Conversations with clients are often heart-warming, can be distressing sometimes, but always rewarding. Whenever I volunteer, there is always something new and interesting to explore or learn.”
• Jonathan – “I’ve worked in advice for a big part of my life – in mental health, giving advice to carers, and with Parkinson’s UK. I enjoy volunteering with CAWS – I like purely giving advice and not having management responsibility. On an average day you might be dealing with anything and everything. “I would definitely recommend volunteering here. It’s a friendly, non-discriminatory place where we treat each other respectfully. We like each other and it’s very sociable, and we get a Christmas lunch!”

 

Once again, from everyone, we want to say a huge thank you to every single one of our volunteers across Citizens Advice in West Sussex – Keep being amazing!

Interested in joining our team of volunteers? There is a role to suit everyone – Advisers, to reception team, to communications & marketing to research and campaigns! To find out more information, including how to apply, check out our website: https://www.advicewestsussex.org.uk/volunteering/