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The most important thing to do as a volunteer is to empower yourself.
Research any issue or group you want to volunteer with. Also, make sure
to reserve time for yourself to protect your own mental health. Working too hard can lead to burnout and this is associated with fatigue, self-doubt, higher rates of illness, and feeling overwhelmed.
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Many 3rd level groups have a scheme where you earn volunteer awards that
go on your student transcript. It's always a good idea to keep records
about what was done, when it was done, and who did what.
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Be careful: Narcissists sometimes engage in volunteering for selfish motivations (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271916648_Narcissism_and_the_Motivation_to_Engage_in_Volunteerism ). They can steal credit for other people's work, manipulate others directly and indirectly, blame others for their mistakes, cause drama, spread misinformation, and undermine other people's volunteer work. They tend to all use the same strategies so once you know their motivations it's much easier to recognise and counter. They often want positions of power, praise and attention, or access to people's personal information. If they can't manipulate someone they will often try to manipulate other people's perceptions of that person. They can sometimes pretend to be in distress to gain sympathy from others. It's generally a good idea to try and avoid these people and not to bother trying to argue with them. The worst thing you can do to someone with narcissism is to empower the community around them on how to counter and spot manipulation techniques (no need to mention the individuals). Example information video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBfyIKBJr3g MentalDIY has information on the topic here: https://mentaldiy.com/narcissism/
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Plan for interruptions. When committing to projects it's sometimes useful to set aside more time than necessary. That way if something unexpected happens you won't be caught too off guard. For the same reason, if possible, you should try a little to finish sooner than you need to. However, depending on a given situation, delaying things sometimes allows more time for creativity and unique solutions.
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If you have concerns about a charity you can contact the charity regulations officer: https://www.charitiesregulator.ie/en (01) 633 1550 concerns@charitiesregulator.ie If someone with a disability needs help accessing charity regulation services they can reach out to the access officer: accessofficer@haritiesregulator.ie
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You may sometimes have to wait before you can volunteer with an organisation. Things like Garda Vetting can sometimes take a while to procress depending on type of volunteer work. Make sure you have up to date ID like a passport or drivings licence.
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Organisations may interview you before accepting you as a volunteer. It's a good idea to have an up to date CV at the ready.
