Frequently Asked Questions

Volunteering benefits you as well as the community and local charities. You'll develop useful skills and gain experience of helping others, which will look great on your CV. You'll also have fun and make new friends.

Log your volunteering hours and you'll receive a certificate when you reach a volunteering milestone.

Volunteering is accessible to everyone; most charities simply ask for enthusiasm and commitment. Some organisations may ask for specific skills or previous experience, but this will be stated in the role description.

You can make a start by browsing our opportunities listing to view the latest roles. You can then apply online once you've created your account, or email us at volunteering@shu.ac.uk if you need any help, or have questions about registering.

There are lots of different ways you can volunteer depending on how much time you would like to contribute and your area of interest.

Opportunities listing

Our opportunities listing is the main way to see what's being offered by organisations locally, or virtually. We have links with charities and organisations throughout the region, as well as being partnered with Voluntary Action Sheffield, so whatever you're looking for there should be something to suit you. You can volunteer alone, with a friend, or sometimes as a group, dependent on the role!

The opportunities on our main listing are a mix of regular roles and some that are for set periods of time. Be sure to check time commitment and role duration when you apply to make sure it's the right fit for you.

One-off/Give-it-a-Go opportunities

Give-it-a-Go volunteering opportunities allow you to try out a volunteering activity as a one-off with no long term commitment, giving you the opportunity to try a variety of different activities whilst helping out in the community, building your CV, or just having fun! Keep an eye on our events calendar for these events or take a look at the opportunities listing and select "One off/Give it a Go" on the search filter.

Some of the roles on our opportunities listing can also be done from home, so be sure to check the role's location information when applying to find the right opportunity for you.

Volunteering societies

We have lots of societies for you to get involved with and some of these focus on volunteering as a group – take a look on the societies hub for more information.

You can apply for any of the roles on our opportunities listing directly through our website. You'll need to create a volunteering account first if you don't already have one. Once your account is created, simply click on the opportunity you're interested in, read more, and then click 'Apply for this opportunity'. Your contact information will be shared with the organisation you're interested in volunteering with.

Volunteering societies work slightly differently. For these, you'll need to navigate to the webpage of the society you'd like to join and register for your free membership to join the society. Society webpages display their contact details should you want to get in touch with the society first.

Yes, it's never too late to volunteer and there are volunteering opportunities on offer throughout the year. Take a look at our opportunities listing.

Please note: some projects only run during semesters 1 and 2, so places may only be available towards the beginning of the academic year. If you're unsure or need more information, just email us at volunteering@shu.ac.uk.

All students, including short-term students, can volunteer with a charity or voluntary sector organisation. This is a great opportunity for you to meet local people and practice your English.

Please contact the International Experience Team for guidance on your eligibility to volunteer.

Unfortunately you won't be able to volunteer with us, but you can contact your local volunteer centre or Voluntary Action Sheffield (VAS) who will be able to provide you with volunteering opportunities.

For a full list of your rights and responsibilities as a volunteer, take a look at our volunteer policy.

We offer an extensive range of volunteering opportunities ranging from weekly to one-off events, which means the time commitment can vary. You can commit to as much or as little time as you want. Even if you're short of time, there are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved.

Of course you can, as long as you feel you have the time (and energy) to commit.

Yes please - do let us know, as we offer awards and recognition events for Hallam's volunteers. You can log your volunteering hours online. Your logged hours count towards volunteering awards.

We often invite volunteers to training sessions and meet-ups throughout the year too and, if you're happy to, we can feature you as a case study to promote the charity that you volunteer with to other Hallam students.

We don't currently offer international opportunities as we typically work with local organisations.

We love it when members of societies and sports clubs want to volunteer as a group. If your society or sports club is interested in volunteering, or has an idea for a project, please get in touch at volunteering@shu.ac.uk.

We aim to ensure most of our volunteer opportunities are accessible via public transport and we're happy to help you work out a route to and from your volunteering.

For some internally organised projects, we will organise transport. If this is the case, you will be notified upon application.

We ask all the organisations we work with to cover volunteer travel expenses as a minimum, and we cover travel expenses up to the value of a day-saver bus ticket for other opportunities, so transport to and from your opportunity should never leave you out of pocket.

Please ask either the external organisation you are volunteering with or a member of our team about how to get your travel expenses reimbursed. You can also request a copy of our expenses policy by emailing us at volunteering@shu.ac.uk.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) carry out police and identity checks for all volunteers working in any capacity with children or vulnerable adults. For more information, please view our volunteer resources.

There are many different types of identification that you can use to support your DBS application.

View a full list of identification documents that are accepted.

We have more information in our volunteer resources.

No, DBS checks are not required for all opportunities. However, they are essential for projects working with children or vulnerable adults, including all school projects. If you're unsure whether you need to complete a DBS check, email us at volunteering@shu.ac.uk.

Volunteering opportunities will typically have specific training requirements which are compulsory for all volunteers. For specific information on training sessions or requirements, either talk to your contact at the organisation you are volunteering for or email us at volunteering@shu.ac.uk.

The training sessions for some projects are compulsory, for example safeguarding, so if you've missed a session unfortunately you won't be able to join the project this academic year. Training sessions are often held more than once, so be sure to check for full details of these.

Your commitment to volunteering should be recognised and celebrated. As volunteers, you will be encouraged to log your volunteering hours to receive our volunteering certificates.

We often recognise and celebrate your achievements in volunteering through organised events throughout the year too.

Volunteering is a great way to build experience, gain a reference, and add something to your CV. It can also be used for your Hallam Award. Talk to us if you're looking for a volunteering role to do as part of your course.

If you have an idea for a project, you may be able to set up your own volunteering society to bring your idea to life. Please check the societies hub for more information on setting up a society.

We recommend that you contact the University's Careers team who can provide you with information on working in the charity and voluntary sector and direct you to the appropriate resources.

Unfortunately, we're not able to provide in-depth character references for volunteers. If you've taken part in an internal role with us, we're only able to confirm the dates you volunteered and the types of skills the role will have developed.

If you've volunteered with an external charity, you should contact them directly to see if they can provide a reference.

We offer a brokerage service that matches local community action or work experience volunteering roles to Hallam students via our website, social media channels, volunteering fairs, 1-2-1 support, and through our links with the university. The first step for getting your roles listed with us and promoted to our students is to create your online provider account.

This is a quick and easy process where you add information about your organisation, upload your logo and any policy/insurance information, and tell us a little more about the sorts of activities volunteers might get involved in.

Once approved, you will be able to log in and list opportunities, communicate with volunteers, and track recruitment of your roles.

If you have any questions, please email us at volunteering@shu.ac.uk.

When we advertise volunteering roles, we require organisations to have or do the following as a minimum:

• Public liability insurance
• Risk assessments for all volunteering activities and the premises
• Cover expenses for volunteers (travel, and lunch where applicable), unless discussed in advance with us
• A volunteer agreement/policy
• Accommodate any support needs Hallam student volunteers may have, as is reasonably practicable
• A GDPR policy in place to cover volunteers' information

Read more about our terms.

If you have any queries, please email us at volunteering@shu.ac.uk.

Sheffield Hallam University is home to over 35,000 students, so offers an intrinsically diverse group of people with a range of interests and skills.

We welcome opportunities from local organisations that are either in-person or virtual, or from national organisations that can be undertaken virtually. We are unable to list opportunities that take place outside of the country or leave students out of pocket.

Your opportunity can be recurrent, for a set period of time, or even just a one-off. Please see the FAQ "How do I search for volunteer opportunities?" for more information on how we categorise opportunities.

At this time, we're unable to promote placement opportunities, but flexible opportunities that serve as work experience as well as being of benefit to a wider cause or to the community are encouraged.

To be approved as a volunteering provider with us, you will need to meet our minimum quality standards (see the FAQ "What do I need to have/do to be able to start recruiting students for my opportunity?"). Your opportunity will also need to be flexible, accessible for all, and benefit the volunteer in some way (such as providing work experience), as well as serving the community or helping to achieve a charitable purpose.

If you're unsure whether or not your opportunity is suitable, email us at volunteering@shu.ac.uk for a chat.

Make sure when you list your opportunity that you've ticked the relevant boxes on the "Areas of interest" and "Employability skills" tabs. These help students to filter opportunities and find roles that suit their circumstances or requirements.

It's also useful to make sure you've filled out the role description section of your opportunity listing as thoroughly as possible. The "Benefits to self" and "Benefits to others" boxes are a great way to explain to a potential volunteer why volunteering with your organisation can help them develop themselves and their skill set, and what passions they might share with your organisation. You can also include an organisation biography and embed website or YouTube links within the "More information" box on your provider details page.

If you feel you're not generating the interest you had hoped, please email us at volunteering@shu.ac.uk. We're be happy to chat with you about ways we can increase engagement with your opportunity. This could include us getting in touch with students on a specific course that's relevant to your role, or even a society that shares similar interests.