How to become a Conservation Volunteer? Part Three
If you want to be a conservation volunteer, there are many different types of experiences available for budding nature enthusiasts. Conservation Careers Blogger Sarashka King reveals some of the main types of voluntary work available…
Sarashka King at local Wildlife Trust stand helping to recruit members at the Cambridge Botanical Gardens Festival of Plants 2014, credit to Georgina Forbes.
Fundraising/ events
Sarashka King at local Wildlife Trust stand helping to recruit members at the Cambridge Botanical Gardens Festival of Plants 2014, credit to Georgina Forbes
This could involve helping to organise an event or simply attending and assisting at an organisation’s event. You could be helping to encourage people to join the NGO/charity or simply raising awareness.
Example: The best way to get involved in this area of volunteering is to contact the organisation you wish to volunteer for and ask if and when you can help out at their next event. For example click here to see how to sign up to volunteer for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. The form asks you to specify the area you wish to volunteer in; select Representing BBCT at local events and Fundraising.
Cost: None only your own expenses of travel etc.
Length: Usually one or two days
Skills Developed: People skills, organisation and knowledge of organisation plus local wildlife
Training Offered: How to interact with the general public, training in your local wildlife, training on the organisation you are volunteering for, how to organise an event, how to be an effective fundraiser
Qualifications offered: None usually
Pros
o Can be a fun day out!
o Get to socialise and network
o Great experience if you’d like to get into events organising, face-to-face recruitment or fundraising
Cons
o Food and travel is at your own expense
o If the weather isn’t great it can be a bit miserable
Online Volunteering
This can involve helping an NGO/charity with their online presence. For example helping to maintain their social media or writing blogs for their website.
Example: Conservation Careers Bloggers. This can involve research and producing interesting, informative and relevant content for the Conservation Careers website. Content may take the form of careers advice or interviews with key conservationists. Click here for a full description of the role although please note the deadline for this has passed. There may be more opportunities available in the future however.
Cost: None
Length: Can vary. Could be ongoing but with the flexibility of doing it in your own time.
Skills Developed: Online communications skills, copywriting, organisation, knowledge of conservation organisation increased as well whatever areas you choose to research and publish.
Training Offered: Help on how to write a successful blog, piece of research or social media post.
Qualifications offered: None
Pros
o Flexible as can usually work from home in your own time
o Get to socialise and network
o Great experience within communications and marketing
Cons
o You may miss the face-to-face interaction
About the author
This post was written by Conservation Careers Blogger Sarashka King. Sarashka is passionate about nature and conservation. She used to work for the RSPB and is now waiting to start her Postgraduate Diploma in Ecology at the University of East Anglia to go along side her degree in Marketing and Advertising. She hopes to then take this forward to do a Masters in an area of interest. She also has a passion for travel and would love to combine the three elements of conservation, marketing/communications and the travel industry to concentrate on ecotourism in her future career.