Volunteer at a Charity Shop

Charity shops rarely offer paid positions, which means most of their support comes from volunteers and donations. The store rooms of charity shops are fascinating places, full of bags and boxes of unwanted treasure waiting to be re-homed. 

They’re also good friends of the environment as donating and buying from charity shops is one of the best ways to recycle unwanted items. If you’d like to raise large amounts of money for a good cause, whilst being kind to our planet, then this could be the volunteering opportunity for you.

Volunteers are responsible for sorting, cleaning and pricing items so they are ready to be sold. Your role as a charity shop volunteer may also involve customer interaction, till work and dressing shop windows. There are plenty of opportunities to get creative whilst meeting people from all walks of life. Many charity shop customers are passionate about the charity they are buying from, often as a result of personal experience, so they can have extraordinary stories to share.

Charity shops are usually extremely flexible with hours of commitment, allowing you to commit as much or little as you want. Each shop has its own policy on this so its best to contact your local charity shops to find out.

Cancer Research UK  and the British Heart Foundation have charity shops around the country and have a very high demand for volunteers – contact your local store today to get involved.

What do volunteers say about their experience?