Volunteering, whether it is before study or as a career break, will bring you into contact with a range of environments and communities used to the rigours of daily life. But remember the host communities are also vulnerable to the effects of volunteering as they live with the after effects for the rest of their lives, therefore it is imperative that companies and volunteers like act responsibly in order to improve the experience for all involved.

To decide which company you would like to go with, start by looking at the companies themselves. Use the following checklist as a guide to help you to determine their ethical and responsible backgrounds.

The Company

• Established: It’s useful to look at how long they have been established for. This can establish their success and ability to adapt throughout the years to the needs of their customers and host communities.
• Where Can You Meet Them: Can you go to their offices, are they present at gap year fairs and/or trade exhibitions. The power of face to face contact is immense. It can allow you to  discuss potential opportunities and any issues you may have on a conversational level. This  could help with the decisions you make as well as ease any worries.
• Membership: Are they accredited by a professional body such as the Institute of Travel and Tourism. This demonstrates that as an organisation they have met certain criteria to be worthy of accreditation.
• Testimonials: Does the company provide an opportunity for you to discuss volunteering with previous volunteers or do they have a profile of previous testimonials. This can give you an idea of how the organiser operates as well as what to expect from volunteering.
• Training and Induction: Do they offer pre-volunteer training or orientation on arrival at your destination. Good organisations will give you a helping hand on arrival to prepare you for your new surroundings and role as volunteer.
• Complaints: Check out online forums, search engines and social networks for honest opinions of volunteer organisations.
• Payment: Obviously you have to take into account administration costs of a tour operator, It’s good to find out how much of what you pay actually goes to the project you are wanting to work on.

You – The Volunteer

Although you need to take into account what makes a good operator. Remember, you yourself need to be as conscientious as well.

• Be Socially Aware: When taking part in a volunteer programme, you will be working within a local community, working with the locals. Doing this, you should ultimately learn to respect each others ways and practices, without stereotype.
• Economic Benefits: As said before, check where your money goes when you pay for a volunteer project. Who benefits the most from your contribution.
• Environmental Responsibility: The point is to leave the environment in which you enter as sustainable and as natural as when you arrived. Whether you are developing routes for visitors or rehabilitating animals. Your work should benefit not hinder an environment.

Take into consideration your travel which, if travelling by plane you’ll contribute to carbon dioxide emissions. You may want to offset this by buying direct flights as take-off and landing releases the most carbon emissions or paying into a carbon off-setting scheme, or even finding alternative modes of transport.

Questions To Ask

Although we have covered the components of responsible volunteering, when doing your own research, here is a guide of questions you might like to ask the organiser. It’ll provide a bigger picture of:

• How the organisers operate
• What to expect in the volunteer community
• What the people are like.

Money

• What do you get for your money?
• How is your money used – you would like a breakdown to display:
  • What is donated to the community and project
  • What percentage the organiser takes

The Community and Environment

• How long have the company operated for?
• Is the project long term and sustainable?
• What are the benefits of this project to the host community?
• Are you taking positions from local people?
• Does the organiser respect, adhere an maintain local customs and cultures?
• Does the organiser help to be as carbon neutral as possible?

People and Training

• Does the organiser employ local people?
• What information are you provided prior to departure?
• What training is offered prior to departure or on arrival?
• Will there be an induction or orientation on arrival?

From the answers and conversations you have, you will be able to determine whether the project and/or the company is the right one for you.

Don’t forget, you can always ask us questions on our forum – no matter how large or small