Volunteering is about making a commitment of your time, energy and enthusiasm, unpaid, to help and benefit other people, outside of your family, or the environment. Volunteering is also about having fun, meeting new people and learning new skills.

Yes, volunteering can be flexible to suit you and most organisations understand this. Before you start volunteering, explain your availability to the organisation with the opportunity and you can work out what suits you both best.

On the www.volunteernow.co.uk website click on the advanced search option and click the days or times you are available to volunteer and the it will search the database for specify opportunities to suit you.

Volunteers can do just about anything. There are over two thousand volunteering opportunities on www.volunteernow.co.uk. To get some idea of the range of volunteering opportunities available in Northern Ireland today have a look at the drop down categories on the 'activity' and 'areas of interest' in the search page. Whatever you decide to do in your volunteering you'll be sure to have a fun and make new friends.

At www.volunteernow.co.uk There are volunteering opportunities which require many hours a week, and some only a few hours each month. There are some 'one-off days', some in the evening, at night, in the mornings, at the weekends or only or during holidays. You can choose your volunteering to suit you, your lifestyle and the amount of time you can give. Each of the opportunities on www.volunteernow.co.uk will tell you what the time commitment is and when it is required to help you make a decision. If the times don't suit you, contact your volunteer centre and they maybe able to find out of there are other times available to volunteer with that organisation.

There are many organisations which now offer volunteer qualifications such as OCN or NVQ. Through your volunteering you will gain skills, valuable experience, and in most cases a reference. If you are trying to gain a qualification, bring this up when you first meet with the organisation for an interview. Your local Volunteer Centre will also know of volunteer involving organisations which offer qualifications.

You can volunteer for as long or as short a time that suits you. If you know you can only volunteer for a certain period of time, you should let the Volunteer Centre and organisation know this as soon as possible to help in finding you a volunteering role. If you decide to leave volunteering it is good to talk to the person who supports you in the organisation and give them as much notice as possible. If you are not enjoying your volunteering, talk to someone in charge or contact your Volunteer Centre to talk it over with them and they may be able to help you sort it out.

Many organisations will encourage you to get your friends and family involved in volunteering. Sometimes organisations are looking for lots of people to get involved in 'one-off' volunteering events such as environmental or conservation projects.

All the organisations and opportunities listed on the www.volunteernow.co.uk website are screened and posted by the Volunteer Centres in Northern Ireland. When you register your interest in an opportunity, someone from the Volunteer Centre will contact you to discuss it further and help you get 'matched' with that organisation. If you have any concerns with the organisation when you are getting started volunteering or later on, do not hesitate to contact your local Volunteer Centre and discuss it with them - they are there to help you enjoy your volunteering.

Yes. There are volunteers with disabilities undertaking lots of different and exciting volunteering roles. If you have any special needs, talk to someone at the Volunteer Centre and they will help to ensure that an organisation has the resources in place to support you in your volunteering. If you can't find an opportunity that suits your when you search www.volunteernow.co.uk. contact your local Volunteer Centre as they may know of more opportunities local to you.

You don't need any qualifications to become a volunteer. There may be organisations that require volunteers to have particular skills to undertake a specialised role. Many organisations provide skills training and opportunities to gain qualifications. When you search for an opportunity and click on the opportunity that interests you, you'll see a 'skills and experience' section at the bottom of the page which will specify any qualifications or skills required. Most times organisations are just looking for someone with commitment and enthusiasm.

As a new volunteer, the organisation should provide you with a full induction - this may include all the information you need to know to be a volunteer. For some opportunities, you may also be expected to undertake some basic training. Many organsiations will also ensure that volunteers are supported and supervised by a member of staff or experienced volunteer. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Yes, but all the volunteering opportunities on www.volunteernow.co.uk are for people aged 16 yrs an over. There are many organisations that involve young volunteers under 16, such as The Duke of Edinburgh Award and the Education and Library Services. Young Timebank, http://energise.timebank.org.uk/ also has some good ideas on how you can get involved in volunteering in your school or community. Have a look at the links page for more ideas or contact your local volunteer centre for advice

Yes, you can. You are free to volunteer while you are receiving benefits as long as the work you do is unpaid, and you meet the rules of your benefit. Always check with your benefits adviser before you start volunteering. Volunteering shouldn't affect your right to benefits, as long as the only money you receive is to cover your volunteering expenses, such as travel from home to the volunteering location. There are no limits on the amount of time you can volunteer for as long as you continue to meet the conditions of the benefit or tax credit you are receiving. For more information click on the links pages for a guide to volunteering while on Benefits

If you want to volunteer to work with children or young people you will need to be police checked through ACCESSNI. The organisation you wish to volunteer with will explain this process to you.

There are lots of overseas volunteering opportunities provided by hundreds of organisations across the UK and Ireland. Many of these organisations provide varying degrees of support so it's a good idea to find out as much as possible about them. All the volunteering opportunities on www.volunteernow.co.uk are based in Northern Ireland but your local Volunteer Centre will have information and can help you search for overseas opportunities. Have a look at the Links page on the 16-25 site for more contacts including Worldwide Volunteering and VSO.

There are two easy options to get your organisation's opportunities on the website. You can either contact your local volunteer centre directly by email, phone or calling in to talk to someone about your opportunities (click here to find your local Volunteer Centre http://www.volunteering-ni.org/what_we__do/bureaux/) or you can register your opportunities on the www.volunteernow.co.uk website directly. You will be contacted by the Volunteer Centre to find out more information about your organisation and your opportunities. The Volunteer Centre will then post your opportunities to the website. Click here to register your opportunities now http://www.volunteernow.co.uk/RegisterOpportunity.aspx

It's easy. Just search for a volunteer opportunity on the search page of the www.volunteernow.co.uk website and start to get involved in volunteering now. Type in your town, postcode or county, and then check what areas and type of volunteering interest you. Then, simply click on 'Search' for a list of volunteering opportunities close to where you live. When you find an opportunity that interests you, click on it to find out more and then click on the 'Register for this opportunity' and complete your details. Your contact details will be sent to the Volunteer Centre in confidence and you will be contacted by a member of staff to discuss the opportunity and help you get started in your volunteering.

If you don't want to register through the website, you can contact your Volunteer Centre directly by email or phone and arrange to call in to chat to someone about the type of volunteering that interests you.

As a young person, volunteering can be a useful way to gain new skills and build confidence. It can be useful in developing your CV as well as providing an opportunity to get to know new people and enjoy taking part in an activity which will benefit your community.