Wandsworth Care Alliance

Your guide to volunteering in Wandsworth: 5 steps to get started

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Are you thinking of volunteering? Then we want to help highlight some key steps to help you find the best volunteering opportunities to suit your interests, experience and capabilities.

  1. Think about your interests
    Before applying for a volunteering opportunity and in order to choose a suitable opportunity it is always helpful to identify what your active interests are. Oftentimes volunteers will choose a volunteering opportunity based on what they have an interest in and what they know or feel like they will be best at.
  2. Think about your capabilities
    In the early stage of applying for a volunteering opportunity, it is always good to consider your strengths so that you, the organisation, and the work your volunteering to help can get the best out of your abilities and experience.

    If you are unsure that you can fully commit to a long period of volunteering, it may be best to not apply for an opportunity that would like a volunteer to commit for a period of time. If you know that you have a lot going on or you are a full-time employee it may be best to realistically review your capabilities so that you don’t commit to more than you need to.

    If you see a volunteering opportunity that is of interest to you but you know you may not always be able to go to the location of the volunteering opportunity it may be best to realistically assess before applying or ensure that it is made to known to the organisation.

  3. Think about your availability
    When applying for a volunteering opportunity you will need to determine how much you can input into the work of volunteering, you will also need to be practical about the amount of time that you can commit to volunteering and the day/s.

    This helps the organisation you’re volunteering with know what you can do within the specific amount of time that you will be volunteering, how much training you will need and what will work best for both of you whilst you are volunteering.

  4. Think about your reasons for volunteering
    What are your reasons for choosing to volunteer? Is there a deep desire to see change, to offer your service to help others, to see improvement in your community, to make use of your skills, to help a specific cause that is close to you?

    Whatever the reason may be it is always good to allow the reason to help encourage and be the motivation for you whilst you volunteer.

  5. Apply for the volunteering opportunity
    Now you are ready to apply for a volunteering opportunity or a few on Volunteering Wandsworth and wait to hear back from the organisation! Of course, if you need any assistance whilst looking for a volunteering opportunity then you can always contact us by sending an email or giving us a call.

You can visit Volunteering Wandsworth to find your next volunteering opportunity.

If you would like to speak to a member of the team about volunteering you can email or call us on the following:

volunteering@wandcareall.org.uk
Jummy – 07396 712 267

Volunteering celebration event

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On Thursday 5th June 2025 in honour of our volunteering involved organisations and volunteers, we hosted a volunteer week celebration at Tooting Works.

We were joined by speakers from the community such as Carol Bennett of SW Ladies Boxing, Syeda Islam of Wandsworth Older People’s Forum, Rachel Perkins of The Furzedown Project and Asma Choudhry of Roehampton Women and Children’s Wellbeing.

With introductions and game icebreakers, all guests got acquainted. We heard speeches from our speakers on the work of their charities and speeches of appreciation towards the work of WCA and our team members.

Guests enjoyed a relaxed afternoon of discussing and celebrating the achieved works of volunteer involving organisations in the borough and our amazing Wandsworth borough volunteers.
Our raffle winner for the event picked at random selection was Syeda Islam!

Below are downloadable videos of our speakers sharing more information about what they do.

Rachel Perkins – Furzedown ProjectDownload
Asma Choudhry – Roehampton Women and Children’s wellbeingDownload
Syeda Islam – Wandsworth Older People’s ForumDownload
Carol Bennett -SWL Ladies BoxingDownload

If you would like to volunteer in the Wandsworth borough you can check out our Volunteering Wandsworth website here.

Ryan Jong; corporate world to volunteering

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After a long and successful career in the corporate world, Ryan Jong is embracing a new chapter, one that’s all about giving back. Having recently retired in December 2024, Ryan is looking to join Wandsworth Care Alliance (WCA) as a trustee, bringing with him a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective on community support.

“I wanted to use my skills to give something back,” Ryan says. “Before retiring, I was a partner at a Big Four accountancy firm, where I built and led a department of 60 people. My background is in financial services, statistics, and risk management, areas that might not seem immediately relevant to the voluntary sector, but I’ve found there are more similarities than you might think.”

Although Ryan had always been interested in volunteering, Ryan’s demanding career and family life left little time for it over the past two decades. But now, with more time on his hands and a desire to stay purposeful in retirement, he’s diving into this new role with energy and enthusiasm.

Finding a suitable volunteering role

While exploring volunteering opportunities in Wandsworth, the trustee position at WCA stood out.

“I was looking for something where I could truly add value,” Ryan explains. “Given my past experience working closely with boards and governance, the trustee role at WCA seemed like a natural fit.”

Ryan acknowledges that, at first glance, his background in finance and statistics might not appear directly related to the voluntary and community sector. But he sees a deeper connection.

“The challenges that many charities and community organisations face today, particularly in times of economic uncertainty, aren’t unlike the challenges financial institutions faced during the 2008 crisis. It’s all about adapting, continuing to serve the public good, and finding sustainable ways to operate in uncertain times.”

Ryan’s advice to anyone potential interested in volunteering

When asked what advice he would give to others considering volunteering or a trustee role, Ryan is clear: “Just go for it.”

“Even if you don’t think you ‘fit’ perfectly, your experiences might still be valuable. Everyone has something to contribute. When I was building my team, I never wanted 60 clones of myself. I wanted different opinions, different perspectives. That’s what leads to better results.”

Looking ahead

Though he’s still new to the role, Ryan is excited about what lies ahead.

“It’s early days, but I hope to get to know WCA better and to make a meaningful contribution. My goal is simple: I want to leave WCA in a better place than when I joined.”

We’re excited to have Ryan on board and look forward to the impact he’ll make as part of our dedicated trustee team. If you’re inspired by his story and are thinking about volunteering or becoming a trustee yourself, take that first step, you never know where it might lead.

Get in touch with us at communications@wandcareall.org.uk

Voluntary Sector Forum Meeting highlights

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We hosted our Voluntary Forum Sector meeting on Wednesday 2nd April 2025, where we were joined by fantastic guest speakers from Wandsworth Council, Need2Succeed, The Wandsworth Provider Alliance, Free2be and Share and care Homeshare.

The forum provided Voluntary Sector Organisations to discuss, network and share with each other and allowed everyone to discover what was happening in the sector and listen to our guest speakers on what they’re working on and find out what’s upcoming in the borough. Updates were also heard from ourselves, Wandsworth Older Peoples Forum and from the Health and Wellbeing Board. All the presentations that were shared at the forum can be found at the bottom of this page.

Wandsworth Care Alliance Updates

If you would like to be notified of all upcoming Health and Wellbeing Board Engagement group meetings, please send us an email to let us know on communications@wandcareall.org.uk.

Wandsworth Council Updates

The Council’s Community & Partnerships Team leads on community engagement for the Council, manages local grant funding opportunities including the Wandsworth Grant Fund, and coordinates and supports collaboration with partner organisations locally, across a range of activities and different sectors. The team are always happy to hear ideas and support with connecting our VCS with other partners – please contact partnerships@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk.

The Wandsworth Grant Fund provides small grants for VCS organisations in the borough to run activities for up to 12 months. Next deadline is 7 July 2025. More information on this can be found here: Wandsworth Grant Fund – Wandsworth Borough Council

Warm welcome to our new VCS Strategy and Partnership Manager, Dianne Jones. Dianne will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of the strategy working alongside the council, VCS organisations and wider partners.  Dianne is keen to meet with as many VCS groups and organisations across the borough, so if you would like a visit or a conversation please get in touch Dianne.Jones@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk.

The Council is committed to working in close partnership with the voluntary and community sector in a way that amplifies and celebrates its contribution and impact. To achieve this, the Council has developed new Voluntary and Community Strategy 2025-2030. Wandsworth Voluntary Sector Strategy

Invitation to join upcoming Wandsworth Voluntary and Community Network meeting which is happening online on 6th of May 11am-12pm. Please register your interest here. 

This network is supported by Wandsworth Council and will provide a regular space for the council, the local voluntary and community sector and wider partners operating in Wandsworth to come together, network, share updates, discuss and collaborate on key policy, strategic and service areas; with the aim to build an even stronger community network across Wandsworth. Please also email voluntarysectorteam@wandsworth.gov.uk if you have an agenda item you would like added.

VCS Hub Invitation

Wandsworth Voluntary and Community Sector Hub is a modern, affordable workspace in Wandsworth Town Hall designed to support local organisations. The VCS Hub offers 24 workstations, three meeting rooms, and a flexible, supportive environment. The hub is free to use for the first three months and provides flexible working, allowing organisations to book desks and meeting rooms to suit their needs.

Register to access the VCS Hub and share this opportunity with your networks to help build a stronger and connected community.

View our short VCS Hub Launch Video.

For more details, visit VCS Hub – Wandsworth Borough Council.

Climate Action Microgrants. For community groups, schools, individuals or non-profits to run events and activities that promote positive behaviours in the community around climate change and sustainability. Up to £500. Deadline – 30 May.

Information about the newly formed Wandsworth Provider Alliance can be found here.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Voluntary Sector Forum meeting.

VSF 02042025 – Ravi slidesDownload
Wandsworth CouncilDownload
RobertoDownload

Volunteer Involving Organisations Network Meeting highlights

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Our VIO Network meeting was held online on Wednesday 26th March 2025 where we were joined by various community organisations as we discussed barriers to volunteering, ways to include inclusivity in volunteering. Thank you to everyone who joined us.

In the network meeting we were joined by Community and Outreach Officer, Samreen Mulji from Learn2Love2Read and Project Manager, June Pilgrim- Ndure from Community Empowerment Network. Our guest speakers shared their knowledge and experience with us and included some key methods in which they have found useful at their organisations on how to include inclusivity in volunteering.

After our guest speakers shared with us their valuable insights on ways to include inclusivity in volunteering, we opened the floor to come together collaboratively and discuss the barriers to volunteering for volunteers who have disabilities and want to volunteer but are often faced with limited support.

From the contributions of the attendees in the network meeting there was a shared acknowledgement and agreement that there does seem to be a barrier to volunteering for volunteers who have disabilities and may need additional support when completing volunteering opportunities.

In the open floor discussion, we discussed some of the reasons as to why organisation attendees found they were unable to facilitate volunteering opportunities – reasons such as being understaffed, health and safety and the nature of the volunteering opportunity all playing a part.

In conclusion from the network meeting we concluded that we would want to investigate ways of volunteering being made more inclusive for all and thinking of implementing reasonable and realistic changes in order to cater to all.

Upcoming Events:

  1. Volunteering at Little Village
  2. Volunteers are welcome to join any of the NHS-funded and GLA-funded training we are supporting
  3. DBS Workshop Session

Please provide your feedback to the VIO meeting here.

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