How to volunteer in London
The tip of the iceberg
You’d be surprised how many Lifelines power our great city. There are thousands of people who are a vital lifeline for other fellow Londoners. Some make the news, such as the huge numbers of volunteers supporting London 2012 and the vital volunteers helping to vaccinate our city during the pandemic, keeping this city alive. But we know this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Many thousands more chip in to help out their communities. People who give their time for others and wouldn’t even call it volunteering, just quietly getting on with it. We believe every one of London’s Lifelines needs shouting about!
How to become a Lifeline for London
Volunteers in London have been this city’s Lifeline for such a long time and there are some quick and simple ways that you too can join them. Volunteering is a really rewarding experience and hugely valuable, for both volunteers and the communities they support.
London’s Volunteer Centres
Volunteer Centres are the ‘go to’ places for volunteering locally. London’s Volunteer Centres are borough-based and usually work with local residents and organisations.
NHS Volunteering
Find out more about how the numerous ways you can volunteer for the NHS in your local area
Mutual aid
If you’re looking to find your local mutual aid network, the best way to find an organisation is to search Google, Facebook or Twitter.
You could also try Mutual Aid, which has over 2,000 groups listed. You can search depending on your local criteria, by entering your area/borough or the first part of a postcode.
Alternatively, you can find mutual aid groups through local community organisations such as Volunteer Centres, Councils for Voluntary Service (CVSs) or community/faith groups.
Reach Volunteering
Reach Volunteering matches up volunteers with specific roles, based on skills and experience.
Food aid volunteering
As a result of the cost of living crisis, London’s food banks and food aid charities are in desperate need for volunteers. Find out how you can help here.
Simply Volunteer London
Simply Volunteer London has hundreds of varied volunteering roles, from one-off events to ongoing commitments – there’s something for everyone.
Link UP London
Link UP London matches up London-based volunteers with specific roles, based on skills and experience.
NCVO
NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations) has a useful ‘I want to volunteer’ page for everything you need to know to get started.
Do IT
Do IT is the UK’s original nation-wide volunteer matching service, with a 20 year history. More than 1.4 million people have found volunteering through Do IT. You can search for opportunities to help in your neighbourhood, for the causes you care about when it’s convenient for you. Give it a try today and discover why doing good feels good!
Direct with a charity or community group
If a particular charity or community group means something special to you, you can reach out to them directly online.
Partner Hub
We want it to make it as easy as possible for our partners to promote volunteering with London’s Lifelines. That’s why we’ve created a Partner Hub!
Find out more today.
Share your story
We want to celebrate and to tell the story of all of London’s lifelines; from those who literally save lives to those who are lifesavers in countless other ways.
Find out how to share your story.