Give time to a cause you value
Volunteering brings connection, purpose and a role; volunteers tend to live longer, though healthier people volunteer more.
The number, drawn
Why it matters
Helping others builds social ties and gives you something to look forward to. Pooling five cohort studies, volunteering was associated with 22% lower mortality, but healthier and better off people are more likely to volunteer in the first place. Trials have not established a survival benefit, so choose a role for the meaning and the company rather than a promised extra year.
How to do it
- Pick a cause you care about and ask what help they actually need.
- Start with a small commitment that fits your energy and other responsibilities.
- Check after a month whether it feels rewarding, and scale it back if it has become a strain.
Do it
Pick the time you have. Anything beats nothing.
Start with the time you have
5 minutes
Look up one cause you care about and check whether it lists volunteer roles or a contact for enquiries.
15 minutes
Send an enquiry stating your interests, availability and access needs; ask what help is useful and whether you can start small.
30 minutes
Compare one or two roles for duties, training, travel and time commitment, then prepare questions for the organiser.
A plan
Try a role before expanding it
- Ask a suitable organisation what help it needs and agree a manageable starting commitment.
- Agree the role, hours and support with the organiser before starting.
- After a month, review whether it feels rewarding and sustainable; reduce or change it if needed.
In real life
- Ask a local charity whether it needs a short, occasional task that fits your energy.
- Offer a skill you already have, such as helping with a newsletter, after checking what the organisation needs.
Watch out for
- Common mistakePromising more time than you can sustain can create strain: agree a small commitment and review it.
- Common mistakeChoosing a role to chase a mortality benefit misreads observational evidence: choose the cause, company and work you value.
Trusted guides
Check usSources
- Evidence grade
- B Consistent large cohort studies, with some trial evidence.
- Basis
- Systematic review pooling five cohort studies, mortality risk ratio 0.78; no experimental evidence of a survival effect
- The number
- Volunteering was associated with 22% lower mortality in cohort studies (BMC Public Health, via PMC, 2013)
- Outcome
- mortality, observational association
- Comparison
- Volunteers vs non-volunteers in cohort studies
- Tier 2 studyIs volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta analysis of the health and survival of volunteersBMC Public Health, via PMC, 2013
- Tier 1 guideline5 steps to mental wellbeingNHS, 2022
General health information, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Personalization changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess your medical risks. Follow the cautions and consult a qualified clinician when needed.