How do I become a fundraiser? Expand You might want to join our fundraising team or you might want to do a one off activity for us, like a sky dive or take part in a run. Either way you need to express your interest first which you can do on the Support our work section of this website.
Why should I volunteer? Expand Volunteering is an amazing way to learn new skills and develop your confidence. We work with you on a personal development plan so you can get the best out of your time with us and we will help you to find other exciting opportunities like education, training or employment.
Do I need to know anyone to get involved? Expand Not at all, anyone is welcome to come and meet us and become part of the SAFE family, it’s completely normal to feel nervous but we’re sure that you’ll soon feel part of the family.
How much does it cost to volunteer? Expand Volunteering in the UK won't cost you anything and we can reimburse any expenses that you might need while you're doing your thing. The price for each international project varies, sometimes we get fully funded places but if not, we work out the cost by finding you the cheapest flight and then adding £150 per week you are away to cover your travel, food and accommodation costs. This also includes some of the resources you may need whilst out there. We don’t structure donation amount into your costs because we want to keep the experience as affordable as possible, fundraising in general is encouraged though to keep our projects running!
What if I have no skills or experience? Expand That’s ok! We all started out the same way, we believe that everyone has something to give. The most important thing is that you are willing to embrace new cultures and are ready for a challenge.
When can I go overseas? Expand We regularly send volunteer teams out to our projects in India and Cambodia, and from time to time we can take teams to Uganda and Sierra Leone. Register to find out about upcoming opportunities
What will I be doing as a volunteer? Expand In the UK you can join one of our HQ teams. We have an admin, PR and Comms, Trade, Training and Events teams. You can also work in our shop or join our outreach team who go out and about to festivals and events to talk about SAFE. Many of our international projects provide education to poor communities. With support from your mentor, you will help out at a local school or help deliver workshops to the community. Sometimes we organise building projects at our schools, we’ve even built bread ovens out in the community! The projects are challenging, you will be working at least five days a week and be expected to wake up early most days! But it’s all completely worth it and you’ll get an amazing sense of achievement at the end.
What training do I get? Expand In the UK you will get a full induction and training as well as shadowing other volunteers who will happily show you the ropes. If there is specialist training that comes up that suits your skills and abilities then we can arrange you to take part in this too. For our international projects You will get pre-departure training, if you are on a funded programme the training is once a week for 6 weeks, if it’s another program it would happen over one or two weeks. Full commitment to the training is essential, if you miss training sessions there is the possibility your place will be given to someone else.
Do you only work with young people? Expand Absolutely not We have volunteers and fundraisers from 2 to 80 and anywhere in between. We do run some volunteering opportunities just for young people - but these are beneficiaries of our UK programme and so part of our work. Volunteering and supporters of all ages, backgrounds and cultures are welcome at SAFE.