Charity websites and their social media platforms can offer an untapped, thriving writing market if you are willing to write without being paid.
BY AMANDA JONES
Important messages about the world’s most pressing problems aren’t getting communicated because charities don’t have the budget to pay writers. As an aspiring writer looking for opportunities to write, you can be the one to pen these words. Simply volunteer to write for free and be rewarded with a real-life playground to explore your craft and expand your portfolio.
Volunteering as a writer impacts you as much as it does the charity
Volunteering to write for charities allows you to do two things: have a positive impact (which makes you feel good) and improve your skills (become a better writer).
It is also a fascinating way to explore the nuance of language, especially where the issue is a sensitive one (as it often is with these organisations). This is according to Dympna Cunnane, CEO of Our Time Charity, who uses volunteers to write articles for their website.
So how do you find a volunteer opportunity that helps you grow as a writer?
1. Find a charitable cause that aligns with your writing interests
- If you want to be a food writer, produce content for local food banks.
- If you love travel, write for an international development charity.
- Even if your writing interest is niche, think laterally. Gaming blogger? How about Apart of Me, whose award-winning game helps children navigate grief. Bitcoin fanatic? Any charity fighting digital exclusion, like the Digital Poverty Alliance, could offer rewarding possibilities.
Caring fuels better work. Synergy between the charity’s cause and what you’re passionate about pays off.
2. Look for opportunities that match your writing aspirations
- To write articles, look for volunteer blogger or writer positions.
- Content creators should seek out social media content opportunities.
- For copywriting, search for brand positioning or marketing campaigns.
Matching your interests and writing goals with a volunteer opportunity means you’ll never question the cause or lose interest. This is what Jennifer Ho, a professional copywriter looking to expand her portfolio, found. She intentionally aligned her passion for feminism with her ambition of copywriting for an outdoor campaign, leading to her copywriting a UK-wide marketing campaign for the equality charity SheSays.
3. Find a live opportunity
Look on a volunteer matching platform for blogging, newsletter writing or content creation vacancies. Reach Volunteering or MediaTrust both have heaps of options.
Send a query email to an organisation; this is a great way to practise pitching, too.
With four out of 10 UK charities never finding a professional volunteer, it shouldn’t take too long to find an opening.
Read more:
- Writing for Impact in the Fields of Social Care, Education and Health: Engaging with Hearts and Minds
- How Raising Money for Charity Can Raise Your Writing Game
- 6 Tips to Gain Unshakeable Confidence as an Aspiring Writer
Appreciate the career-enhancing rewards of volunteering
Jennifer valued ‘collaborating with different people with all sorts of thinking and working styles’, bringing new perspectives to her writing.
The charity will reap rewards too. Dympna felt she got ‘access to high-quality professional communication skills’, which the charity would have struggled to pay for, given the scarce resources and tight budgets.
Above all, treat the project with as much devotion as a paid gig. Sticking to deadlines, delivering well-formatted work and being a decent human is good practice for your career as a writer.
Embrace your newfound writing adventure
Relish the experience of writing for a good cause. Try to continue beyond the early days of your writing career, looking to mix paid work with pro bono writing projects. That way you’ll always have scope to push the boundaries of your craft, important topics to write about, and a meaningful way to accelerate your progress.
About the author
Amanda Jones is the founder of Skilling Time and regularly publishes articles encouraging professionals to do good with their day job through pro bono work. She believes the many benefits of skill-based volunteering for professional growth are often overlooked. She is an Advertising Strategist by trade, so she is also passionate about harnessing the power of creativity and language to do good.
