No matter what your reasons are for volunteering, you have to admit, it makes you feel good. Volunteering is an excellent way to give back to the community without expecting anything in return. If you've been thinking about doing it for a while, now is as good a time as ever to start. There are so many not for profit organisations out there who are waiting for you to assist with their cause. It is also an excellent way to get involved with the community, meet new people, be exposed to a side of life that will open your eyes and your mind and most importantly discover yourself and what you can do for others. Below are some organisations you can look into, I've listed the popular ones but do your research on one that is working towards a cause that you are passionate about.

Before you sign up, make sure that you can commit the time and effort. Also make sure that the work you can handle any emotional or physical impact that comes along with the volunteering. There are organisations out there who require seasonal commitments while others rerquire continuous and on-call commitments. Make sure it's ok with your family if this is the case. I recommend you research thoroughly before you commit. Most of the time you won't need to commit anymore than a few hours a week. But I know that the ladies and gentlemen who volunteer with the State Emergency Service in Australia carry around a pager. On top of their 3 hours of weekly training, they are on call to assist at disaster, rescue or community services. Great work guys. So here are a few you can look into.

State Emergency Service (Australia)

The SES is a volunteer service organisation that provides assistance during emergencies and disasters. The scope of work they are involved with is quite broad. They respond to anything from day to day incidents like removing heavy tree branches from roofs to searches and natural disasters clean up and rescue. The organisation provides continuous and comprehensive training to volunteers. They have several different specialisation units which you can choose to be part of. However, they all require intense training, so everyone starts off doing basic jobs and train their way into the specialisation. There is no pressure to join any particular unit. To become a volunteer, you will need to complete 3 months of training first. There are head quarters in different areas of each state. For more information on the organisation and joining go to www.ses.sa.gov.au (SA), www.ses.vic.gov.au (VIC), www.ses.act.gov.au (ACT), www.ses-wa.gov.au (WA), www.ses.nsw.gov.au (NSW), www.ses.qld.gov.au (QLD), I'm not sure if there is an SES in NT or TAS.

Medicins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (International)

MSF is an international organisation that provides humanitarian medical aid. They currently have around 24000 people deployed all over the world to help those who are caught in crisis. They have 19 offices around the world to support these volunteers. In 1999 MSF were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Not everyone deployed on missions with MSF are full volunteers. Please check their website in your relevant country for more details. In Sydney, their office is run by volunteers. There are specific recruitment drives and enquiry areas for medical and specialist areas. They also enlist non medical professionals such as water sanitation specialists, finance and administrators. You will need to be prepared to be away for prolonged periods of time. You can go onto www.msf.org.au or www.msf.org for more information about joining. The website is very informative and comprehensive. Your travel expenses and insurance is taken care of by the organisation. This is a fantastic organisation for medical specialists to join and use their expertise outside of their comfort zone to help those who otherwise can never afford their services. Even basic services that you and I take for granted.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International)

One of the oldest not for profit organisations in the world. The IFRC have been promoting humanitarian values and providing disaster response, disaster preparedness and health and care awareness in the community since 1863. According to their site there are currently over 20 million active volunteers around the world who are part of the IFRC. So they're pretty popular. There are opportunities to volunteer locally or overseas and there are different areas where your expertise is much needed. They also often require volunteers for their stores around your country. To find out more about the IFRC and volunteering for them please follow this link http://www.ifrc.org/voluntee/index.asp?navid=12 .

UNICEF (International)

The world's leading advocate for children around the world regardless of race, religion or creed.  UNICEF have made a difference to the lives of women and children around the world for decades and their work is continued and carried on by volunteers.  Their work is based around 5 areas of priority for children globally.  These areas include Young Child Survival and Developement, Basic Education and Gender Equality, HIV/AIDS Children, Child Protection, Policy, Advocacy and Partnerships.  There are many ways in which you can get involved with this universal cause and one of those ways is to be a volunteer.  If you are interested contact the UNICEF office in your country for further information on how you can join.  Volunteers are often required to assist within the local office (normally during working hours unless there are events or campaigns).  There are also opportunities for overseas volunteering in specific areas.  Please go to www.unicef.org for more information.

There are so many more local and organisations you can look into that needs your input.  These are just a few, locally in Australia there are the Salvation Army, the RSPCA, The Smith Family, Big Brother Big Sister, The Fred Hollows Foundation just to name a few.  Make an enquiry and be part of something bigger.  It's easy to just give money and forget, volunteering is hands on, sometimes in-your-face and confronting, but at the end of the day, you've made a difference to somebody's life.  It doesn't matter how small the difference is, the point is you've taken action to make a positive change to the big picture.  If you are already a volunteer, good on you, keep up the good work.