Why volunteer with us

We are extremely grateful to be supported by 14,000 generous volunteers! Amazingly, our volunteers donate approximately 13 million hours of their time each year.

With their constant dedication and support, we can continue providing life-changing services to those who need us. In return, we want to make sure that when you join us as a volunteer we are there for you, every step of the way.

Together, we are Guide Dogs.

How we'll support you

At Guide Dogs, we want you to feel well supported throughout your time volunteering with us. When you join our community of volunteers, and during your volunteer journey with us, we will:

• Cover all reasonable expenses for our volunteers for any volunteering activities. This can be vet bills for our volunteers who care for our dogs or travel costs to a fundraising event.
• Our expert team who look at volunteer learning and training will develop modules that will prepare and equip you for your volunteer role.
• You’ll have a dedicated volunteer manager for each volunteer role you do. They will be there to offer you advice and support during your time volunteering with us.
• Keep you in the loop and inform you of all important updates through our monthly volunteer newsletter and other volunteer communication channels.
• Connect you with other members of the community, so you can meet volunteers in your local area or fellow volunteers in your role. There is always a smiling face to meet at Guide Dogs!
• Support you in developing new skills, if you wish to.

How we'll say ‘thank you’

Our volunteers play a huge part in changing the lives of people living with sight loss and we are passionate about recognising and celebrating what you do to support us. Here are some of the ways we will do it:

• Long Service Awards, to recognise different milestones of our volunteers.
• Local Volunteer Awards. The awards in 2024 will take place in the first couple of weeks in September and we will host various events at our local sites and local community to recognise the contribution of our volunteers and share their inspirational stories with others. You can ensure a volunteer is considered for a Local Volunteer Award by nominating them for a Pat on the Back Award, after which a judging panel will have the difficult task of shortlisting the winners and runners up by category.
• In November we host our People Awards, a prestigious national event to celebrate the contribution of our volunteers, staff, and service users.
• Our ‘Pat on the Back’ scheme allows staff, fellow volunteers or members of the public to nominate volunteers to receive a special recognition of their efforts.

The difference our volunteers make

Our volunteers support the aims of our organisation in a variety of ways. From caring for a guide dog on their journey, to training others in sighted guiding skills. From raising the funds that make all this happen to campaigning for changes that will improve the lives of people living with sight loss. There is a whole range of ways that our volunteers support.

Join the Guide Dogs community

Without our volunteers we wouldn’t be able to continue changing the lives of people with sight loss. You could join the Guide Dogs community today and help us keep changing lives.