How to participate in volunteering activities

Anyone who wants to do so can participate in volunteer activities, but not all related tasks may be suitable for everyone. Ask the parties who organise volunteer activities that interest you what kind of tasks they have to offer. Specify the amount of time you can spend on volunteering per week, month or year. Describe your interests, skills and limitations as accurately as possible.

Also people such as a person on disability pension, an asylum seeker residing in Finland or a refugee may take part in volunteer activities.

Children and young people can participate in volunteer activities in a manner that is suitable for their age. The activities of people under the age of 18 must be light, and the time used on the activities must be reasonable.

Recently, volunteer activities to which people need not commit long-term basis, but rather on a one-off basis have become more common.

As an unemployed jobseeker, you can participate in volunteer activities for which no salary is paid or other comparable benefits are offered. An activity is also considered unpaid when it involves food and beverages for participants or when an unemployed person is reimbursed for the costs of participating in the activity.

You cannot participate in unpaid activities in a company. As a rule, tasks performed as business activities or in an employment relationship are not considered to be ordinary volunteer activities of general interest.

Volunteering is not a valid reason to refuse the work offered to you or other employment support services such as training. If you state that you are not prepared to accept employment offered to you due to volunteer activities, you will lose your right to an unemployment benefit.

Think about what kind of voluntary activities you are interested in, find out what is available and contact the parties organising volunteer activities directly. People can occasionally or in a long-term manner. You can participate in volunteer activities both in Finland and abroad. For example, NGOs engaged in development cooperation provide information and work opportunities at distant sites.

If you live in Finland and would like to volunteer in a foreign country or would like to come to Finland to volunteer, you should first take a look at the international volunteering programmes offered by different organisations.

As the application periods vary from programme to programme, you should check the application instructions for each programme. Programme start dates, selection criteria and target countries also differ.

Read more about international volunteering programmes and how to apply for them:

• MaailmanvaihtoOpens in a new window.
• Kansainvälinen vapaaehtoistyö ryOpens in a new window.
• Allianssi Youth ExchangesOpens in a new window.
• European Solidarity CorpsOpens in a new window.
• European Voluntary Service (EVS)Opens in a new window.

Volunteering is not an employment relationship, but it requires taking responsibility just as any activity does. As a volunteer, you undertake to do your best in the task. If you cannot participate in the activities for some reason, you are free to stop taking part. Before you start volunteering, find out what you are committing to and what practices are in place for problem situations. The organiser is obligated to familiarise volunteers with the tasks given to them.

As far as possible, the party organising volunteer activities is obliged to take care of the safety and health of the volunteers. Ask whether the organiser has e.g. taken out accident insurance for volunteers. Everyone is responsible for the damage they cause, unless otherwise expressly agreed with the organiser. Find out your own responsibilities in advance.

No salary or comparable benefits can be received for volunteer activities. However, the organising party of the activity may reimburse travel and accommodation expenses or other expenses incurred in return for receipts. The organiser may offer volunteers a reasonable amount of food and beverages.

Volunteer activities do not need to be reported to the Tax Administration, as unpaid work does not result in tax consequences. However, if you receive compensation in the form of e.g. travel allowances for volunteer activities you must report these to tax authorities in the normal manner.

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