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Free Handouts
Help From
Home has over 500 micro volunteer actions to choose from and
many, many more just waiting in the wings to be added to it's
database. We recognize that you may not have time to investigate
them all, so we've provided the following free downloads that
highlight some of the actions featured on Help From Home.
All of
them are useful in introducing the
concept of micro volunteering to a new group member.
 
'Easy Peasy Actions' 'Actions
To Go'
'Featured Actions'
 'Easy Peasy Actions' - An
at-a-glance view in 2 pages of some of the more fun, but oh so
easy micro volunteering actions featured on Help From Home.
'Actions To Go' - An
at-a-glance view in 4 pages of all of the micro volunteer action
types featured on Help From Home.
'Featured Actions' - A more
detailed look in 16 pages at some of the actions featured on
Help From Home.
Home Volunteering Groups Map
Started a group and want
to let others know about it? Well, just add it to the map below.
Look for the 'Add' button in
the upper right hand corner of the map. Don't
worry, you don't have to register - just enter the street, town
and country and then click 'Submit'. Then click the name of your
location in the small pop up box to confirm where you are in the
world. That's all there is to it! Look forward to seeing where
y'all come from.
Forming Your Home Volunteering
Group
The formation of a group
requires two ingredients: people enthusiastic about
performing micro volunteer actions and a meeting place.
Where do you find people enthusiastic about this type of
thing? From friends and acquaintances, and possibly even
strangers. There may be occasions (for
example, at a party,
a conference, and so on) when you make contact with a person
who expresses more than a passing interest in doing good
deeds when you discuss it. These are the people who will be
interested in joining your Help From Home Group. There may
be interested people at your workplace, at your sporting
activity, at your church, and so on. Another source for
members for your Group is advertising by way of notices.
These can be posted at the supermarket, community centre,
any notice boards in your area, the school, church, shop
windows, etc. When talking about a meeting to prospective
members of the group, mention it as a short, informal
discussion. People are more inclined to attend a short
meeting, so you need to keep the first meeting to no longer
than two hours. Also make it clear that you have no
affiliation with political or religious organisations (and
that you’re not going to sell Tupperware or similar, at the
meeting!).
Where Will You Meet?
 The
meeting place will naturally be your home (we do not
recommend that women invite male strangers into their
homes), but sometimes this may not be convenient. If this is
the case, investigate where a small room can be hired for
two hours at a reasonable cost. Try your local council, they
normally have rooms at the council chambers, as well as at
community centres. Churches sometimes hire out a space or
check if there is a local Scout Hall, there are always a
number of areas available. Non profit associations are
normally given a discount. Approach the booking officer
personally, tell your story, and ask if you can have the
room ‘no charge’ as an act of kindness.
Planning Your First Meeting
The first meeting should be planned carefully to ensure it
is a success (even if you have only one other person).
Everyone should leave with the feeling that something has
been achieved, that there are clear directives on what needs
to be done, and everyone is looking forward to the next
meeting.
Let us suppose you have found one or more people interested
in coming to your first meeting. The day has come, and
you’ve prepared some finger food (fruit is one choice or
cheese and biscuits, or chocolate biscuits, and so on. For
something to drink, mineral/spring water and fruit juice,
and/or tea/coffee). You may like to have stick-on name tags
for each member at the first meeting. Also prepare a simple
agenda. Be clear about your objectives. What do you wish to
achieve? You can simply talk about the whole range of micro
volunteering actions available or you may choose to agree on
selecting certain micro actions the group can carry out,
such as writing letters to sick children or playing games
that donate to charity for free and see who achieves the
highest score or crafting items of clothing for initiatives
that help needy people. Bear in mind that the whole point of
the exercise is not just to do something nice for someone
else, but to enjoy doing it! If you don’t enjoy it, you’re
not being kind to yourself, and that is the first principle
in practicing acts of kindness - it has to be a ‘feel good’
experience for all concerned.
Your First Meeting
 The
first meeting is a ‘getting to know you’ affair, so it
should be simple and brief. Have a clock prominently on
display, and about 15 minutes before the meeting is due to
end, bring to the attention of the group how much time
remains. Keep the conversation focussed on what you have
chosen to achieve i.e., keep to your agenda. If the group
feels comfortable, then one of the group should take notes.
Someone will usually volunteer to do this, but make sure
their writing is legible, unless they agree to type up their
notes. Have a pad on hand with something that will give a
solid backing, so as to make writing easier. Record all
members present, their addresses and telephone numbers.
The first meeting will generally consist of getting to know
one another; sharing some micro volunteering actions that
members have been involved in; agreeing to carry out some
simple micro volunteering actions, and defining what these
might be; exchanging names and phone numbers; and agreeing
on the date of the next meeting, and its location.
For your first meeting, the agenda might read: 1. Everyone
introduces themselves 2. Have a snack 3. Sit them down and
ask them to give their idea of what they would like to do
(write ideas down). Some people are reticent by nature. If
you have one in your group, gently prompt them by asking if
they would like to add something to what has been said. 4.
Decide ‘what’. Briefly summarise each suggestion and decide
on a short list if there have been a number of suggestions.
5. Decide ‘how’. Discuss how you will carry out your act/s.
6. Decide the date and time of your next meeting. 7. Close
the meeting and have some tea or coffee. If you don’t want
people to stay too long, make it clear at the start of the
meeting that there is a definite finish time for the
meeting. If the meeting is to run for two hours, it will
need to be run efficiently. With a strong chairperson,
matters should be resolved relatively quickly, and everyone
should have a clear understanding of what is to be done.
Allow for a little more time for the second meeting, as
people will recount their acts of kindness carried out since
the last meeting.
The group would need to keep in regular contact with each
other, to ensure that everyone is kept informed of what is
going on, and to share bright ideas and so on.
You will find that working with a group will enhance your
enthusiasm and feelings of fulfilment. You will gain some
lovely new friends, and you will effectively raise the level
of kindness in your community. As Irving Berlin wrote in the
lyrics of I’ve got Rhythm, "Who could ask for anything
more?"
Adapted from an article by the Australian Kindness
Movement. Permission has been sought on 2 separate occasions
to reprint the adapted article with no feedback forthcoming.
If you are the author of the original article, please
contact Help From Home so that we can discuss matters.
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