The Value of Time, Skills and Human Connection
Not every contribution has to be financial.
Volunteering allows people to contribute something equally valuable: their time, knowledge, skills and energy.
The United Nations Volunteers programme reported that 14,631 UN Volunteers served in 2024, representing a 14% increase from 2023 and a 77% increase compared with 2019. These volunteers worked across areas including community development, healthcare, human rights, humanitarian assistance, water and sanitation and more.
UN Volunteers contributed across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, demonstrating how volunteer action can support a broad range of development priorities.
But volunteering isn’t limited to international programmes.
A person teaching children for a few hours each week, helping an NGO with communications, mentoring young people, organising a community activity or supporting an elderly person is also contributing to society.
Volunteering creates a connection between people that financial donations alone cannot always create.
It also gives individuals an opportunity to understand social issues firsthand.
Sometimes, the most valuable thing we can give is not what we have—it is the time we choose to share.