👋 Meet George, who has done nearly 100 Christmas volunteering shifts with Crisis. Below he tells us about his volunteering experience and his top tips for getting sponsored. How long have you been a volunteer for Crisis at Christmas and why did you sign up? “2008 was a challenging year for me personally, and when I was offered some extended time off work I took it gratefully. But I returned from my sabbatical to the full impact of the financial crash, and was made redundant a couple of months later. I found myself in December with little on the horizon, and when I saw a friend’s post about 'getting her Crisis shifts confirmed', I dug a little deeper and before I knew it had signed up. I think my next Crisis Christmas shift will be my 100th!” What sort of volunteering jobs did you do and why did you enjoy these roles? “I’ve been a ‘Green Badge’ Assistant Shift Leader since 2017 and a Key Volunteer for a few years before. I most enjoy helping a centre run smoothly and supporting volunteers to have a great experience. Volunteering on a nightshift teaches you a lot about patience, about making friends in quiet areas, and about finding ways to be useful.” What is your top tip for anyone considering becoming a sponsored volunteer? “The best advice really is just to do it. Set up a donation page. You can just use the text in the templates, but if you’re feeling a bit wordy, write something from you. It doesn’t have to be super articulate because the people you know will always respond well to it. Set a modest target so that you get a buzz as it gets close, and you hopefully beat it (or double it!). And remember to tell people about it!” If you’re volunteering this Christmas, why not boost the impact of your volunteering by getting sponsored, like George. Find out more via the link in our bio. #CrisisAtChristmas #Volunteering