"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you." - John Wooden.

RNIB needs people of all ages to empty its collecting boxes in pubs, shops and other businesses. These boxes (like the cute, new-style Sooty box, shown on the right) raise vital funds. You'd collect money from local establishments and also encourage more businesses to give a box a home. You don't need any special experience and you'll get all the training and support you need, especially when you're just getting started. You can elect to cover as small (or as big!) an area as you have the time to do - from a few hours a month to dozens a week - it's up to you. I've been a box emptier since 1991 and I still get a buzz when I open a box and see loads of coins (and notes!) that have been donated by the public.

RNIB always needs new sites at which Sooty can sit and collect money. Could you find new places and help persuade the management to take a collection box? You get help in picking the best places and guidance to help you become an effective persuader! This role is perhaps best suited to those people who consider themselves "people persons". However, if you've wanted to develop inter-personal skills, grow your confidence at meeting and greeting or, you basically just like chatting to people, then this could be just right for you.

Join up with a team of local people to raise funds by putting on all sorts of events. This could be for you if you want to meet people and make friends or to try out &/or brush-up skills. From roles with low responsibility right up to being a secretary, chairperson, treasurer or publicity officer, there's jobs that may give you the challenge you want. You don't need any special skills except your time and enthusiasm but if you've got some talents, then great - bring them along and put them to good use.

Enjoy supporting or managing people? or perhaps you're looking to add something to your CV? Then why not become a Volunteer Co-ordinator. You get valuable experience and the chance to develop or re-use skills such as recruiting, advising, briefing, encouraging and motivating volunteers who are raising valuable funds.

Flag days and collections outside supermarkets, railway stations and the like are valuable ways that RNIB raises funds. You might just want to help out once a year, in RNIB Week, or get involved with more frequent collections. Why not start by joining in with others holding a collection and perhaps later you could organise your own. RNIB will provide you the support you need to organise and carry them out, including the arrangement of permits. I've been doing collections since 1992 and I still enjoy them, especially when a generous member of the public folds up a bank note and pops it in the collecting box! By the way, I'm in the picture above but my face isn't visible (orange fur in the way) - some would say that'd be the best way!

"The first step towards success is to decide what you want." - Burnstein.

The success of some events can be entirely dependant on getting the right number of volunteers to come along and help. You could just be the right person to complete a team. Each one is interesting in its own right and you never know who you'll meet. There's all sorts of tasks that you could end up doing, though you'll never be asked to do something that you're not happy with. I've been involved with helping at events since soon after starting as a volunteer with RNIB. To give you a flavour, I've met stars of TV, film & stage, drawn the raffle prize in the middle of Watford football pitch dressed as Sooty, met royalty, appeared on TV and acted as 'staff photographer'. Less prestigious but very useful jobs have included directing members of the public or circulating refreshments at an abseil event.

Lay on a coffee morning, tea party or similar for friends and neighbours, and donate the proceeds to RNIB. You could hold them once a week, once a month or once a year. RNIB can supply you with promotional literature and information packs.

Pop envelopes through a few letter boxes and pop back in a few days to collect the donations. What could be simpler? You'll get supplied a range of house numbers in your street or a nearby area and this activity is ideal for those with limited time available, as RNIB usually only runs these once a year in RNIB Week.

RNIB runs prize draws throughout the year in each of its regions. Sell tickets to friends, neighbours, relations and work colleagues and raise valuable funds. And, think how popular you'll be if they win something like a car!

Some local fundraisers may not have the skills, tools (like a PC) or time they need to raise all the funds they can. You could make the vital difference. Whether you have skills such as typing, being able to research items in local libraries or via the internet or could make phone calls to prospective participants at RNIB fundraisers, RNIB would like to hear from you.

"In seeking happiness for others, you find it for yourself." - anon.

If you want to raise money from something like a local marathon or fire engine pull or have always wanted to swim the English Channel, why not do it for RNIB. RNIB can provide you with sponsor forms and, in some cases, very useful advise. Your energy and ideas are the only limit!

Know your way round a PC? Proficient at making simple changes to your PC's configuration, e.g. installing software and adding new hardware? Remember how difficult it was when you first started using a computer? Well, imagine how awkward some PC problems could be if you have a sight problem. RNIB needs volunteers to assist visually impaired PC users. You don't need to be a PC expert and you'll get the support and training that you will need to help others. Sometimes a volunteer can solve a problem over the telephone, but usually you would need to visit the computer user's home. Sometimes all that is needed is a pair of eyes to spot the problem.

Volunteers who have technical qualifications are always needed, to set up Talking Book players for new listeners, demonstrate how they work and be available to service the players when necessary. If you are not so technically-minded you may be interested in helping a member of the Talking Book Library choose a reading list, by reading through the Talking Book catalogue with them.

Assisting with activities:- assist in carrying out indoor and outdoor activities with residents in RNIB’s residential homes and with guests at RNIB’s hotels. Providing transportation:- provide transport by driving RNIB's clients on various outings to social events, medical appointments, on shopping trips and by providing transport for other volunteers. Home visiting:- assist staff in undertaking tasks with service users in their homes and assisting them with social and leisure activities in their local communities. Volunteers also assist service users in accessing educational and employment opportunities. Befriending blind and partially sighted people:- befriend elderly people who live on their own or in RNIB residential homes by visiting them, reading to them and, equally important, listening to them. Accompanying/Guiding:- act as a guide for blind and partially sighted people on day and evening trips to places of interest, theatres, exhibitions, etc. Telesupport:- volunteer facilitators bring together, over the telephone, a group of people at the same time each week to run through a learning programme about the support and self-support services available to people with a serious sight problem. Ophthalmic clinics in hospitals:- volunteers staff information desks in ophthalmic clinics in two London hospitals. Volunteers distribute information to customers, provide basic advice and refer, wherever necessary, back to RNIB staff. Leisure Link:- a leisure learning project where volunteers attend adult education courses alongside a visually impaired partner, taking place in the Brighton and Heathfield areas, leading to community-based leisure opportunities.

Some visually impaired people may be unable to volunteer because they have trouble getting around or may have worries that they wouldn't be able to fill in forms, etc. Perhaps you could help out by doing a little driving or spending some time now and then, with admin work.

"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it." - John Ruskin.