Yes, you can but you won't have such a large choice as if you were completely flexible. Some volunteering is usually done in groups, so two or more people could easily join together. Examples are practical conservation and fundraising. It's unusual for organisations to plan volunteering specially so that groups of people can volunteer together. But it is a growing trend in the USA and could be a good marketing device for UK organisations wanting to attract more volunteers.

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Yes, there are many opportunities to volunteer that do not require you to be available Monday to Friday during the day. Don't be put off volunteering because you work full-time! Many organisations would love to find volunteers that are able to volunteer evenings, nights and/or weekends.

Some examples of out of office hours volunteering include: campaigning, the Samaritans or other helplines, working with homeless people, befriending, environmental and sports.

It is important however, to check out with any organisation you are interested in volunteering for, what time commitment they have in mind. You will need to work out how many hours you will volunteer for and for how long you wish to volunteer.

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This is really up to you. You can find volunteering that only takes an hour a month - there's a trend towards short-term volunteering requiring minimal commitment. Having said that, obviously the less time you have the harder it can be to find something that's right for you.

You can volunteer at any time of the week, day or night. While much volunteering takes place in office hours, you can volunteer at evenings and weekends too, again depending on what you want to do. Typical volunteering out of office hours includes befriending, campaigning, the Samaritans, environmental and sports.

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You can, but only under certain circumstances. Most residential voluntary work offers board, lodging and some form of pocket money. This work can be for a week or two or a whole year. Other organisations take on 'paid volunteers', giving them regular sums over and above their out of pocket expenses.

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If you would like to give time but are unable to turn up in person, then virtual volunteering could be the answer. It is already well established in North America and is now taking root here.

Virtual volunteering is a new way of enabling you to complete tasks from your desk, either at home or in your workplace. The tasks could be for groups around the corner, overseas, or indeed they may exist only on the internet.

Giving time over the web is convenient and flexible and allows people to give time who would otherwise be unable to get involved in social action. Contact can be made over the internet, by telephone or post, and suits people who have little free time or cannot go out.

What sort of tasks could you do?

• Researching on the web - about time your surfing was put to good use.
• Tracking relevant legislation - take your interest in politics further to benefit a local voluntary organisation
• Giving specialist advice - think how useful your legal skills or management expertise could be to a small voluntary group.
• Creating databases - saves time and makes an organisation more effective.
• Designing a web site or newsletter - copywriting and other communications experience can make all the difference.
• Provide translation facilities - make sure a local ethnic community gets the message or help a group communicate with counterparts in other countries.
• Providing telephone or e-mail mentoring - if face-to-face meetings are out of the question, you can still help others.
• Supervise or moderate a chat room, news group or e-mail discussion group - another net benefit.

This is a new area - be willing to convince a community group or a volunteer group that this could really help them and that you could make an important contribution.

As you can see from the the Virtual Volunteering section the answer is yes. But there are other ways of joining in without leaving your home.
Some people combine their hobby with volunteering. For example avid knitters producing baby clothes,small teddy bears or blankets to go directly to people or to be sold to raise money, or those who enjoy writing exchanging letters with others.

As ever with volunteering what's most important is do you have time to spare. So why not contact your local volunteer centre to see if together you can make something happen.

Many organisations have a minimum age limit for volunteering(usually between 16 and 18) depending on the tasks volunteers do and who they help.

If you find you are considered too young to help one organisation don't give up! There are many ways of getting involved if you're under 16.

For example volunteering through your school. Citizenship is becoming a big part of education so teachers have a major incentive to help you to take action for causes you care about. If you have an idea,no matter how vague, approach a sympathetic teacher and ask for their help.The school may be able to support you with advice,materials,space or even class time. School is also a great place for volunteering with your mates in team projects.

The Giving Nation website www.g-nation.co.uk offers a wealth of ideas and advice for volunteering through your school,from fundraising to campaigning to helping in your community. Encourage your teachers to visit the site as it has a section to help them to help you. Also ask your teacher to contact the local volunteer centre.