Volunteers keen to give time

THEY say time is money. And‚ fortunately for those in need‚ thousands of South Africans are willing to donate this currency for the good of others.

A recent survey of 6 000 volunteers found that‚ while many regularly donated money and goods to charity‚ 90% of them regarded their time as the most valuable asset they could offer.

The research was conducted by Forgood‚ a digital platform that connects people to causes.

The platform had facilitated more than 12 000 connections‚ the organisation said.

“Our data shows that South Africans‚ and millennials in particular‚ are eager to get involved in social projects‚ but they want a more personalised experience‚” Forgood chief executive Andy Hadfield said.

The research also found that most volunteers like to invest their time in education‚ community development and women‚ children and youth.

The organisation offers more than 1 400 opportunities and 500 social causes for people to choose from.

About 48% of the causes are based in Gauteng‚ 26% are in the Western Cape and 10% are in KwaZulu-Natal.

Forgood also offers business volunteering opportunities and more than 10 corporations have joined programmes aligning with their existing social initiatives.