Many people would love to volunteer in their spare time, but find it difficult to get out of the house due to various reasons, such as family commitments or physical disabilities. But there are still ways to help out charities and other organisations from home. Here are a few ideas:

1. Knitting

If you're good at knitting, why not try knitting some hats, booties, blankets or other items for premature babies. There are lots of free patterns available on the Internet, and these gifts are very much appreciated by hospitals (not to mention the parents of premature babies, who may have had little time to buy clothes for their baby). Blankets are also appreciated by homeless shelters, particularly during the colder months.

2. Phone calls

Some organisations, such as the Red Cross in Australia have a 'Telecross' service, which is great for those who would like to volunteer from home. Volunteers are assigned a person with a medical condition in the community to call each day, to check how they are doing. This is an important service for those in the community who may not have any close friends or family to check on them regularly, and is a great way to volunteer if you only have five or ten minutes to spare each morning.

3. Virtual volunteering

With the advancements in technology, more and more organizations are providing opportunities for 'virtual volunteering'. This allows anyone with a computer and access to the Internet the chance to help out. There are a huge number of flexible opportunities available, not just locally, but also internationally. Some of the options include: designing websites, translating documents, doing simple online research or writing web content, reports, grant applications or newsletters for a charity. If you are unable to find any suitable volunteer positions currently being advertised, select a couple of organisations that you are interested in and contact them directly, offering your skills.

If you're not sure where to start, most charities have websites with a section on volunteering, and most of the volunteering websites now list opportunities that can be completed at home. So, if you've always wanted to volunteer but thought it would be too difficult to fit in with your life, volunteering from home might be the answer!