volunteer stories
Why volunteer?
Purpose
Knowing you’ve made a positive impact on the lives of those who genuinely need help, comes with sense of fulfilment that’s hard to match.
It’s a satisfaction that stays forever.
Adventure
Searching for something more than Mexico or Bali?
This is for the traveller who sees the value in an experience that’s off the beaten track.
Community
Sometimes it’s tough to find your people onboard.
Volunteering is an opportunity to connect with a different type crew that’s on a similar wavelength.
Perspective
Experiencing new cultures and communities sparks empathy, open-mindedness, and creates a deeper appreciation of what’s really important in life.
We care more about your skills than your job title
Like working on a boat, our projects involve a bit of everything. What’s listed here is just a snapshot of where your skills can be used.
practical skills
You have a knack, and knowledge, for what needs to be done. Be it building playgrounds in refugee camps, wiring solar panels, installing toilets or restoring services after a natural disaster.
Physical skills
Your muscle power matches your willpower. You don’t mind putting in a shift hauling bags of sand, digging holes or pushing wheelbarrows.
Culinary skills
You’re happy to trade the galley for a camp, shelter or relief situation - creating tasty meals on mass. You’d be open to setting up community kitchens, training aspiring chefs, and developing sustainable food programmes.
Art skills
With your artistic skills, you can bring to life the walls of a refugee camp, a remote African village, or an old people’s home. You believe art is a way to bridge cultural gaps and help with healing.
Project management skills
You are a big-picture kinda gal or guy. Words like ‘logistics’, ‘coordination’, ‘scheduling’ and ‘supply chain’ are what get you out of bed in the morning.
Soft skills
You’re a communications master . Your CV highlights your patience, the ability to listen, empathise, and understand people’s needs. In short, you know how to receive and deliver the message.
Behind the scenes
We’re always on the hunt for graphic designers, social media gurus or big thinkers. Short or long term - let’s chat.
Who benefits
This is the cool part, everyone does.
Crew
Have a meaningful way to spend their time off, volunteering with a purpose through non-profits we know and trust.
They get to experience new cultures, reset from the boat, use their skills to help those in need and connect with humanity on a new level.
Yachts
By enabling crew to volunteer, you’ll retain the quality team members who are more invested in the boat. Keeping their skills and knowledge onboard ensures the boat is safer, smoother and the guest experience is improved.
Less time / money is spent on recruitment and the yacht’s connection to humanitarian projects makes it even more desirable to work on and charter.
Yachting industry
By financially supporting the volunteer projects crew are involved with, the yachting industry takes a step toward meeting key environmental, social, and development goals.
This human-centred approach demonstrates the positive impact the industry can have on the world, showcasing its commitment to global responsibility and meaningful change.
Non-profits
Increase their output and positive impact thanks to human and capital resources from the yachting industry.
Collectively, we help thousands of people who genuinely need it have a better quality of life.
Frequently asked questions
Still have questions?
For sure you do.
Reach out and we’ll talk it through.
This depends on the project. In most cases, visas and vaccinations aren’t required. As for health insurance, check with your boat’s insurance provider to see if you’re covered. If not, we can recommend reliable travel insurance options.
We match crew with projects that align with the skills they already have, so no additional training is needed. Just bring an open mind and a willingness to help. Before each trip, you’ll be fully briefed on the project, community and logistics like travel and accommodation.
Just like being at sea, we keep a close eye on the forecast. We conduct thorough risk assessments on all projects before sending volunteers anywhere. Your safety is our top priority, and we never compromise on that.
Ideally, you’ll be on the ground for a minimum of two weeks. That gives you time to get to know a project and connect with the people you’re there to help.
Unlike some NGOs, it’s completely free to volunteer through Relief Crew. While flights, accommodation and food will need to be covered - prices will vary depending on the project location - rest assured it’s much cheaper than a trip to Bali.
Should you need help with funding, we have some potential options to explore. Let’s chat.
Volunteering is proven to boost mental health but naturally, it’s possible to be impacted in different ways when dealing with communities in need. As a result, we’ve partnered with xxxx who you can contact at any time should you need a professional to chat with.
Each location varies, and while it won’t be five-star, we’ll ensure you have a clean and comfortable place to stay.
You’ll be working as part of a team, alongside other yacht crew and volunteers, all like-minded people committed to making a difference.