I wonder what the success rate is for people who think they might volunteer and those who actually end up doing something?

Just thinking about some of the barriers that might trip you up on the way... well I have my own ideas but this time I'm going to resist  putting them in here. I'd love to hear about yours though. They might be practical or cultural or emotional. They might be more about you or more about the organisation you tried to help. Please share, let's see where we get to this time.

Quick (true) story that confirms my view that synchronicity likes volunteers.

I was walking through a back street near Camden Town when I was stopped by an old lady in rags. You must help me, she said, my heart is on fire and it is burning through my clothes. Er, ok, I answered somewhat hesistantly. She showed me some of the scorch marks in her multiple layers and carried on telling me about her life and why her heart was on fire.
How do I get out of this? I thought, if only an ambulance was here to take her to hospital where they know more about dealing with these things than me. And an ambulance drove past (I walked that way to work every day and never saw ambulances before and since). I guess they're not allowed to stop, I thought, waving my arm. The ambulance driver pulled up and asked what was happening. "Well of course I'm not supposed to stop" he explained "but I'm on my way back to the hospital so I can take her with me if you like."