Working for nothing can be really good for your CV

VSO might not want you, but there's another element of the charity sector eager to enlist volunteers from the banking and financial sector.

Away from the organisations providing water to villages in Africa, there are charities which provide business consulting and coaching services to other charitable organisations. They need people to help with financial planning, business strategy or even HR or IT advice.

And they are keen to hear from financial professionals.

One such charity is Pilotlight, which counts JPMorgan, Coutts, Lazard and Barclays Capital among its corporate members.

It tends to focus on very senior people, so if you haven't worked at MD level and above you need not apply.

Needless to say, you won't get paid. Pilotlight also charges 1,300 a year to individual members volunteering their expertise.

Fiona Halton, chief executive of Pilotlight, tells us: "Firms that might have offered staff a shorter working week are now are viewing Pilotlight as another option for them. We're also seeing people who have been made redundant re-thinking their careers and seeing us as a good place to start."

If Pilotlight doesn't take your fancy, you could also try Cranfield Trust, which offers things like financial management, and business and strategic planning to charities.

Amanda Tincknell, chief executive of the group, says the number of volunteers has trebled in the last two months alone, and a lot of new recruits are coming from the financial sector.

"The majority of enquiries we're currently getting from charities are around financial scenario planning, managing finances and cash flow, so we're keener than ever to hear from financial professionals."

Then there's Reach, a charity that offers business consulting services to voluntary organisations. Its membership increased by 15% in 2008 and it places around 1,500 volunteers a year.

Andrew Phillips, head of fundraising, says its not just redundant bankers that are making up the ranks.

"Financial firms are keen to lift their existing employees out of their comfort and provide them with a more rounded skill-set."