Volunteering for a Good Cause

July 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
These are some items given away to promote Bre...

Image via Wikipedia

Many people are so busy that the idea of trying to find time to volunteer is far from their minds. Still, many not only find the time but spend a lot of time helping to organize events to help raise money. Having something you’re passionate about that helps others can make you feel good; and the causes for these charities can range from research money for diseases to helping those with less to helping clean up the environment.

Find Your Passion

If you’re hoping to volunteer to help others, the first thing you need to do is find something you’re passionate about. For many, it’s something that they have a connection to. For someone who has lost a mother to breast cancer, he may work hard to raise money that reminds women to be tested or for research on new cancer treatments and possibly a cure. For someone who is a marine biologist, she may promote cleaner waters for animals and protecting the ecosystem of the ocean. It’s all about figuring out what pulls on your heart strings.

Start Small

When you first start out volunteering, start small. If you go in all the way, you may find it difficult to find a balance between your charitable work and the rest of your life. Starting small with help you adjust to your new activities without getting burned out. As you become adjusted, you may decide to increase your responsibility with the organization and take on more.

Filed Under: Volunteering Tagged With: , ,

Volunteering Away from Home

June 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Volunteers fit new windows at The Sumac Centre... 

Image via Wikipedia

Volunteering abroad is on the rise. These projects entice prospective volunteers because they provide an experience of traveling to a new place and diving into a new culture while helping out and making an impact on the community. However, if you’re looking into organizations that will give you the experience of volunteering overseas, you need to be realistic about what this “voluntourism” will accomplish.

Perceiving Your Experience
Volunteers often want to come away from their experience with a finished product—a completely constructed school, for instance—so they can have a concrete answer to the inevitable question, “so what did you achieve?” You must keep in mind that your volunteer project is part of a process. You’ll come away from it with a new perspective on your own life and country as well as the place you experienced. And while you may not build a whole school in a week, you will take small steps towards meaningful change.

Components of Successful Projects
Successful organizations don’t simply move in and begin to determine the path of development. Instead, successful projects start with the needs of the community and engage the community in dialogue to recognize needs. Members of the community should be part of the process of identifying their needs and determining how to best address problems. You should make sure the organization with which you’re working has an ongoing relationship with the community—a new school won’t have much of an impact if there are no teachers to teach in it. Remember to be realistic about what a positive experience will be and choose something that fits your own interests and abilities.

Filed Under: General, Volunteering Tagged With: , ,

Checking Out Charities

June 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Free Money Collection in Cash 

Image by epSos.de via Flickr

When making charitable donations, you want to make sure that your generosity is directed at the proper organizations. Unfortunately, there are plenty of scam artists out there ready to take your money on behalf of a deserving cause. It’s always best to be wary and check out where you’ll send your money—any legitimate charity will give you the information you need.

Ask for Written Information
A legitimate charity or fundraiser won’t have a problem sending you information about how they plan to use your donation, proof that your donation is tax deductable, and their mission. Ask for written information like name, address, and telephone number.

Call the Organization
Make sure all organizations to which you plan to donate are aware of solicitations on their behalf. If they aren’t, you might have a scam artist on your hands.

Be Wary of Pressure
Most legitimate organizations won’t pressure you to give donations on the spot. That tactic is always a cause for concern and further research.

What’s in a Name?
Some scam charities choose names close to those of respected organizations to trick you. If you catch a small difference in the name of the charity to which you want to donate, call the organization to make sure it’s legitimate.

Current Events and Natural Disasters
If a new organization is asking for donations in response to a natural disaster or other newsworthy event, you need to check them out. These organizations probably won’t have the infrastructure necessary to deliver what you donate to affected areas. This is also ripe ground for scam artists.

Filed Under: General, Volunteering Tagged With: , ,

The Benefits of Volunteering

June 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
NORFOLK (Feb. 19, 2009) Sailors sort through f... 

Image via Wikipedia

Most people know that volunteering benefits the community. But community service is also a great way to help yourself. There is a wide range of organizations to fit every need, interest, and time commitment. Get started volunteering today to give yourself the many benefits that these activities create.

Develop Your Hobbies
Volunteering provides a break from everyday activities at work and home that consume our lives. It can give you a chance to get involved with activities you’ve always found fun. You may even discover a hobby you weren’t ever aware you had!

A New Experience
Community service gives you the chance to experience your community, hands on. You can work in developing countries or in your own backyard. Either way, you’ll see the concrete impact of your work.

Meet New People
You’ll encounter a diverse set of people when you volunteer, from the people with whom you work through any of the organizations you choose to the people who benefit from your volunteering. It will also give you the opportunity to network and could potentially advance your career.

Benefit Your Career
Employers value candidates who have had volunteer experience. They know that volunteering can improve and add to your skill set. Volunteering is also the perfect way to gain experience in a new field if you’re thinking about making a career change.

Sense of Self
You’re making the choice to volunteer, so your actions will truly bring you fulfillment. You’ll feel a sense of achievement for volunteering that you may not get from completing the work you’re obligated to do.

 

Filed Under: Benefits, Volunteering Tagged With: , ,

Volunteering is a Positive Influence on Youth

May 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Michael Good serves salad at the Our Community... 

Image via Wikipedia

Many people opt to participate in philanthropic activity in order to give back to the community. These different variations of volunteering personal time can be approached in a number of different ways. Among some of the most popular are donating to a charity, assisting soup kitchens, or in more extreme cases, traveling the globe to lend assistance to people in need. All of these different activities provide a sense of accomplishment and help people get in touch with a more passionate side of humanity. This concept is especially important for youth. Below is a list of a few aspects of volunteering as it pertains to youth that prove extremely beneficial.

Helps Reinforce Positive Influence

Volunteering manifests a sense of well-being and positivity within children when they participate in different charitable programs. This is extremely important because during the younger stages of a child’s and teenager’s life, they are still developing and learning the different morals that are commonly associated with and accepted by society. Providing help to those who are in need helps give them a sense of well-being in understanding the positivity and importance of assisting other people who might need help.

Provides a Sense of Community

In addition to helping reinforce positive morals and standards, volunteering also places an emphasis on the importance of community strength and service. Unfortunately, many children and teens do not understand the different things that are happening within the respective communities in which they live, or care for that matter. Volunteering shows them that even one person contributing can have positive effects on the entire community, improving life for everyone.

Filed Under: Volunteering Tagged With: , ,

The Benefits of Becoming Involved in Chartiable Organizations

May 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Charity Tuesday banner, Tintagel 

Image by HowardLake via Flickr

Charitable organizations are an important aspect of our society, providing products and services to people who are in need of them. A vital aspect of these organizations that assists in making them possible are the people who volunteer their time as well as donate financial aid for everyday function and operation. There are many reasons that people choose to lend their time and or money to a specific organization. Below are some of the more common reasons and benefits for people that involve themselves in volunteer work.

Obtaining a Sense of Community

One of the more notable benefits that spawns from volunteering in a charitable organization is the sense of community that ties hand in hand with such an activity. Many people find a sense of self worth and contentment knowing that they are directly contributing to the improvement of their respective communities. Lending a hand in soup kitchens or donating money to shelters helps ensure people who are down on their luck have a second chance.

It Can be Therapeutic

For many people, the stresses of everyday life can be overwhelming and downright stressful. Due to this fact, it is important to find a constructive way to wind down and release some of that stress. Fortunately, individuals can find this very combination by assisting a charitable organization. For those who do go this route, concentrating on helping people directly through volunteering is a viable way to forget about the seemingly minute stresses they are experiencing in their lives. In some cases, seeing the difficulties of the very people they are helping allows them to realize just how lucky they are in life.

Filed Under: Volunteering Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts