Volunteering for a Good Cause

July 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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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.

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Volunteering Away from Home

June 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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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.

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The Benefits of Volunteering

June 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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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.

 

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Volunteering is a Positive Influence on Youth

May 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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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.

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Things to Consider Before Volunteering at a Hotline Crisis Center

March 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Volunteer work is available in many different areas. One of the places that gets the least amount of attention is volunteering at a crisis hotline. Crisis hotline are set up for those that are looking for information, help, or guidance in a number of problems. Crisis hotline volunteers provide a shoulder to cry on, a place to get information, and someone to talk to during these people’s time of need. If you are thinking of volunteering at a crisis hotline here are some things you should keep in mind.

Understanding the Purpose of the Hotline. Before you volunteer at a crisis hotline you should know what the purpose of the hotline is. You should understand if yours to give referrals to services, offer advice or just listen to the callers to call the hotline. You should also understand the reason for the hotline whether it’s an abuse hotline, a suicide hotline or an afterschool hotline.

Training involved. For some hotline such as a suicide hotline there are courses that are required before you can begin answering calls. Some of these courses last a few hours, some last a few days. Determine how much time you want to invest in this volunteer opportunity as training courses can take a large amount time.

Work environment. You must consider the type of work environment that you’ll be in when you work a crisis hotline. Some situations will be stressful and required that you remain calm and emotionally uninvolved with those that are calling. For some people this is a difficult thing to understand and hotline volunteering might not be the best opportunity for them.

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Ways to Show Volunteers Their Work is Appriciated

March 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many people volunteer because it is a great way to give back to the community. However, even though these people volunteer in effort to give back to the community it never hurts to give those that volunteer a little acknowledgment. There are many ways that you can acknowledge volunteer who give their time and energy to the local community. Here’s a look at some of the ways that you can show volunteers that they are appreciated.

Letters. Letters are a great way to show appreciation for the work of volunteers do. The letters can usually come from those of the volunteers worked closely with. Many volunteers appreciate hearing how helpful those they work with found them. It also never hurts to hear how much your overall volunteering is appreciated.

Handmade gifts. Small handmade gifts are a great way to show appreciation for those that spent their time volunteering. Handmade gifts can include a card, drawing or other craft. Many volunteers appreciate a well thought out handmade gift.

Day off. It might seem weird but giving the volunteers at day off and allowing those that the volunteers help to do the work can often be viewed as an appreciation gift. For example, those that work in a soup kitchen can have themselves served by those that frequent the soup kitchen often. This is a way to show that their work is appreciated and give them a little extra relaxation time.

Appreciation gifts for those that volunteer do not have to be elaborate. If the gift comes from the heart then it’ll be worth it in the long run. The goal of the appreciation gift is to show the volunteer that their time and energy is appreciated and that all they do does not go unnoticed.

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