There was a time when most of society use to donate their services and time to a charity or some foundation that they believed in and supported. Tell me if I am wrong, but anecdotal evidence shows that volunteering is on the decline. And yet there is so much to be gained from volunteering. So the question is, how can we encourage our peers to get involved?
When I think of all the different types of volunteering that can be undertaken, there is something that we can all do. They vary from surf life-saving, aged care, animal protection and the environment. The list of choices is long and varied so there is no reason that a lack of choice is an issue.
If there is one issue that makes for a better person it is volunteering. It helps with creating the perspective that a person is prepared to sacrifice their time and effort in the betterment of others. This truly is self-sacrifice. The beauty of volunteering is that it can be done at your own time. You can contribute one hour per week or 10 hours per week. It doesn’t matter. The issue is that even one hour is a gold mine to the organisation being supported.
A special aspect of volunteering is the manner in which it can be undertaken. It can be done on an individual basis or as part of a larger group. Many corporations support their staff in doing volunteering and give them time off to undertake a specific project. However, most volunteering is done on an individual basis.
Let look at some of the benefits of volunteering:
- Community contribution and connectedness, and in particular, giving back to the community.
- there are positive altruistic and intrinsic effects of volunteering. It creates a sense of spiritual well-being and job satisfaction.
- Social benefits of working with like-minded people. Volunteers say that developing networks and meeting new people from diverse backgrounds is a personal benefit of volunteering.
- Volunteers also said that gaining new skills and experience for employment is a good reason to volunteer.
- Lastly creates an air of spiritual nobility. Do you know someone who volunteers? And do you respect them for it?
And one last point I need to make. If you are young and seeking employment, then this may give you the leg up over the competition. If two people with the same qualifications and experience apply for the same job and one person has volunteering on their resume, it will look good on your resume, and may be the difference between getting the job or not.
Finally, I dare you to take the challenge and volunteer. Do something that is outside your comfort zone and participate in life.
- Kel Gleeson