Why assess your interests?

Now that you know a bit more about your multitude of options for getting involved as a volunteer, it's time to figure out the details.

1.     Thinking about your goals, interests, and skills may save you time and energy by steering you away from volunteer positions that just don't fit the bill, and towards roles you'll get a lot out of!

2.     The time you waste getting trained for an unwanted volunteer role wastes the time and energy for the organization, too. Now they have to go out and find, place, and train someone all over again.

3.     Finally, and most importantly, a bad fit can in some cases actually end up causing harm. For example, quitting a mentoring commitment early can damage the self-esteem of a young person (who may have abandonment issues already).

Such consequences are the opposite of doing good. It's wise to be thorough in determining what a good volunteer fit is, for you. That said, participating in day-long service projects or other micro-volunteering efforts are effective ways of giving volunteering a try.

How can I volunteer?

People can get involved in the community in a range of ways, through diverse...

·       Activities and roles

·       Time commitment

·       Project structures

·       Issues

To help you explore these various options for volunteering, we offer the following formula:

Your ideal volunteer opportunity = Role + time commitment + structure + issue

(Check out a discussion about why assessing your interests is crucial to finding a good volunteer opportunity.)

Activities and roles

A volunteer's activity/role can involve any one or more of the following:

·       Hands-on: activities where almost anyone can show up and, with minimal training, get started (taking tickets, cleaning up parks, planting trees)

·       Skilled: tasks that depend on a volunteer's particular skill set or experience (using graphic design skills to help an organization redesign brochures, building or maintaining a nonprofit's website, providing legal advice for an immigration support agency)

·       Direct service: volunteering on the front lines of the organization and likely having direct contact with the population served (delivering meals, packing food bank boxes)

·       Advisory: serving in a more behind-the-scenes role to help build an organization's capacity to reach their mission (providing feedback on strategic or fundraising plans, helping organizations learn more about using social networking sites and tools, serving on a committee or board whose role is largely oversight and governance)

·       Online: completing projects that you can do from anywhere in the world as long as you have email or internet access (translating materials, blogging, developing websites, advising on strategic plans)

Action steps

·       Think about what kinds of activities you really enjoy or have always wanted to try.

·       Do a skills assessment to see how you might be able to lend your personal and professional expertise to an organization, issue, or cause.

·       Think about where you want to get involved—behind the scenes, on the front lines, online.

·       Don't forget to consider what you would like to gain from this experience—and what kinds of activities are likely to help you reach your own personal or professional goals.

Time commitment

·       Impromptu: a volunteer project that is created and implemented on the fly (see DIY/independent/entrepreneurial in the Structure section below)

·       One-time: projects or events that take place only on a certain date and/or are not ongoing opportunities to get involved (setting up stages at a community festival, handing out water to marathon runners)

·       Episodic: serving as an occasional volunteer on ongoing projects that are open to whomever can sign up on any given date/time (serving meals at a homeless shelter, cleaning up hiking trails)

·       Ongoing: committing to being a volunteer for a predetermined or otherwise agreed upon period of time (mentoring a young person, serving as a volunteer counselor on an emergency helpline, answering phones for scheduled periods of time each week, serving on a nonprofit organization's board of directors)

·       Travel: volunteering while on a vacation, break, or gap year—committing a week or two to a volunteer project in your neighborhood, an alternative spring or summer break in another part of your country, traveling to another country to serve anywhere from a few days to a few years—is an increasingly popular way to give back during time off.

Action steps

·       Take a look at your schedule and see how much time you can—and want—to reasonably commit. It's best to be honest and realistic here to ensure you'll find the right fit for both you and the place where you'll be volunteering. For example, if your schedule is already pretty busy, consider whether you'll be able to commit to an ongoing schedule or if something more episodic might be a better fit. This will help you avoid having to bail on your responsibilities—leaving the organization scrambling to fill your place—should you have to drop out.

·       Think about your interest in longevity: are you looking for a place where you can volunteer over a significant period of time? A place where you can volunteer only during a seasonal break, vacation, or holiday? Would you prefer to try something out without the pressure to return and volunteer again? Keep in mind that some types of volunteering—mentoring a child, volunteer search and rescue, answering calls at a domestic violence hotline—may require a significant time commitment due to the amount of training invested and/or the sensitivity of the project.

Project structure

·       Traditional: projects or volunteer roles that you take on under the guidance of and in support of the mission of a nonprofit or government organization (food banks, animal shelters, public health clinics)

·       DIY/independent/entrepreneurial: projects or roles that you create yourself, either because you can't find a volunteer opportunity that fits your interests and availability or because no organization appears to be addressing that particular cause or issue

·       Service learning: volunteering as part of or in connection with education or learning (completing volunteer hours for graduation, measuring toxin levels in local watersheds as part of a course on ecosystems)

Action steps:

·       Think about where you do your best work. Is it as a member of a team or working independently? Do you prefer to create your own project, develop new activities for reaching an established goal, or join a work in progress? Having a better idea of how you like to work will help you identify the ideal structure for you.

·       Need to know more about what volunteering independently or through your school might look like? Check out our sections on "DIY volunteering" and "Student volunteers".

Issue or cause

Issues are matters of public concern that you are passionate about — from animal rights to environmental conservation, education to health and well-being, affordable housing to ending hunger, women's empowerment to arts and culture.

Action steps:

·       Start keeping track of which news stories you read. What kinds of headlines grab your attention? Which stories do you take time to read all the way through? What blogs, news sites, or Twitter feeds do you follow? Are there any particular social or environmental topics that you've stumbled across that inspired you to seek more information? What discussions would you gravitate towards if you heard people talking about issues at a party? Spend some time thinking about your answers to these questions; you might be surprised to see a pattern emerge based on what info you're reading, following, or seeking out.

·       Ask your friends and family what they care about. We often surround ourselves with like-minded people and it's possible that they might name something that resonates with you too.

Other considerations

You may want to consider additional factors based on your:

·       access to transportation or the internet

·       your range of abilities

·       age (see sections in this resource center specifically for youth and older volunteers)

·       location (especially if you live in a remote, rural area or are considering volunteering abroad).

The Benefits of Volunteering

It really is okay to ask, "What's in it for me?"

Volunteering can be far more than simply doing a good deed.

In fact, volunteering can be a great way to develop skills, learn more about career options, make friends, garner new professional contacts, get exercise, spend time outdoors/with animals/with kids, or even just shake up your routine.

Yet volunteers rarely speak of the benefits of volunteering to themselves — maybe it feels a bit too self-centered, or too far from the altruistic vision of the selfless volunteer.

But who says that doing good and enjoying yourself while meeting your own personal/professional goals can't happen at the same time?

Part of finding the right volunteer opportunity is being honest about what you hope to learn and accomplish.

If in the process of meeting your personal and professional goals, you are also serving as an effective volunteer, helping to meet the goals of your particular volunteer project or role, and/or helping to move an organization's mission forward, it's a win-win situation.

Personal and professional benefits of volunteering

With that in mind, here are some of the personal and professional benefits one can gain from volunteering:

Skill development
Always wanted to learn about sustainability and conservation methods? Have experience creating podcasts and would like to try using them as an advocacy tool for a nonprofit? Volunteering helps you learn new skills, keep skills sharp, or use existing skills in new ways.

Career exploration
Regardless of your age or career level, volunteering will introduce you to new professional paths.

Volunteering can be an excellent way to learn more about a particular role or sector (particularly if you are |coming from a for-profit job and hoping to switch to nonprofit or government), workplace or office culture, or cause.

Also, never underestimate the power of networking; volunteering offers the opportunity to cross paths—as well as, in many cases, quickly bond—with people from across your community, including many with whom you may otherwise not have had contact.

Personal growth

Lifelong learning includes hands-on experiences as a volunteer which can teach you about issues ranging from adult literacy to public health to animal welfare.

Need a break from your day-to-day life? Recharge by walking dogs, playing basketball with kids, or taking tickets at a film festival. Need to work off some stress? Consider some of the more labor-intensive roles like helping to remove invasive species or chopping out non-native trees and bushes.

Lastly, don't forget that sometimes it just feels good to be valued; as a volunteer you can contribute unique skills, experiences, and perspectives. For example, you might be great at using online sites like Instagram and Facebook.

Many organizations are looking to branch out into social networking to help connect with new audiences; as a volunteer, you can be the in-house expert to get them started.

Socialize
In addition to professional networking, volunteering can be a fun, meaningful way to make new friends. New to the community? Looking to branch out socially? Simply looking for something to do with new people? Volunteer and get to know others who care about the same issues that you do.

Have an impact
Last but most certainly not least, volunteering is one of the best ways we know of to make a difference in your community. Whatever your passion, however you get involved, volunteering offers a way to have a real and lasting impact on the world.

Why is volunteering important?

Why is volunteering important?

It's a pretty common mistake to think of volunteering as just something nice that people can do. Sure, it may make them feel great about helping, but what impact does it really have?

Getting things done

Volunteers have an enormous impact on the health and well-being of communities worldwide. Think of all the ways that volunteers make a difference in day-to-day life:

·     Volunteers deliver critical services—from serving as volunteer fire fighters or participating in search and rescue, to delivering meals to homebound seniors or homeless youth, to manning the phone lines at domestic violence and sexual assault centers.

·     Volunteers help to keep our neighborhoods, streets, parks, rivers, green spaces, and water clean and safe for everyone.

·     Volunteers tutor, teach, mentor, coach, and support young people with everything from math homework to dealing with personal crises to football and soccer tourneys.

·     Volunteers walk dogs, pet cats, clean cages, help with adoptions and feedings, and contribute veterinary expertise to organizations like animal shelters and wildlife rehabilitation centers.

·     Volunteers educate the public on health and safety; doctors and nurses donate time and medical knowledge to free clinics and natural/civil disaster areas worldwide.

·     Volunteers take tickets at film centers and performing arts events, lead tours at museums and historical societies, and ensure that arts and cultural festivals—from small-scale gatherings to massive multi-stage concerts—run smoothly.

·     Volunteers build houses and schools, dig wells, and repair infrastructure around the globe.

By the numbers

Another way to measure the impact of volunteers is to take a look at statistics like hours served and the economic value of volunteer time.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, 62.8 million individuals in the United States contributed 7.9 billion hours of volunteerism in 2014 alone. The economic value of all this volunteering? $184 billion U.S. dollars.

Volunteers are critical partners of and participants in societies throughout the world. Whether actively giving their time through a formal or ad hoc organizations, or taking part in what is sometimes called "informal volunteering" where citizens voluntarily participate in community activities or provide personal care for family, friends, neighbors, or even strangers as part of accepted cultural norms of giving and reciprocity.

The impact of no volunteers

Finally, here's one more way to visualize the impact of volunteers. Try this little exercise: imagine if one day, all volunteers simply didn't show up.

What would our cities, towns, state/provincial parks, schools, places of worship, and libraries look like? What basic needs would go unmet? What opportunities to grow, learn, and thrive as a society would be lost? The truth is you likely cross paths with a volunteer at least once if not several times a day, no matter where you are in the world.

The Volunteer Center Of Cedar Valley Thanks Our Partners!

At the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley we believe business initiatives that give back to the communities in which they operate and where their employees live are reinforced by their alignment with an excellent volunteer and philanthropy program. One way to accomplish that is to be part of the VCCV's Partner in Volunteerism Program. Through the program projects are aligned with a company's objectives yet tailored to fit specific markets and community needs.

Thanks to all of our Partners in Volunteerism!