volunteer

How to Volunteer from Home

June 6, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Volunteering for a non-profit organization can be a wonderful, enriching experience. However, in today’s busy world, it’s not always possible to pitch in. Fortunately, there are easy ways that you can help from home. Here are a few ways you can easily contribute to worthy organizations.

Work to end a human rights violation by sending an email. Amnesty International’s Online Action Center sends action alerts each week. The alert has a pre-written email message that details the issue and encourages state senators or government officials to take action. All you have to do is sign your name to the message.

Volunteer for Hugs and Hope, an organization that works with terminally ill children. The organization provides brief biographies of sick children, as well as their addresses. You can send a cheerful card to help brighten their day.

Send supplies to a family in need through Project Box, which connects sponsor volunteers with rural families who struggle to provide their children with basic necessities. Each month, you simply choose supplies to send; they can be anything from school supplies to shampoo, soap and deodorant. You can develop a relationship with the family through their monthly letters as well.

If you have a website or blog, add an Amber Alert ticker. The ticker will display pictures of children who have been reported missing. You’ll be helping get the message out about the child’s disappearance, and perhaps someone who visits your site can help the cause.

Utilize your talents to help a worthy organization. Offer to volunteer for a local charity by designing a website, proofreading brochures or writing promotional material for the organization.

Filed Under: Community, Volunteering Tagged With: Child, Non-profit organization, volunteer

Benefits of Volunteering in the Community

May 4, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

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There are many benefits to volunteering and community service. Volunteering in the community provides a multi-facet of benefits any of which is reason enough to take the big step. Find fulfillment in yourself by using volunteering to advance your career, find personal fulfillment and help the lives of others.

1.) Advancing your career- Volunteering to advance your career begins with high school. It is a requirement in many high schools to perform a set number of volunteering hours in order to graduate. Even if it isn’t required, you should be volunteering if you have plans to attend college. Admissions offices love to see a solid history of volunteer work on your resume.

2.) Advancing yourself personally- There is a great joy that comes with volunteering and helping others. While we customarily trades our services for money, it is great for the soul to give of yourself with no intentions other than helping others.

3.) Helping the less fortunate- There are plenty of people in your community who are less fortunate than yourself. By virtue of the fact that you are reading an article on the internet dictates you are better off than someone living on the street. You will receive general appreciation from people who needed your help and will remember your contribution for years to come.

Volunteering has a number of benefits but none of them make a difference if you don’t go out and start. Few people ever regret volunteering and it’s usually something a person will do time and time again once they start.

Filed Under: Community, Volunteering Tagged With: Community service, High school, volunteer

Benefits of Volunteering in Your Community

March 24, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Most people want to be involved in volunteering but need a push to get going. The majority of us do mandatory volunteering at one time or another but as we enter adulthood, anything that isn’t paying a competitive wage tends to end up on the back burner. There are many benefits to volunteering people never even consider. While the focus tends to be on the job you will do and who will benefit, it doesn’t hurt to look at the ways it will help you as well. For instance, you can get your focus off of yourself.

Most of us lead busy lives and are so focused on our own issues that we don’t take time to consider those who are in a worse position than we are. Indeed. volunteering allows you to gain perspective into people who don’t have a place to live or who have substance addictions that negatively affect their lives. The perspective one gains by volunteering cannot be learned in a book or classroom, but the face to face interactions will serve as a far more valuable learning tool.

Volunteering also allows you to develop leadership skills on your own time. Potential employers want to know that you have been tested and the right volunteering allows you to do just that. Take a challenging assignment and see it through regardless of what you have to do to achieve the goal. You will come out on the other side a wiser person.

Regardless of your reason for volunteering, there’s no denying the multi-faceted benefits. Personal growth and resume boosting are just two reasons to get out and volunteer.

Filed Under: Society, Volunteering Tagged With: Opportunities, Philanthropy, volunteer

Have More Family Time As Volunteers

March 20, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

There are many benefits to volunteering but perhaps none better than a chance to unite the family. Parents today are busy with careers, personal life and each other. It is easy to let a distance grow between the parents and children. This does not need to be the case however. Volunteering as a family teaches valuable life lessons and the best part is you are learning them together. Here are a few reasons to volunteer as a family.

1.) Sense of community- Feeling disconnected from your community is normal but not necessary. There are many projects that would just love to have an entire family involved and working together such as building homes for disadvanged people in the community.

2.) Sense of humility- Given the ease of life with technologies of today, it’s easy to see how kids lose perspective. Volunteering in the community for now pay and helping people who are not as well off as themselves have children to learn that some people really struggle and that they should be thankful for what they have,

3.) You get to spent time together- Spending any time together as a family is great. However, spending time together in front of the television isn’t nearly as productive as spending time helping out in the community. The time spent together problem solving and helping will be a foundation to grow as a family unit.

There really is only positives to getting out in your community and volunteering. You will not regret the opportunity to grow together while also helping others.

Filed Under: Society, Volunteering Tagged With: Family, Philanthropy, volunteer

Interesting Volunteering Opportunities

March 7, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

For some people, tradition methods of volunteering do not have much appeal. For instance, a person willing to volunteer may not want to spend their time serving the homeless in a soup kitchen or counseling people. There are however many ways to incorporate your interests into volunteering opportunities. Indeed, volunteering doesn’t have to be a chore any more than going to work has to be a chore. If you do hat you love then you never have to do a day of a work in your life. Here are a couple of great opportunities you may not have considered for volunteering.

1.) Are you an environmentalist? I don’t mean professionally, but if you feel a responsibility to help the environment and keep the earth clean then there are volunteering opportunities for you. Those who strive to help the environment can organize local recycling drives where cans, paper, cardboard, and other recyclables can be collected and brought to the proper facility. In addition, environmental volunteering could consist of cleaning up the grounds of local parks and schools. Once you take on the responsibility to lead these efforts, you may be surprised at the number of like minded individuals willing to join you.

2.) Interested in your local business environment? Your local Chamber of Commerce especially would love to have your help. The local business community may be a tourists attraction or perhaps it’s known for the manufacture of cars or for growing some of the best fruit in the country. Whatever it is your local area does well, there are things you can do to help. Many times this consists of stuffing mailers that go out to potential visitors to your town. There are also commercials that can be made, internet advertising to be done as well as posting signs for local events which could make your town money.

Filed Under: General, Volunteering Tagged With: Chamber of commerce, Soup kitchen, volunteer

Becoming A Big Brother or Big Sister

February 23, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Finding your path in volunteering is not always easy. Many of us have the desire to volunteer though not necessarily a clue about the best way to go about it. For instance, volunteering with the homeless or with people who are addicted to drugs can be too intimidating for many to take on. One set of people who could use your volunteering help is big brother big sisters.

There is perhaps no greater reward in volunteering than mentoring a young boy or girl and filling a void in the child’s life. Often times these children have no brothers or sisters and they find it difficult to learn proper social interactions. They don’t have the right people to bounce things off and learn and grow. Being a big brother and big sister has many rewards and one of those is helping children understand what their peers are up to. Knowing how to interact with others comes with practice and you can help kids along that path.

It is also very likely that you could mentor a child who is a product of a painful divorce. As adults we know that a divorce is not the child’s fault but it is hard to understand that as a child. You feel as if had you acted a little better your parents would still be together. It could be your role to help instill in a child that they are not responsible for the divorce.

Plus, it is a whole lot of fun. Touching the life of a child is a great thing and makes you feel incredible inside. In addition to making a difference in a child’s life, you will reap unimaginable rewards yourself. No one says you can’t benefit from the act of volunteering as much as those you are helping.

Filed Under: Contributing, Volunteering Tagged With: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Birth order, volunteer

Education Breakdown of Volunteers

February 3, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Each year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases statistics related to volunteering. The statistics break down the various demographics of volunteers such as breaking the volunteer population down by sex and race. One of the more interesting breakdowns is how the volunteering population splits by education level. Below is the breakdown of which groups volunteer from most to least:

1.) Bachelor’s Degree or Higher- More than 43 percent of those who volunteer have at least a bachelor’s degree. This comprises the highest category of volunteers. Many people pick up goof volunteering habits on their way to their degree and contine the tradition after they graduate. Others are just thankful at their good fortune and want to give back to the community.

2.) Some College- Those who didn’t quite get a degree but did attend some college comprise 31 percent of the volunteer population. That means 74 percent of those who volunteer have at least some form of college.

3.) High School Graduates- A high school diploma is the level of schooling achieved for about 19 percent of volunteers. Many times it is a requirement to graduate high school to fill about 20 hours out on the community volunteering. Though it is largely in the hands of the students, there are certain criteria that must be met in order for the volunteering to count towards graduation.

4.) Non-graduates- Less Than 10 percent of volunteers have not graduated high school. This group can include those who got their GED diploma or have no diploma at all. It is certainly uncommon to find people who didn’t graduate high school yet still have the opportunity to get out and volunteer.

It isn’t overly surprising that volunteers tend to be the better educated members of society. They are often in the best position to volunteer if they are economically secure and have the time and desire to get out there and make a difference.

Filed Under: General, Volunteering Tagged With: Graduation, High school, volunteer

As Jobs Are Lost, Many Turn to Volunteering

February 1, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

The economy is still shaky and many and turning to volunteering. A job loss can feel devastating and the process to re-join the workforce is often painstaking and tedious. However, that does not mean it can’t be productive. Volunteering is a great way to stay busy and feed the soul as you search for a new place of employment or a new career. Below is a list of you are likely to run into in the volunteering circuit:

1.) The Recently Unemployed- Your next employer does not want to hear that while you were looking for a job these last months, you didn’t really work on anything but a beer gut. Showing the motivation to commit to volunteerism while you await your next paycheck shows that you are a hard worker. Your next employer will be impressed that you would rather make a difference that catch up on beauty sleep.

2.) High School Kids- Volunteering is a fun way to connect with today’s youth. Remember when you were in high school and had to volunteer to satisfy high school requirements? Well, many schools are still sending high school kids out to gain some valuable experience in the real world. Get on out and talk with them.

3.) Housewives- Women who have any extra time in their day after taking care of their home will often get out and volunteer. Making a home and all the tasks that go along with raising a family is no small feat, but volunteering allows moms a different sort of community interaction than they might otherwise experience.

Regardless of your reason, you will not regret the decision to volunteer. Enriching the soul may sound cliche but the benefits are undeniable. A good nights sleep follows a bust and productive day. Get out and touch base with your community and you’re guaranteed to find it a rewarding experience.

Filed Under: Contributing, Volunteering Tagged With: Employment, High school, volunteer

Reasons Why People Volunteer

January 25, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

There are people who wonder why others so freely volunteer of their time. The truth is that there are a lot of good reasons why people volunteer. Here are some of the most popular and heartfelt reasons to volunteer that people have stated.

To make some new friends
To build professional and personal contacts
To build up self confidence and self esteem
To develop great new on the job skills
To really make a difference in our world
To increase his or her personal satisfaction
To put some more experience on his or her resume
To develop some people skills
To feel appreciated and needed
To explore possibilities for the future
To share skills he or she has with other people
To feel challenged
To earn some academic credit
To improve overall health
To have some fun!

A lot of people decide that they want to volunteer for the reasons above. When someone decides to volunteer at the hospital, it’s often because they are thinking of a career in medicine. But that doesn’t make their efforts and their choices any less valuable. It’s still admirable that they are volunteering their time.

When someone decides that they want to become a volunteer, they are making a statement to the world. They are saying that they want to make a big difference and they are doing it out of the goodness of their heart. It’s true that they are not getting paid for what they are doing and that it’s going to look good on a college application, but they are still giving up their time to help. It’s something that really is neat for them to do and it takes a special person to decide to volunteer. Not everyone is willing to give so freely of their time and their resources to get so little in return.

Filed Under: Community, Volunteering Tagged With: volunteer

Considerations for Choosing a Volunteer Niche

January 4, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

If you are looking for a good way to make an impact on the world around you, one of the things that you can do is to volunteer some of the time that you have to good causes. Here are some of the ways that you can choose the right opportunity to lend your services and your time to.

Your Abilities – The first thing that you want to think about is what you can do. Do you pay attention to detail? Do you work well with children? With the elderly? Do you like animals?
Amount of Time – The second thing that you want to do is to think about how much time you are able to commit to the volunteer work. Some work requires more than others, so you should match it to the amount of time that you can devote to it.
Reason – The third thing that you want to consider when it comes to volunteer opportunities is the reason that you are volunteering. Are you volunteering in order to increase your chances of a scholarship? Are you doing it to help you look better on college applications or are you doing it because you just have some extra time and you want to help people?

These are the three things that you want to think about when you are looking for opportunities to volunteer your time. it doesn’t matter why you are volunteering – every good cause can use volunteers. But knowing why you are doing the volunteering, your abilities, and the amount of time that you can devote should all factor in to your decision. Volunteering is something that is very commendable and more people should do it. It’s just a matter of finding the right niche for yourself so you are working toward something that you believe in.

Filed Under: Volunteering Tagged With: volunteer