Volunteer & Get Something Out of It!
I have a really bad habit of volunteering my time & energy to many of the civic groups around town. During the holidays it seems everyone could use a helping hand, & civic organizations always have a hand out for volunteers this time of the year.
"Why do I do it?" I ask myself, 3 seconds after I volunteer to take Santa pictures for the local chamber of commerce fundraiser, three December weekends in a row...
"Why do I do it?" I ask at the end of a project when the ungrateful sots I donated my time, brain and muscle cells (not to mention tolerance and patience) to, try to blame me for their bad management.
And...*sigh* I'll say "why?" again when I volunteer for the same jobs next year.
Since I am neither purely altruistic or a Masochist, why do I and other hard core volunteers continue to spend our precious free time volunteering?
Volunteering is Self Serving
The truth is volunteerism is basically a self serving endeavor.
No one likes to say it but most people volunteer because they get something out of it.
This web site had an extensive list of motivations for volunteering. As you can see, not all of the reasons are noble:
- to feel needed
- to share a skill
- to get to know a community
- to demonstrate commitment to a cause/belief
- to gain leadership skills
- to act out a fantasy
- to do your civic duty
- because of pressure from a friend or relative
- satisfaction from accomplishment
- to keep busy
- for recognition
- to repay a debt
- to donate your professional skills
- because there is no one else to do it
- to have an impact
- to learn something new
- for freedom of schedule
- to help a friend or relative
- for escape
- to become an "insider"
- guilt
- to be challenged
- to be a watchdog
- to feel proud
- to make new friends
- to explore a career
- to help someone
- as therapy
- to do something different from your job
- for fun!
- for religious reasons
- to earn academic credit
- to keep skills alive
- because an agency is geographically close
- to have an excuse to do what you love
- to be able to criticize
- to assure progress
- to feel good
- to be part of a team
- to gain status
- because you were asked
- to test yourself
- to build your resume
- to be an agent of change
- because of personal experience with the problem, illness, or cause
- to stand up and be counted
I encourage everyone to get out in their community & donate time & energy this holiday season for a noble or not so noble cause.
Because, no matter what your reasons are for volunteering, somebody benefits.
I know this is true, because I report on the local civic groups & I see how my community benefits from their hard work.
Oh Yeah! & it gives me an excuse to buy a new lens...for santa pics, the Chamber & the community, of course. ;]
posted by Rita @ 1:46 AM
14 Comments
14 Comments:
I've volunteered my entire life ---Brownie & Girl Scout projects, being a Candy Striper, joining the Peace Corps, volunteering for community organizations, running the printing press for the regional N.O.W. newsletter, working for art guilds, writing, typing and printing a statewide freethought publication. At one time, I was volunteering every spare minute to about 6 different groups. I mostly enjoyed it, for any number of the reasons you have listed, but after a while I was burned out ---with a full-time job, part-time small business, husband, home, and an elderly parent.
Finally, I put out the word that I would be quitting those positions as soon as someone else volunteered to take over. But no one did. So about a year later, I just up and quit them all ---and VOILA! Suddenly people stepped in to take my place.
Now, I refuse to take on a full-time job like holding an office or being in charge of a committee. Instead, I will take on small, short-term projects. I will provide a refreshment for a meeting. I will create graphic art work for a special event. I'll show up to mind the local art center one afternoon if the usual volunteer can't make it. Most likely, I will donate money instead of time. I've done my share. Maybe some time down the road, I'll volunteer my time again.
That's quite the list.
The voluntary work I do is related to a summer camp that I am co-director of this coming summer. So far mostly is has been fundraising. Our first event was a Spaghetti supper and our second is ongoing - a wine draw. For the spaghetti supper I did all of the coordination and planning and during the actual event flitted around among all of the various tasks that needed to get done.
For the winedraw I am adminstrating the whole thing from having produced the tickets, to keeping track of the people who have the tickets to sell to doing the actual draw.
In January we'll start planning the theme and activities for the camp that is in July.
Beyond that I was an assistant baseball coach for my son's team last year.
Looks to me like the "merry" dude in that particular Santa pic was dyslexic and thought he'd been hired to play Satan.
I encourage everyone to get out in their community & donate time & energy this holiday season for a noble or not so noble cause.
I'm sure I can find a not-so-noble cause to volunteer for.....
C Woods
Kudos! You certainly have put your volunteer time in!
Finally, I put out the word that I would be quitting those positions as soon as someone else volunteered to take over. But no one did.
I have heard that more then once.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 26.8 percent of Americans did some sort of volunteer work in 2009.
The volunteers lament will always be, "10% of the people do 90% of the work." :)
Phil
You are an organizations dream come true! I hope they appreciate you. A wine draw is a new one on me.
infidel
Ha ha! Yes, & I think he must be getting close to the end of his shift.
When it comes to volunteering, I think the not so noble causes are the most motivating.
I volunteered for the Army on my 18th birthday. After that, I was afraid to do it again ;-)
Mac,
Now that's funny! ;p
Seems like that volunteer work is the only thing that is available these days.
I did something similar as Mac did the active army for four years then the National Guard for twenty-one. Glad I did it but I still have nightmares sometimes that I am back in.
Worked with some elementary kids at a local charity called "Lunch Buddies" here in South Carolina for a while. Volunteers had lunch with kids at their schools that otherwise didn't have a strong role model. I enjoyed it but the program was cut back due to lack of funds.
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I deleted above because of type'o's. What I wanted to post was Holiday Greeting's to you and your's only. Sorry I cant contribute much to this as a comment, because (as awful as this may sound to some) I never done any volunteer work like this beside's volunteering at my daughter's school's during some event's for the kid's. I heard as well it is emotionally rewarding before, just never got around to it I reckon. I did do some community service stuff though (which dont really count) but because the court's made me as part of my condition's to repay society I reckon for criminal charge's.
Thanx Rita! :)
BTW ... I love Quantum Flux' comment ... I busted out laughing on that one!
Not volunteers fit into that category, that being said, I personally think most of them do and i have no objections.
yes, i am back here, the high sensitive job nature is over !!!! hurray ...
Sadly Rita ... that is a miserable looking Santa, and obviously that poor kid thinx so too! You want to see a "jolly" Santa ... I posted a picture of me dressed as Santa at my familia annual get together with my daughter's and a bunch of kid's on my december 30th, 2010 posting (last one) ... I was actually jolly as Hell in that pic ... and the kid's were full of fun too! :)
A few years ago, I volunteered to be moderator for a new atheist radio talk show. I had never been on radio before, but I figured it would be a lot of fun. I even composed and recorded the theme music. It was fun - and I found that I had a good voice for it - but the guy that organized it was overbearing an critical. He even went a far as to write out a script for me every week and got angry when I deviated from it. So I quit and pulled my music from the show.
There was also an annual follies show that I had donated my time and money to for two years in a row that I had written, produced and performed two well received skits for. The third year I wrote a skit about priests and nuns and some of the people the committee heavily criticized it when I read a rough draft to them. So, I left the organization and decided not to give them anymore of my time anymore.
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