What Is Volunteering?

Volunteers contribute to the overall health and well-being of communities around the world. Across the social-impact sector, organizations rely on volunteers to support their programs, particularly if they do not have enough funding to rely on full-time staff members.

A robust volunteer program can add legitimacy to an organization and demonstrate community support for their work. Some examples of volunteer work include:

• Delivering meals to homebound seniors, manning the phone lines at domestic violence centers and serving in the volunteer fire department. 
• Keeping neighborhood parks and waterways clean and safe for everyone.
• Tutoring or mentoring youth on everything from homework to soccer skills. 
• Walking dogs, cleaning cages and helping with adoptions and feedings at animal shelters.
• Responding to natural disasters.
• Ensuring that museums and cultural festivals run smoothly by taking tickets, leading tours and staffing information booths.

Volunteering is an excellent way to learn more about a particular profession or issue, and can help you network with people in your community. And, of course, volunteering can be a fun, meaningful way to make new friends.

As you consider volunteering, it’s important to consider what will work best for your schedule, situation, and lifestyle. For example, the time commitment can vary depending on the opportunity:

• One-time: Taking tickets at an arts festival or handing out water to at a 10K race.
• Episodic: Signing up every few months to serve meals at a homeless shelter or clean a beach or hiking trail.
• On-going: Volunteering for a suicide prevention hotline one night a week for six months or mentoring an elementary school student during the school year.
• Vacation or school break: Venturing beyond your community to participate in a volunteer project during your time off.

In addition, volunteer projects can also be structured in different ways:

• Traditional: A role or project managed by an established nonprofit organization or government agency.
• Do-It-Yourself/Entrepreneurial: A role you propose to an organization or a project that you create because you can’t find a volunteer opportunity that fits your interests or availability.
• Service Learning: Volunteering as part of a classroom curriculum.
• Workplace: Opportunities facilitated by an employer or time-off given by an employer for volunteering.

Finally, opportunities can be designed or tailored for different groups of people. For example, cleaning up a local park, “adopting” a grandparent at the local nursing home, and serving meals at a shelter are great ways to volunteer as a family. To get started:

• Involve all family members in the conversation about volunteering. With everyone included, there’s a higher likelihood they’ll be engaged in the opportunity itself.
• Discuss your family’s skills and interests. For example if your three year-old can sort socks, separate colors, and fold wash clothes, she has the skills to sort clothes during a clothing drive; if your teenager likes cooking, consider helping out with a food preparation and delivery service for homebound seniors.
• Opportunities in familiar places such as the children’s school, your place of worship, or a favorite museum allow your family to see how their service helps support their community on an ongoing basis. Doing Good Together, your local volunteer center, and idealist.org are great resources for opportunities.
• Once you’ve picked a project, have a conversation about why the job is important and why you’re looking forward to the experience. Afterwards, build on the experience so your family will be further enriched by it. Some guiding questions could be: “What did you learn that you didn’t know before?” and “What did you like most about the experience?” “How did what we did today help our community?”

Older adults can draw on their life experience and professional expertise to offer significant insight, ideas, and energy to organizations. Comprehensive resources on volunteering as an older adult include the AARP’s Volunteering, Volunteering & Healthy Aging from Volunteer Canada, and the National Council on Aging’s Community Action & Volunteering.

Your workplace can also volunteer opportunities to increase team-bonding, boost staff morale, and foster positive community relations. To learn more about workplace volunteering, talk with your Human Resources department. If no program exists, propose starting one! For more information about workplace volunteering, look at the resources offered by Business in the Community.