A thought on volunteering by Tony Green

Image of volunteer 

The reasons people volunteer for non-profit organizations include trying to find new job or taking the opportunity to give back to the community.

One of the largest obstacles for many people to volunteer as much as they would like is the amount of time required in some non-profits. If you are employed full-time or running a business, there are limits to the time available regardless of how worthy a cause might be.

Once a commendable organization is identified and the proper contacts are made after a certain period of time the volunteer activities begin.  The beginning or working with a non-profit often start where you do not know anyone and, in many instances, a road-map of how to complete the required tasks does not exist.

Once the volunteer gets up to speed organizational issues similar to those at work or in a family, in many cases, needs to be addressed, such as individual agendas and personality clashes between members.  

The result is that over time the volunteer become less involved.  Eventually the honeymoon” ends and after less and less participation they drop out of site. Ultimately, more new volunteers are required to replace the ones who have decided to do other activities with their spare time. Why?

In my view, the primary factor which keeps volunteers motivated and involved is the feeling of being appreciated. Various methods exist for communicating appreciation to a volunteer such as buying gifts or public recognition but simplest way I have noticed is a sincere thank you.

In the long term, more folks might be led to volunteer, which in the long terms moves the cause forward, isn’t that why a person volunteers to begin with?

Image Courtesy of  http://www.helplife.org