If you’re interested in learning about the benefits of volunteering for a good cause, then this article is for you. In particular, I’m going to talk about the many ways that it can benefit you in terms of career opportunities, social interaction and personally, and here we’re talking about personal happiness and fulfilment. But first, I want to tell you why I feel that learning about the benefits of volunteering is so important right now, and in the times that lie ahead. Because while the world is in dire need of volunteers, it seems like there are fewer wanting to do volunteer and charity work than ever before.
The reality is, the benefits of volunteering in your everyday life are extremely vast and can really have an incredible effect on you, not only your own well being but your relationships with other individuals and the community you live in. When you give back to your community, you’re giving back to the very foundation of what makes life worth living. It is important to mention that volunteering often looks great on the resume and can really help to build bonds and friendships which can be an amazing antidote to the stressors that plague many of us these days. So while the world is in need of your help, the time is always ripe for stepping up to the challenge and giving back. Now don’t go out there and think that you have to do something extraordinary in order to make a difference – because honestly, you really can do that just as much as anybody else.
For example, volunteer experience can involve working in a varied array of capacities and fields: teaching, counselling or healthcare staff, child care, development or legal assistance, development or environmental organization. In addition to the diverse assignments, you’ll find that the experiences you gain will also be interwoven with each other in such a way as to maximize the benefits of volunteering for a good cause. For example, one year you might volunteer as a teacher’s aide helping to prepare kids for school; the next summer you might volunteer as a counsellor at a summer camp run by an organization that serves children from disadvantaged backgrounds. During the third and fourth years of your involvement, you might continue on as a staff counsellor at the organization you worked at the first two years and serve as a development assistant. Really, the benefits of volunteering extend far beyond “putting your name on the map” – it’s about building on lifelong professional relationships that enrich everyone involved, especially those you’ll most likely meet on a daily basis.