Why Volunteer?

With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering can be enormous. Volunteering offers vital help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and the community, but the benefits can be even greater for you, the volunteer. The right match can help you to find friends, connect with the community, learn new skills, and even advance your career. Read on to learn more..

Benefits of Volunteering:
4 ways to feel healthier and happier

1. Volunteering connects you to others

2. Volunteering is good for your mind and body

3. Volunteering can advance your career

4. Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life

Benefit 1:
Volunteering connects you to others

One of the more well-known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. Even helping out with the smallest tasks can make a real difference to the lives of people, animals, and organizations in need. And volunteering is a two-way street: It can benefit you and your family as much as the cause you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills.

• Make new friends and contacts

• Increase your social and relationship skills

Benefit 2:
Volunteering is good for
your mind and body

Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health.

• Volunteering helps counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. 

• Volunteering combats depression. 

• Volunteering makes you happy.

• Volunteering increases self-confidence. 

• Volunteering provides a sense of purpose. 

• Volunteering helps you stay physically healthy. 

Benefit 3:
Volunteering can advance
your career

If you’re considering a new career, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field. Even if you’re not planning on changing careers, volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization. You might feel more comfortable stretching your wings at work once you’ve honed these skills in a volunteer position first.

• Teaching you valuable job skills

• Gaining career experience

Benefit 4:
Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life

Volunteering is a fun and easy way to explore your interests and passions. Doing volunteer work you find meaningful and interesting can be a relaxing, energizing escape from your day-to-day routine of work, school, or family commitments. Volunteering also provides you with renewed creativity, motivation, and vision that can carry over into your personal and professional life.

• Gets you out of the house

• Helping others is meaningful and important

• Commitment to others creates consistency

One More Question…

I have limited mobility—can I still volunteer?

ABSOLUTELY! People with disabilities or chronic health conditions can still benefit greatly from volunteering. In fact, research has shown that adults with disabilities or health conditions ranging from hearing and vision loss to heart disease, diabetes or digestive disorders all show improvement after volunteering.

Whether due to a disability, a lack of transportation, or time constraints, many people choose to volunteer their time via phone or computer. In today’s digital age, many organizations need help with writing, graphic design, email, and other web-based tasks. Some organizations may require you to attend an initial training session or periodical meetings while others can be conducted completely remotely. In any volunteer situation, make sure that you are getting enough social contact, and that the organization is available to support you should you have questions.

Copyright, Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. and Lawrence Robinson