Volunteering - part II

 Serving - with a smile - volunteering

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/volunteering-and-its-surprising-benefits.htm

https://www.galaxydigital.com/blog/how-to-start-a-volunteer-program/

Yesterday I started on Volunteering!!  

Volunteering can be an optimal solution for many non-profit organizations!!!

In my community (Georgetown Texas), one of the ‘best’ (my opinion) non-profit organizations is the Caring Place.  The Caring Place is as the name indicates - a place to get help - caring help from the organization.  The Food Pantry serves many area people with food.  They have other programs to help people get jobs, financial assistance, links to other resources.  

They have many staff people - but they have more volunteers than staff.

One area of revenue is the second hand store.  People drop off their unwanted clothes and other items that get sold in the store.  Now, there are other thrift stores in the area, such as Goodwill.  I like that the Caring Place is local, and the services are very good.  There have been some discussions about other thrift stores that are paying their staff higher amounts than they might.  That is a judgement call that I am not knowledgeable enough to address.

Good clean articles are refreshed and put on racks or shelves.  I bought and used a coffee pot from the Caring Place, plates, jewelry and clothes.  The money I spend to purchase these items can be used for other services to clients.

I volunteer for another community organization - Faith in Action.  This group gives rides to seniors who no longer drive.  

With the pandemic, I signed up to be a buddy for two of my riders - so I visited them once or twice a week or texted, called or emailed them!

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In my reading, I saw these ideas:

Successful volunteer programs should generally strive to:

• Address real needs in the community

• Forge meaningful relationships with community members in need

• Connect volunteers with opportunities that match their passions and skills

• Regularly evaluate mission, goals, and processes

Let’s look at these concepts:

Address real needs in the community.  Is this program helping seniors out?  Helping latch-key kids with after school programs?  Helping those who lost jobs to retrain for new jobs?  

It seems like some program exists to help the staff.  Like some charities - where 80 to 90% of the fund raising pays for fund-raising and staff. Better programs use a smaller amount from 0 to 15% percent of the funds for staff and fundraising and the rest are used for the programs.  

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Forging meaningful relationships with community members in need.

As an educator, I wanted (needed?) to be involved with my community.  I went to sporting events, club activities (and was an advisor to several clubs).  I bought things at bake sales, I supported activities.  While this group wasn’t necessarily in need, I forged meaningful relationships.  (Even, to (ugh) sitting in a cold dunk tank where students tied to knock me off my platform into water!!!).  

Do the volunteers really LOVE?  Or do they go through the motions, and then drive their BMW’s to their million-dollar house in the suburbs and laugh about their community?

I use the term LOVE WINS - and this is one place where love needs to be genuine!!!\\

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Connect volunteers with opportunities that match their passions and skills

Yesterday, I wrote about mis-matched volunteers.  Don’t put the timid person in charge of the large rambunctious third graders in your religious education program.  Maybe that person would love to help take attendance and help plan events.  

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Regularly evaluate mission, goals, and processes

Time changes - and needs change.  If you are working with seniors, you may need to incorporate technology education and support for your seniors.

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I (generally) love volunteering.  When I was working, I didn’t want to spend that on activities that weren’t relevant to me.  

But, there is joy in helping others!!!  Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker said: “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”

LOVE WINS!!!

Hugs!!

Karen