GIVING
BY KIM DONAHOE Southwest Florida Community Foundation
Volunteering... it's a two-way street
Volunteers are needed in almost every area of a community, from theater productions to hospitals. Volunteers are not free labor, but active volunteers can make a real difference in their community.
Most people have volunteered their time in some way whether it was just for a few hours or on an ongoing basis.
Instead of considering volunteering as just something you do for the organization or for people not as fortunate as yourself, begin to think of it as an exchange. Volunteering can provide many benefits to you as well as the group you are volunteering for.
The benefits of Volunteering:
Giving back - it allows you to show your appreciation
for an organization that has helped you or someone you know.
Meeting people and building relationships with others -
for example, volunteering at your children's school allows you to get to know
the people teaching them everyday. If you are new to the area, you can meet
others with the same interests through volunteering.
Learning new skills - some volunteer positions provide
training in technology, retail experience, etc.
Looking for a job - one way to build a relationship
with a potential employer is to volunteer for them. You will learn more about
the organization and more importantly they will learn more about you.
Being passionate about a certain cause - you can help
make a difference in the causes important to you.
Fun- volunteering gives you that "feel good" feeling;
provides stress relief
There are many types of volunteering, from positions that require a long-term commitment with regular hours, to onetime, hands-on projects with a short-term commitment. Some opportunities are working with others and other opportunities involve individual projects that can be carried out within your own timeframe.
Steps to finding the right volunteer position for you:
Determine where your interests lie - what causes are
you most passionate about? Animal welfare? The Arts? Education? The elderly?
What are your time constraints - when would you be
available for the organization? How much time could you contribute?
Determine what your skills are or the ones you want to
develop - what types of things do you enjoy doing?
Talk to friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers
about organizations that they know about. The Southwest Florida Community
Foundation is also an excellent resource to find out about the many nonprofit
organizations serving this area.
Contact the nonprofit organization and set up a meeting
for you to discuss what volunteer opportunities they have available that would
most closely fit your needs and goals.
If this is a long-term volunteer position, review and
evaluate every few months whether this position is meeting your needs and goals.
With more than 500 nonprofit, religious, or governmental organizations in Southwest Florida, there is a volunteer opportunity for everyone. It's just a matter of finding the right one for you. ¦
For more information on the nonprofit organizations in this area, contact the Southwest Florida Community Foundation at (239) 274-5900.
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