What is Volunteering? Why & How should you become a Volunteer?

Introduction

Being a volunteer for any cause is one of the noblest human traits. It is following the path of the prophets and saints. Youth, all over the world, is usually very enthusiastic about doing voluntary work. However, they are handicapped due to a lack of training and a formal forum to work as a volunteer. In this series of articles, I will be trying to guide you on how to become a volunteer, starting with why should you become a volunteer in the first place.

What is Volunteering?

Volunteerism is to do work for a noble cause free of any remuneration except for genuine costs incurred by a volunteer in this endeavour. This volunteer work could be either physical work carried out or time spent doing mental work. Donating cash or things in kind is often considered charity and does not fall under the definition of volunteerism.

Why should you become a Volunteer?

Volunteerism is important for both those who become volunteers and those who engage them in volunteer work. Specifically

1. Character Building

Volunteerism is the noblest profession above the second noblest one -teaching. It is in fact following the traditions of the prophets and the saints. That is why only those people who volunteer have a passion for doing something extraordinary, something befitting. It teaches you the values of virtues such as empathy, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty in your relationships. We as human beings are superior to animals for various reasons-these are the virtues which are the most distinct human traits.

2. Knowledge Base

Volunteerism is one of the best ways to increase your knowledge about everything under the sun. Your interaction with those who need help on the one hand and those who provide help on the other will teach you some extremely significant lessons of life almost free of cost, lessons which you may not be able to learn in a formal educational institution.

3. Skills Set

Besides increasing your knowledge base, doing volunteer work will help you in developing your skills, particularly interpersonal and communications skills. I need not emphasize the importance of these skills for leading a successful life.

4. Self-Actualization

It is a rewarding experience in another way. It is what Maslow called -self-actualization, a sense of doing something which makes you feel satisfied. Volunteering helps the realization or fulfillment of one’s talents and potentialities, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone. You feel that life has meaning after all.

5. Networking

Doing volunteer work is not only fun but an excellent way of improving your networking. Believe me, the friendship between volunteers is far more lasting and without any self-interest than that found among office/work colleagues. And you never know, one of your co-workers may be interviewing you for the job you are interested in!

6. Admission Requirements

Study the prospectus of any world-class educational institution, and you will invariably find a special section devoted to the volunteer experience you have. In 2016, more than 80 top educational institutions in the USA endorsed the report prepared by Harvard University regarding the promotion of ethical character and achieving greater fairness and integrity in the college admissions process. The report offers specific recommendations for reforming the admissions process in each of the following three areas:

a. promoting more meaningful contributions to others, community service, and engagement with the public good;

b. assessing students’ ethical character and contributions to others in ways that reflect varying types of family and community contributions across race, culture, and class; and

c. redefining achievement in ways that both level the playing field for economically diverse students and reduce excessive achievement pressure.

Based on this Report, for example, one of the required essays for getting admission to MIT specifically asks the prospective candidates to highlight their contributions to the public good by asking the following question.

“At MIT, we seek to develop in each member of our community the ability and passion to work collaboratively for the betterment of humankind. How have you improved the lives of others in your community? (This could be one person or many, at school or home, in your neighbourhood or your state, etc.)”

Harvard is the global leader in the educational field and expects this policy to be universally applied in top-ranking educational intuitions in most countries. Those responsible for deciding your admission or otherwise will give a high weight to your volunteering activities. If you have not been successful to get good grades in your educational career, your volunteering experience may compensate you for the deficiency.

7. Job Opportunities

Remember, your educational qualifications just make you eligible to compete for the limited job openings in the market out there. Those who will interview will be very keen to assess your attitude towards life, work, and humanity. Volunteer work on your CV will convince them that you are not an introvert and are genuinely interested to work as a member of the team. And do not forget to mention your passion and experience of volunteering in your digital profile, especially on LinkedIn. According to a recent report, more than 80% of recruiters admitted that after receiving the applications of job applicants, they immediately look at their digital profiles on LinkedIn and other social media.

Why should firms engage Volunteers?

On the other hand, there are several advantages for those who engage people in doing volunteer work. These include

1. Resource Saving: Volunteers not only save their expenditure by providing free services and time but also add to their resource base when they collect donations for the cause for which the sponsors employ them. They thus save resources — physical, financial, and time for the organisation.
2. Efficiency/Effectiveness: Similarly, volunteers bring needed skills & knowledge along with renewed energy and excitement which go a long way in achieving the goals and objectives of the organisation efficiently and most effectively.
3. Community Ownership: Last but not the least, by increasing community ownership, the volunteers also bring new ideas and new perspectives thereby improving the diversity and innovation in the organisational culture.

How to Become a Volunteer?

To become a volunteer, kindly keep the following points in view

1. Make a Decision

Firstly, ask yourself whether you want to do voluntary work-work which will demand your time and efforts and, most of all, sacrifice your ego. Only a person with the qualities of heart and mind follows this path, which is even higher than teaching. Although in this decision it is the heart that takes the lead but uses your mind also because doing volunteer work does confer some benefits. Read those under the caption advantages of volunteerism. Decide whether to become a volunteer or not

2. Find a Cause

Once you have decided to become a volunteer, chances are that you have also decided on the work or field you would be doing the volunteer work. If not, do some soul-searching, and some internet searching. Find a cause for which you feel very passionate. Spreading education in your community? Helping the poor, providing medical care to those who cannot? Contributing your bit to minimize the digital divide in the country? Climate Change? Whatever the cause may be, it must touch the chords of your heart

3. Learn about it

Even if you have some knowledge about the field you have chosen for voluntary activities, do some more search about it. There are thousands of websites and NGOs for every voluntary work under the sun. Do visit the UNO volunteer website

4. Enrol Formally

Of course, you can start voluntary work individually or start your not-for-profit Non-governmental Organization(NGO) for this purpose, my suggestion will be to first join a formal organization that is already doing the same work. It will not only give you the much-needed experience but also vast opportunities for networking which will stand in good stead when you want to go solo

5. Devote Regular Time

Remember, volunteer work is not a one-off activity, nor it is a job to be done in bits and pieces. Make a rational plan-how much time you can devote regularly. Do it, even if it may be one hour weekly. Just make sure that one hour is on a fixed date and time and the organization knows it

6. Motivate others

Volunteerism becomes fun if you motivate your friends and colleagues in it. It will have a synergetic effect also. But be careful. Do not press someone who is not in this field. Volunteers have something in their nature and their nurture. Offspring of volunteers have more chances of becoming a volunteer-maybe they are genetically programmed or as a result of their social upbringing by their parents and family?

Qualities of a Good Volunteer

Doing a volunteer job is not an easy task; it demands certain qualities of head and heart. Thus, before offering your services for a noble cause, do give consideration to these qualities necessary for becoming a volunteer.

1. Self-Motivation: A good volunteer is a self-motivated person desirous of doing something for others out of choice and not due to any compulsion. Drive for volunteerism comes from within and not from outside
2. Passion: He is also passionate about a cause that moves him to do volunteer work. This passion is the driving force for him to do manual or mental work for the cause he espouses instead of wasting time on other non-essential activities
3. Learner: He is a keen learner, without which he cannot accomplish what he wants to do by devoting his time and making efforts. He knows that learning by doing is the best form of education
4. Patience: Being patient is the hallmark of a committed volunteer. After all, he is doing work for which there is no monetary reward for him. Consequently, in his volunteer activity, there will be occasions and people who will test his patience. Remaining cool and calm in such a situation is the quality needed from a volunteer
5. Obedience: Obedient to the tune of submissive is a highly regarded trait of a volunteer. Although most of the volunteer work is carried out in a horizontal setting, there is some form of vertical authority to coordinate and supervise the work of volunteers. Only an obedient person can withstand the orders of a superior from whom he is not expecting any monetary reward
6. Unbiased: Lastly, a good volunteer is free of all unnecessary biases and prejudices. He firmly believes in the equality of mankind in respect of colour, creed, caste, or gender.