Volunteering for a note-worthy cause can be a rich, rewarding experience. Being such, our article below covers several considerations to make when you are thinking in terms of becoming a helper at charitable organizations known as non-profits.
1- Choose Something You Are Passionate About
If you like music and wish to see it propagated in our culture, one non-profit specializes in having volunteers teach music appreciation or even teach how to play musical instruments to those who are less privileged in not having cultural events in their community.
One such organization goes as far as having volunteers play on the city sidewalks of New York on old, refurbished, brightly-colored painted upright pianos. Another organization recruits people to monitor neighborhoods for sexual predators that appear on local online predator listings.
The opportunities for volunteer work grow more each day as government funding becomes less for charitable, non-profit organizations.
Some categories of volunteer jobs are:
- Abandoned animals
- Children
- Community
- Environment
- Health
- Homeless shelters
- Feeding the hungry
- Disaster relief
Whether it is to invest time, money or simply tell others about the work of the chosen non-profit organization, do something. You’ll soon see and feel a difference in your investment in others.
2- Make Sure They Are Above Reproach
Many of the traditional volunteer organizations are churches, hospitals, nursing homes, Boy and Girl Scouts, the American Red Cross, Big Brother and Big Sister. Their reputation is beyond reproach in many cases, and they have been firmly established for a number of years.
There’s nothing worse than volunteering for an organization, pouring one’s heart and soul into it and then finding out it was a scam operation of some kind that is under current investigation.
3- Volunteer Resources
Building a house from scratch for poverty level families, such as done through the ministry of Habitat for Humanity, has plenty of opportunities for those wishing to make a difference.
Two web sites that can be searched to get in touch with non-profits for volunteer opportunities are Volunteer.org and Hands On Network.org. They are just two of the myriad of online volunteer sites already in place to help find your niche.
With a mere click of a mouse or swipe of a touch-screen, you’ll quickly locate the nearest opening for volunteers of any age group.
Launching Pad To Possible Later Paid Promotions
As a volunteer, your job experience may lead to future paid positions within the organization or elsewhere. While non-profits are not really established to make a profit, nonetheless, a profit is many times generated that allows for pay increases. In addition, workers often accrue other benefits such as health benefits or a dental plan.
As time progresses, opportunities for volunteer work increase daily; simply set your heart in the direction of those opportunities, and give your community all that you have to give.