The Rewards of Giving Back
What is a Volunteer?
Wikipedia defines the term 'volunteering' as:
“An elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labour, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve on an as-needed basis, such as in response to a natural disaster.”
What do our Volunteers do at ‘ADS’?
Make tea and coffee to welcome our members;
Help set up and run events;
Collect charity money tins in the community;
Support fundraising events;
Act as waiters or road marshals at events such as sponsored walks;
Sell tickets and raffle tickets;
Run our charity shop alongside staff;
Drive and support our ‘Out and About’ service as volunteer drivers and carers;
Share professional skills – for example: dancers delivering sessions as part of their volunteering to benefit our members or IT professionals supporting with IT skills.
Why are Volunteers Important
It is Cost Effective
Volunteers allow us to extend our services and support more People without the full financial cost of paid staff. This ensures our limited funds go further to directly benefit those we help.
Lived Experience and Understanding
Many of our volunteers have been in similar situations themselves. This means they bring a unique understanding and relatability that can deeply connect with the People we support.
Empathy and Compassion
Volunteers choose to be here. Their genuine care, time, and empathy make a real difference in the lives of others and create a warm, welcoming environment.
Volunteering Benefits the Volunteer too
Volunteering is proven to boost wellbeing, confidence, and sense of purpose. It helps people build skills, friendships, and feel part of something meaningful.
Why Volunteer?
If you’re looking to meet new People, interested in charitable causes or want to learn skills to advance your career, volunteering may be a good option. When you volunteer, you have the opportunity to make a true difference in the lives of others. Learning about the benefits of volunteering can help you decide if it aligns with your interests.
It Provides You with a Sense of Purpose
You may be able to find your purpose through volunteering and becoming part of something greater than yourself. For instance, if you’re retired, unexpectedly unemployed or have lost a loved one, helping others can give your life new meaning and keep you mentally stimulated.
It Provides a Sense of Community
Volunteering can help you feel connected to those you are helping in the community. This experience may make you want to get involved with other aspects of your community, such as local politics or advocating for programs you believe are important.
It Helps you Meet New Friends
Volunteering is a great way to meet new friends as well as strengthen existing connections with friends, family or co-workers. As a volunteer, you’ll typically interact with People from diverse backgrounds, which allows you to learn other perspectives. When you choose an organization or cause to volunteer for, consider the People you’re volunteering alongside you. Sharing a common interest will help you build closer relationships with those around you.
It Increases your Social Skills
Volunteering gives you a chance to talk to new People and sharpen your social skills. By spending a lot of time working with others and using social skills, like active listening and relationship management, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your future personal and business relationships.
It Improves your Self-Esteem
Volunteering may boost your self-esteem and build self-confidence. When you do something you feel is worthwhile and valuable for your community, it gives you a sense of accomplishment that may help you feel more fulfilled about your life and any future goals.
It Teaches you Valuable Skills
The training and hands-on experience you gain while volunteering can help you learn new skills as well as build upon ones you already have. For example, if you advocate and raise awareness or funding for a cause that interests you, you may gain valuable communication, public speaking, marketing and other hard and soft skills. You can then put these skills on your resume to show employers how you build relationships outside of work in addition to any personal interests that can set you apart from other candidates.
It Provides Job Prospects
Along with acquiring valuable skills and experience, you may also meet people while volunteering who can become your mentors or at least a part of your professional social network. If you choose to pursue a career in the field you’re volunteering in, the connections you make also may help increase your job prospects.
It Brings Fun into Your Life
Many People use volunteering as a way to pursue their hobbies while making a difference. For example, if you’re interested in the outdoors, you might volunteer at your community garden or help out at a children's summer camp. Volunteering for organizations or causes may provide you with a renewed sense of creativity and motivation that carries over into your personal and professional life.
It Can Help you be Happier
It often feels good to contribute to projects and organizations that mean something to you. These good feelings can help lessen the effects of stress, anger or anxiety in your life. Volunteering may provide you with the tools you need to be a happy and well-rounded individual. Building bonds and connections with People you volunteer with also might help counteract any social isolation. Many volunteer opportunities also may involve physical labor to keep you active and reduce stress.
And Finally, it Gets you out of your Comfort Zone
Through volunteer work, you may overcome the personal challenges of leaving your comfort zone and doing something new with people you may not know. You may be faced with various problems to solve as a volunteer that require you to exercise critical thinking skills that aid your own personal development.
