THE BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING

Investing time in your community may be more valuable than you think. Volunteering your time to help with even the smallest of tasks can be extremely helpful and rewarding to the organization you are contributing to. Volunteers are much more than a helpful hand; they are a vital piece of an organization, and ultimately, play a great role in achieving goals and supporting the mission of an organization.

“Unpaid volunteers are often the glue that holds a community together.”

The perks of volunteering go both ways - it can impact YOU as much as the cause you are supporting. Volunteering builds empathy and self-esteem, encourages connection with others, and increases levels of happiness.

Often when we think of volunteering, we think about it in terms of the impact it will have on others; however, volunteering typically has just as much, if not more, impact on the volunteer as it does the recipient. In an age where rates of depression and loneliness are at an all-time high, one way to alleviate these could be as simple as giving your time and energy to others. When we take the focus off ourselves and our problems, and focus on others, it often allows us to get a better perspective and have a more positive outlook overall.

“Research has found that participation in voluntary services is significantly predictive of better mental and physical health, life satisfaction, self-esteem, happiness, lower depressive symptoms, psychological distress, and morality and functional inability" (Yeung, zhang, & Kim, 2017).

Volunteering can be profoundly fulfilling and can positively impact your physical and psychological well-being. Researchers have found that helping others effectively helps accrue genuine supportive relationships and social integration, self-worth, a sense of mattering and life meaning, and therefore, better contributes to health benefits. Putting your time and effort into helping others can lead to a sense of accomplishment and belonging that is not only beneficial to yourself, but to the community and the organization you serve. 

Even in today's world of social distancing, there are still so many ways to volunteer your time and resources:
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• When you are out shopping, pick up a few extra items for your neighbor or a family that is unable to get out.⁠
• Send electronic gift cards to a local organization, so they can distribute them to the people they serve.⁠
• Make a donation to a cause you love - most nonprofits will have cancelled events and less funds coming in, and your donation is crucial and appreciated now more than ever. ⁠
• Check in regularly with your circles - send an encouraging text message to remind them you are there for them, and see if there is anything they need.⁠ Your encouragement and support during this time could mean the world to someone who needed just that.

Hear about Stacie’s experience volunteering in our Love Box program below:

Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5504679/.
https://www.wcsu.edu/community-engagement/benefits-of-volunteering/
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/volunteering-and-its-surprising-benefits.htm.