There are many inspiring stories of wonderful volunteers that were shared with me by organizations in [1]. One organization that helps families that have been afflicted by cancer, shared a story of a volunteer who was committed (never absent or late and served the whole season), thought outside the box (didn’t wait to be told what to do), went over and beyond (met with parents, found enrichment activities for the students in the family) and bonded with everyone in the organization. They found their “calling” and decided to go back to school and changed their career aspiration to be more youth/education focused. 

Another organization that helps people impacted by Alzheimers, shared a story of a volunteer who would join them remotely from another part of the world. They called clients at odd hours (for them) so that they’re calling during business hours for the client. Other volunteers would visit their clients on holidays and help prepare them holiday meals to enjoy together. They became so close and formed a deep relationship with their client’s family. So much so, that the client’s family attended the volunteers’ graduation ceremony. Another volunteer would drive more than 50 miles one way to meet with their client. 

An organization that provides free tutoring to children in need, shared a story of a volunteer tutor who not only did a great job with her student, but also took the initiative to create dream boxes. The dream boxes were free additional resources for students who needed them such as a mini white board, some books, markers and a few other things. Another organization that helps homeless children, shared that they have a volunteer who has been with them for decades and continues to passionately help out without expecting anything in return

While there are many inspiring stories of wonderful volunteers, there are many challenges associated with finding and retaining volunteers. Many volunteering positions require specific skill-sets eg. Spanish speaking, computer literate etc. Attracting volunteers and finding pools of skilled volunteers is a challenge.  Organizations are willing to train eager individuals that are willing to learn and don’t fear failure. However, once trained long-term retention can be a challenge. Volunteers get busy with paid jobs and life commitments. During the pandemic, there was a significant drop in the number of volunteers (nearly 50%) because of personal or employment loss. Finally, some volunteers do not understand the seriousness of their commitments and are not a good fit for the role. 

The most common characteristics that non-profits look for in volunteers include, being committed, self-starters and being creative. Since these are unpaid positions, volunteers need to be passionate about being involved and stay committed to the cause. Volunteers may also encounter situations that don’t have a prescribed solution and hence need to be problem solvers and self-motivated to keep moving forward on the task. In addition, volunteers need to be compassionate and flexible. Since non-profits solve a variety of community problems in constrained environments, its important to adapt to new circumstances and have empathy for the community members being served. Volunteering can help individuals gain valuable experience, communication and leadership skills and find their true passions while helping those in need.

What are you waiting for? Take the first step and start volunteering with your favorite organization today!

[1] Nanny Angel Network, SoulPhamm, Alzheimers San Diego, Learn to be, Project Hawai’i