11-24-2024 Charitable Giving Guide - Flipbook - Page 1
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, November 24, 2024
5
Charitable
Giving guide
SPECIAL SECTION ADVERTISING
Volunteering your time can make a huge difference
By Gregory J. Alexander, Contributing Writer
A
nyone who is associated
with a nonprofit organization will tell you that they are
always grateful for monetary donations – large and small. This
influx of donations helps all nonprofits to better serve those in need and
helps with routine expenses such as
salaries, rent and adding personnel.
However, as necessary as monetary
donations are, people willing to volunteer their time is equally crucial to
a nonprofit’s success. Some smaller
nonprofits rely solely on volunteers in
order to operate.
We are all busy, however, so how
do you find the time to volunteer?
First, be realistic about how much
time you have to give. Second, there
is no need to “go big,” by signing
up for an eight-hour shift helping
answer phone calls. Instead, start
small … maybe sign up for a onehour shift during a Saturday festival
and helping man a booth and passing
out fliers.
The benefits of volunteering are
enormous. According to the mental
health website www.helpguide.org,
“one of the more well-known benefits
of volunteering is the impact on the
community. Volunteering allows you
to connect to your community and
make it a better place. Even helping
out with the smallest tasks can
make a real difference to the lives of
people, animals, and organizations in
need. Volunteering offers vital help to
people in need, worthwhile causes,
and the community, but the benefits
can be even greater for you, the
volunteer. The right match can help
you to find friends, connect with the
community, learn new skills, and
even advance your career. Giving
to others can also help protect your
mental and physical health. It can
reduce stress, combat depression,
keep you mentally stimulated, and
provide a sense of purpose.”
Volunteering can also help you
advance your career by sharpening
existing skills as well as introducing
you to new skills or passions you
may not know you have. Plus, it
could lead to a career change or a
new job opportunity.
According to help.org, “Many
volunteering opportunities provide
extensive training. For example, you
could become an experienced crisis
counselor while volunteering for a
women’s shelter or a knowledgeable
art historian while donating your time
as a museum docent. Volunteering
can also help you build upon skills
you already have and use them to
benefit the greater community. For
instance, if you hold a successful
sales position, you can raise
awareness for your favorite cause as
a volunteer advocate, while further
developing and improving your
public speaking, communication,
and marketing skills.”
I have interviewed several
people who work at nonprofits who
were previously volunteers at that
organization. First, they volunteer
at an event, then they serve on
a committee, and then suddenly a
full-time job opens up that aligns
perfectly with their skills set and
goals. According to the career
site, Indeed.com, “Occasionally,
volunteering may result in the
volunteer being hired by the
organization. When an organization
is looking to hire internally, the hiring
managers are likely to begin looking
at internal positions such as those
who have previously volunteered at
the organization. Individuals who
volunteer and then apply to paid
positions when available may have
an advantage over outside hires.
For example, if an individual has
been volunteering at an agency for
three years, they already know the
agency’s employees, policies and
procedures, and company culture.”
Volunteering can also help you
discover a new career path.
“If your volunteer work aligns
with your passions, volunteering
can help you determine whether a
career in that field will interest you.
Additionally, volunteering provides
valuable career information regarding
your work habits and preferences.
For example, you may discover
through volunteering that you prefer
to perform administrative tasks as
opposed to sales or performancedriven tasks. Ultimately, volunteering
can help you decide which career
path to take and can help you assess
your career goals,” according to
Indeed.com.
Employers also value volunteering,
especially if the work you are doing
is unrelated to your field, as it shows
you are open to change and new
challenges. If you have gaps on your
resume in between jobs, or when
you stopped work to raise a family,
volunteer work can help fill those gaps.
Maybe you were a stay-at-home dad
who volunteered at your kid’s school
or were involved in a leadership
position at a local community center.
Those experiences may help push
your resume to the top of the pile.
Likewise, for high school students
applying to college, volunteer work is
heavily valued by admissions offices.
Volunteering is also a great way to
bond as a family and to teach your
kids the importance of being kind
and helping others. Group activities
such as cleaning up a local park can
be a great way for a family to spend
a Saturday afternoon, while also
reducing screen time and getting
the family outside. Plus, at organized
events, your child may make new
friends with other kids volunteering.
It’s important to give your child
a voice in what type of volunteer
work the family will partake in.
Instead of feeling forced to spend a
Saturday afternoon at a food bank
because Mom and Dad serve on
the board there, they are more likely
to enjoy volunteering if it aligns
with their passion. So, ask them:
What do you like? What cause is
especially important to you? The
environment? Animals? Health
and wellness? Human rights?
Once you’ve determined their
passion, work together to identify
volunteer opportunities that are ageappropriate and fit into everyone’s
busy schedule.
Here are two great resources to
find volunteer opportunities: www.
volunteermatch.org and www.
volunteer.gov. At the latter, you
can browse easily by areas such
as “volunteer virtually,” “one-day
events,” “lodging offered” and “get
your hands dirty.”
A few years ago, I was trained
as a crisis counselor when I
volunteered at The Trevor Project
(www.thetrevorproject.org), and went
through extensive training over 10
weeks so that I could answer texts
via a secure server from LGBTQ+
young people who were struggling
with issues such as coming out,
LGBTQ+ identity, depression, and
suicide. It was not an easy job, and
involved some pretty heavy subject
matter, but the experience was life
changing. Not only did I get to help
those in need, but it opened my
mind to better understand what
these young people were dealing
with, especially transgender and
non-binary individuals I assisted. It
was during Covid, so many of them
were college students who were
no longer amongst their supportive
friends, and many of them were now
doing remote learning back in their
hometowns that were less inclusive
and understanding than their college
towns. I learned so much, including
how to be more empathetic and,
best of all, how to be a better listener,
a skill that I use every day.