How To Volunteer For a Good Cause

  • May 7, 2009
  • 2,002 Views
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You want to give back, but how… and where… and to whom? Put a little time and thought into deciding which cause to volunteer for, and everyone will reap the benefits.

You Will Need

  • Some free time
  • An honest appraisal of what you will and will not do
  • Compassion
How To Volunteer For a Good Cause: Figure out time you can devote

Step 1: Figure out time you can devote

Figure out how much time you realistically can devote. Do you want a volunteer job with flexibility, like working at a soup kitchen, or can you commit to something long term, like becoming a Big Brother?

How To Volunteer For a Good Cause: Decide what you're wiling to do

Step 2: Decide what you're wiling to do

Decide what you are willing to do—and not do—as a volunteer. Helping out at an animal shelter sounds fun, but would you clean up after a dog?

How To Volunteer For a Good Cause: Evaluate your skills & talents

Step 3: Evaluate your skills & talents

Evaluate your skills and talents. Are you patient enough to work with children or old people? Do you have computer expertise that would benefit a nonprofit organization?

How To Volunteer For a Good Cause: Check out organizations

Step 4: Check out organizations

Now that you have an idea of what kind of volunteer job you’d like, check out organizations in your area. There also are websites that match volunteers to gigs.

How To Volunteer For a Good Cause: Contact places that interest you

Step 5: Contact places that interest you

Contact the places that interest you. Let them know up front what you can and cannot do in terms of time commitment and job duties.

Visit the place in person and spend some time helping out on a trial basis.

How To Volunteer For a Good Cause: Make a commitment

Step 6: Make a commitment

When you find a good fit, make a commitment. Don’t make it an indefinite amount of time; agree to a time frame you can honor.

The average American spends 50 hours every year doing volunteer work at an average monetary value of $17.55 per hour.

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Comments (7)

buddy456

That was a good video you guys. And I bet it helps out the world to. I think it would for elderly people. Do you?

over 2 years ago by buddy456

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AlexRad

Thank you for your comment.

over 2 years ago by AlexRad

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Stephanie_Rudat

How do I post this on the Alliance of Youth Movements page?

over 2 years ago by Stephanie_Rudat

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AlexRad

I think there are instructions of embedding this video on any web resource. It is right on this page somewhere.

over 2 years ago by AlexRad

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HeatherM

I really like how you use all these different locations and really show the different volunteer opps out there. Nice work!

over 2 years ago by HeatherM

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AlexRad

Thank you Heather, I hope our next one will be yet a better one. )

over 2 years ago by AlexRad

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George_Garchagudashvili

++++

over 2 years ago by George_Garchagudashvili

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