Why Volunteer?
“What’s in It for Me?”
How Helping Others Helps You
It’s “a Win-Win Situation”!
Volunteering has a positive effect on your community — and it’s good for you too. You feel good when you help others and those you are helping feel good because they’re getting the help they need.
There’s a Chinese saying:
“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”
There are a lot of reasons why people volunteer. Some people think that people only volunteer to give. They see volunteering as a selfless act. The reality is we really do get more than we give when we volunteer.
Whether you want to give back to your community or meet new people, here are a number of the benefits you might receive when you volunteer:
- Help make your community “a place where you want to live”
- Your volunteer work illustrates your interests, character, and experience – add it to your resume!
- Broaden your social circle
- Feel thankful and experience a deeper sense of gratitude for what you have
- Experience less stress and feel more calm and peaceful
- You’ll feel rewarded and fulfilled
- Meet interesting people
- Experience a sense of renewal
- Have fun!
- Increase your support network
- A sense of accomplishment
- A sense of belonging
- Ownership of community
- Social connections
- Provides you a sense of purpose
- Friendships
- A possible lead to employment
- You’ll be appreciated and valued
- An opportunity to make a difference – it’s eye-opening to realize that doing even small things can have a big impact on others.
- Community service
- Helps you stay physically healthy, according to studies
- Find your inner peace
- Meet people who are different than you
- Skill building
- Self-esteem/confidence building
- Build and develop a vision of community
- Learn about a different way of life
- Learn about new places
Happiness is found in helping others.