Volunteering……an opportunity to give back!

Helping others can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. You can do cleanup work for an elderly person, coach youth sports, aid in a building project, serve on a board of directors, work fun community events and more. There's almost no limit to the opportunities open to you as a volunteer, and most of it may not require you to have any prior experience (but it can if you would prefer). Here are some things to consider before diving in.

Before you get started, think about why you want to volunteer. Do you want to meet new people? Could the volunteer work enable you to spend time doing something you enjoy? Do you have a cause that is near and dear to your heart?

When you are clear on the why, think about what you could do, where you might want to do it, would you rather work individually or in a group, and available times to do it.

There are many resources that can help you in your search. Start with friends, family and co-workers. They may know of organizations that would interest you, maybe even ones that would allow you to work with them. Contact local volunteer agencies; they often have a large list of possibilities. You can search for them on-line. One such place is VolunteerMatch (http://www.volunteermatch.org) it lets you search for projects by your city or Zip code, as well as keywords (such as "environment" or "mentoring") that describe what you want to do. For a list of volunteer opportunities locally, check out The Volunteer Center of Brown County (http://www.volunteergb.org/).

Once you have found a likely group or organization, you will want to call to learn more about volunteer opportunities. In order to assure yourself you made the right choice, schedule a visit and take a tour of the organization. They may even ask you to interview. Don’t be nervous, your new role will be an important one.

Volunteering can be a great opportunity to step outside the routine of your daily life. You have a lot to offer, so try to find the place that's right for you and start making a difference!

Post by: Pat J