How to start volunteering and why it’s good for you
Volunteering your time and energy to the community or a cause is a great way to further your knowledge, skillset and general wellbeing while also improving that state of the world, one step at a time.
If you’ve never volunteered before it can be daunting to know what’s involved and how to even get started when the organisations your interested in joining may be busy. Rest assured, by reading a few of our suggestions below you’ll be ready to take that first step in making a difference in your community.
Join something you enjoy or are passionate about
We all know how difficult it can be to motivate ourselves when we see the task at hand as a chore or something we really don’t want to do. If you join an organisation or community group that you have fun with, or is in an area you’re passionate about, you’ll be much more likely to join and go to volunteer events.
Not sure what group to join? Don’t stress, taking part in an event doesn’t mean you have to sign up for life! Find a few groups and organisations you’re curious about, see what upcoming events or volunteer days they are hosting and drop in. Most organisation are grateful for any time you can give, even if it’s just an hour. If you don’t enjoy the day, you can try the next organisation until you find one that suits you.
Learn something new
Volunteering is a great way to learn some new skills while giving back to a cause in need! If you want to upskill or gain some more experience in an area of interest there are countless organisations that need as much help as possible.
Whether its manual labour, project management, marketing activity or assisting with some admin related tasks – volunteering in different areas of a charity organisation can help you gain skills in different areas for your own path and will be helping an organisation in a part of their operation that they may be severely under-resourced. That’s a win-win!
If you’re worried about not knowing how to do the job, we like to follow the mantra and advice James McClennan, from Farm My School, told us – “don’t be afraid of failing… just getting out there and having a go is the important thing”.
Volunteer within your schedule
Like most things in life, even if we have all the good intentions, plans and schedule set in place sometimes life can get in the way and stop you from going. Just because you miss one volunteer day or event that you wanted to go to, that doesn’t mean you can’t go to the next one.
Volunteering and giving back to charity in your life will have ebbs and flows of intensity. Started a new job and need to focus on getting integrated in the role for a few months? Put your energy into that and then come back to volunteering when you can give a few hours without burning out.
Who knows, you may even be able to volunteer for a cause through your workplace or school. Plantfulness works with a community of commercial sponsors and organises volunteer days at our charity partners for those in our community to attend.
Volunteering is a fantastic way to get more involved in your local community and give back to a cause or group who need assistance. Hopefully, with some of the benefits and tips on starting your volunteer journey above, you feel more comfortable to start your volunteer journey!
If you want some suggestions on different organisation to volunteer with, check out our Partners page to find groups in our Plantfulness community. Almost all of them run volunteer days or are looking for people to fill important roles.
If your not-for-profit could benefit from equipment or volunteers donated by Plantfulness, fill out your details on our ‘Join Us‘ page.