 Volunteering is an awesome opportunity to bring good into the world and support our community, whether it is through work at a shelter, your faith community or another program that needs extra helping hands.
REACH loves and depends on our volunteers and as we usher in 2011, we offer this “How-To Guide to Volunteering” to make it a great experience for you and the agency that will benefit from your time.
How to be a Great Volunteer:
1. Do your homework. Find something you are passionate about, or would like to learn more about. (If you don’t like children, don’t work with kids, if you are allergic to cats; don’t volunteer at an animal shelter). If you volunteer in an area that you treasure, it will come through and you will become an asset to the agency you help, and you will be fulfilled by your own efforts.
2. Find out the requirements to be a volunteer. Most organizations have a training component. Actively participate in this program, listen closely and ask questions. This is where you will get the best preview of the program and hear the background to the rules in place.
3. Find out what the real needs are. Don’t force an agency to fit your needs, help fit theirs. Offer up
what you do best. Most agencies are understaffed in areas that for-profits take for granted. If you
are an IT person, offer to help with technical challenges. If you are great at sales, consult on marketing or special events. Find the balance that brings your talents to the table and truly helps the organization.
4. Be a leader. There are volunteer positions to be filled as a member of an organizational committee, or on the Board of Directors. (All non-profits have Boards and most Boards need interested members.)This is a great way to lead an agency’s mission and gain leadership skills for yourself and your resume. (REACH is seeking interested Board members who love reading, children and fighting homelessness)
5. Always be on time for the training and the volunteer assignment. Give a few days notice, if you need to cancel and NEVER CANCEL YOUR VOLUNTEER TIME THE DAY OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT UNLESS IT’S AN EMERGENCY.
6. Never be late. If traffic is a concern, be sure you will be able to commit to the time you are needed far in advance, and arrange your travel accordingly. REACH works in local shelters who arrange their schedule around our assigned day and time. If our volunteers cancel, our program gets cancelled and the families we serve lose out in a very big way.
7. Give feedback. Let the agency know about your volunteer experience with an email or a quick phone call in a timely manner. Problems should be addressed quickly and praises are always welcome along with a “warm and fuzzy” experience from you. They need to know how they are doing to optimize their program, as well as hear how the program affected you.
8. If you are feeling overwhelmed, back away. Most volunteers start off with great intentions, but as our lives change, so does our time and the volunteer commitment can be too much of a hassle. Communicate with the agency immediately. They understand and can arrange another person for your role. Maybe you can try it again later.
9. Don’t treat your volunteer time as disposable. All volunteers are fulfilling a job. Although
you are not getting paid, your efforts are priceless. Many non-profits depend on the volunteers to fulfill a service that is grant funded. If the service is continually cancelled, the grants will be cancelled and the program will lose critical funding.
The recent downturn in the economy has required many non-profits to cut back on staffing and to reach out to volunteers to help fulfill their mission. We often hear of the many amazing individuals and organizations that make it possible for agencies to continue their great work for our local community. Many folks go unnoticed doing great things and helping small groups accomplish great feats.
Consider volunteer work an adventure. See what you can give and at the same time, help make our community and our world a better place!
Happy New Year and Happy Volunteering!
Reading Enriches All Children has a staff of two and a volunteer corps of over 230. Each week, volunteer readers share their time and talents at REACH Read-Alouds bringing quality literacy building experiences to our area’s most vulnerable citizens, homeless children. We always need readers, special event help, book sorters and delivery people. Call 757-627-4722 to find out more, or visit us on the web at reachreads.org.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Please consider a financial contribution to support the efforts of REACH . Individual contributions of $500 or more, or business contributions of $1000 or more are eligible for Virginia State Tax Credits where the donor receives 40% of their contribution in tax credit on their 2011 VA State Tax Return. Must be a Virginia resident or business owner to qualify. To find out more, call 627-4722.
www.reachreads.org
|
