The Benefits of Volunteering

 

Why do you volunteer? 

 When you have some free time in your schedule, there are many things that you could choose to do.  You can choose to give the gift of your time to an organization, but choosing where to donate that precious time of yours is a big decision.  Maybe their mission aligns with your values, maybe there is a skill you are looking to gain experience in, or maybe you’re looking to meet new, like-minded people.  Offering your time can help you to build self-confidence and skills, not to mention it looks great on transcripts and resumes!  Whatever your reason may be, there are so many benefits to volunteering!  First, many organizations rely on volunteer labor to fulfill their missions.  Almost all nonprofits have some mix of volunteer and paid labor.  In ACR’s case, it helps us to keep our classes affordable and ensures low prices on the materials in our creative reuse center.  In fiscal year 2020, volunteers made up nearly 50% of our labor hours, which translated into a value of over $200,000!  You can imagine how much more we’d have to charge for workshops and materials if all of that was paid staff time! The personal benefits of volunteering are many as well.  Getting outside of yourself and helping someone else can improve your mood,  reduce stress and anxiety, as well as combat depression.*  Volunteering with an organization that explains the impact of your work to their mission can help to give you a sense of purpose and accomplishment.  You’re making a choice to make a difference, that’s huge!   Volunteering is an excellent way to build a relationship with an organization.  Many nonprofits, like ACR, are hard to get a paid position with since jobs are typically few and far between. When a position does become available, you’ve got the upper-hand if you’ve already been volunteering with the organization and know all the folks involved! Nearly half of our staff started out as a volunteer with ACR! If you’re on the fence about volunteering, ACR has ways to test the waters and get your feet wet.  Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday we offer community volunteer days that have a focus on a specific area.  Mondays are for sorting quilting fabric, Tuesdays are for sorting and packaging all of the tiny odds and ends, and Thursdays are for measuring, rolling, and pricing fabric yardage. These opportunities are open to folks of all ages and require no training or commitment.  You can learn a little more about our mission, see our space, meet some new friends and see if ACR is the place for you.  You are needed!  No contribution is too small, we can’t do this work without people like you.   You can sign up for community volunteer days and learn more about our volunteer program here. Come on over, it’s going to be fun!  *https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2012/04/04/why-helping-others-makes-us-happy