Happy International Volunteer Week! Celebrate Volunteers!
We love that International Volunteer Week falls at the same time as our Do1Give Day Global Event! What a better way to promote the benefits of volunteering and find ways to thank the millions of volunteers all over the world!
Volunteer Week is a double celebration. It brings awareness to the need for volunteers and lets organizations thank their volunteers for their dedication.
365give exists thanks to the many volunteers that choose to be members, help us deliver the tools that inspire people to give every day, and our Board of Directors who tirelessly ensure 365give continues to inspire daily giving, one day, one give at a time. Thank you to everyone for all that you do!
Volunteering Once or Twice a Month Can Boost Your Daily Giving Habit
There are some incredible life time volunteers who have dedicated a few days a week to causes and organizations near and dear to their hearts. These individuals are special people who have dedicated their life to community service. We love them, but we do understand the reality of most people’s lives. Volunteering once or even twice a month is closer to most people’s reality. And it can be done! Volunteerism does not have to be a full time job. There are many volunteer activities that take under an hour.
Add These ‘Under an Hour’ Volunteer Activities To Your Daily Giving Lists
- Visit your local pet shelter once a month and interact with the animals waiting for adoption
- Volunteer on the high holidays – Soup kitchens, local shelters and community centers always need extra help during festive holidays
- Find online volunteer opportunities – I love reading books to kids online. There are a few organizations that use skype to connect people from the around the world through reading.
- Volunteer one day a month at a community garden. Anyone can weed, water, or plant.
- Volunteer-cations – Yes this is more than an hour but we could not resist spreading the news about useful vacations that let you give back. Habitat for Humanity https://www.habitat.org is a great place to start with regional and international volunteer-cation opportunities.
Why Volunteer? The Benefits are Endless and For Some Surprising
Whether you choose to volunteer for an hour a month or 40 hours a month, volunteering has so many benefits we did not list them all here, we possibility could not list them all here. But these are a few of the benefits that we think make volunteering a worth while give on a regular basis.
Activates the Helper’s High Physical Responses – If you have not read our Happiness Research, read it now. When you give there are proven physical changes that lead to a happier, healthier you.
It is Fun! – Volunteering is fun. Truly fun. There is a synergy to volunteering that gets you smiling, laughing and cheering while you volunteer.
You Feel Connected to New People and Communities – New to your community? Feel that you don’t know the people in your community? Volunteering is a great way to feel connected to your neighbourhood, your city and yourself.
You Make a Difference – An hour can mean the world to a busy not for profit. An hour can make a difference in someone’s life. An hour with a senior, OMG! Volunteering does make a difference more than you will ever know.
Learn New Skills – What I have always loved about volunteering is putting myself into opportunities that no one would ever pay me for. Stepping outside of my ‘normal duties’ as a mom or business owner has added to my skill base.
Gain Confidence – It is intimidating to step into a new environment and offer your help. Some of us think we don’t have anything to give, some of us think we can’t be of use. You will be amazed at the confidence you gain by stepping into something new and working with a new team.
If you are a volunteer already, thank you. If you work with volunteers, give them a special hug or note of gratitude this week. The world could not survive without our volunteers!
Have you added your daily gives to the Global Impact Map lately? All members of 365give can add to their daily gives and show the world how giving positively changes the world!