Synopsis

This post offers a few points on volunteering, what it means to volunteer, some of the benefits of volunteering, some of the barriers and the reasons. I also offer my personal perspective on volunteering and how it has influenced my leadership in a professional setting.

Why we Should Volunteer - Somewhere/ Anywhere

The idea of giving our time and effort to others seems easy until we have to actually go and do the giving. There are plenty of reasons we don’t volunteer, time seems to be the main reason. It’s usually out of hours or on a weekend, usually early on the weekend after a long week of work for most people. In this context the Volunteer Australian Report for 2023 highlights that more than 5 million people aged 15 and over volunteered formally and more than 6.5 million people aged 15 and over volunteered in an informal capacity 1. It seems we are pretty good as Australians at volunteering in some way. The benefits of volunteering are different for everyone but there are a few that standout in various studies conducted.

The Benefits of Volunteering

The literature offers plenty of benefits as a product of volunteering. The most widely reported benefits involve health, both mental and physical2. People that volunteered a little as a couple of hours a week (100hrs/year) reportedly had fewer depressive symptoms compared with those that didn’t volunteer 3. Two hours a week doesn’t seem like much to potentially avoid depressive symptoms. The expansion of our social networks we gain when we volunteer have been shown to underpin the mental health benefits highlighted above. In addition to the health benefits there are the professional benefits. 95% of employers consider volunteering to be a viable pathway to paid employment, 85% of recruiters consider volunteer work to be as relevant as paid employment if the role is relevant and finally, more than 92% of employers consider volunteering to be an advantage in a job interview. With all of these benefits why don’t we do more volunteering in the community?

Why Don’t we Volunteer?

There are many and varied reasons why people don’t volunteer and everyone’s case is individual. There are three broad groups why people don’t volunteer, these are:

  • People Can’t: This usually is a lack of time. People prioritise family, work, leisure-related ahead of volunteering in the local community.
  • People Don’t Want to: Some people’s inherent motivations and values are not in place usually as a product of a perceived lack of benefits.
  • Nobody Asked: This one is all about the type and size of social networks we have in place. If you know someone who volunteers chances are you are more likely to go along and see what it’s all about.

It’s important to understand that there is no right or wrong reason to volunteer, just making the effort to engage in any capacity is a positive step for the community and the individuals as a guiding principle. Those that engage in volunteering have many and varied motivations.

Why Do we Volunteer?

The motivations for people to volunteer are as diverse as the people that volunteer themselves. Again, individual circumstances and perspectives for the basis of volunteering shape the internal motivations. The three main reasons highlighted in the Volunteering Australia Report (2023) are:

  • Help others/ community
  • Do something worthwhile/ personal satisfaction
  • Personal/ family involvement

There are many other reasons for volunteering but, the consistent thread is generally putting others before ourselves when we volunteer. The most pure form of service in and for the community is a powerful thing in that we can make a difference while concurrently helping ourselves in different and unexpected ways.

Personal Perspectives

My personal experiences as a volunteer with Sailability in the local community are wonderful. I have engaged with a whole new sector of the local community. I have grown my social network in ways I never thought possible. I have definitely learned new skills while refining the skills I already had. All of these things are the obvious, known benefits. The lesser known and more personal benefits when working with those not as fortunate as myself is the source of inspiration they provide me. As a busy professional I often find myself almost looking for reasons not to go along - it is early on a Sunday morning. When I get down there and start to help out though and the sailors start to show up I am quickly reminded how lucky I am to be able to help such an inspirational group of volunteers and sailors in my case. After doing this for a few years now I can convincingly say that it is one of the most important and worthwhile things I do. Service in and for the local community is something I will continue to do. It adds significant value to me as a human and a professional. I think I get more from it sometimes than those that I am helping.

Closing Thoughts

Even with the various barriers to volunteering and the many and varied perspectives on why volunteering is a good thing there is an overarching goodness that comes from helping others. I would encourage everyone to help where they can, in even the smallest of ways it will make a difference to yourself and others.

References

  1. https://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/Volunteering-Australia-Key-Volunteering-Statistics-2024-Update.pdf ↩

  2. Nichol, Beth, Rob Wilson, Angela Rodrigues, and Catherine Haighton. 2024. “Exploring the Effects of Volunteering on the Social, Mental, and Physical Health and Well-Being of Volunteers: An Umbrella Review.” VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 35 (1): 97–128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-023-00573-z. ↩

  3. Webster, Noah J., Kristine J. Ajrouch, and Toni C. Antonucci. 2021. “Volunteering and Health: The Role of Social Network Change.” Social Science & Medicine 285 (September):114274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114274. ↩