WHY VOLUNTEER ?

 

Helping our fellow men and women has long been seen as an altruistic behavioral model. But it turns out that more selfish motives—pleasing friends, doing what you want—are more successful causes of effective volunteering. Whatever the motive, volunteering improves the health, happiness, (and in some cases) the longevity of volunteers. Children who volunteer are more likely to grow up to be adults who volunteer. Even unwilling children who are forced to volunteer fare better than kids who don't volunteer. In a virtuous circle, communities with lots of volunteers are more stable and better places to live, which in turn further boosts volunteerism.

People volunteer for a wide variety of reasons, especially wanting to help others. However, it's also reasonable to want some benefits for yourself from volunteering. Some people are uncomfortable with the notion that a volunteer "benefits" from doing volunteer work. There is a long tradition of seeing volunteering as a form of charity, based on altruism and selflessness. The best volunteering does involve the desire to serve others, but this does not exclude other motivations as well. Instead of considering volunteering as something you do for people who are not as fortunate as yourself, begin to think of it as an exchange.

Consider that most people find themselves in need at some point in their lives. So today you may be the person with the ability to help, but tomorrow you may be the recipient of someone else's volunteer effort. Even now you might be on both sides of the service cycle: maybe you are a tutor for someone who can't read, while last month the volunteer ambulance corps rushed you to the emergency room. Volunteering also includes "self-help." So if you are active in your neighborhood crime watch, your home is protected by other homeowners while you protect your neighbors' homes, too. Adding your effort to the work of others makes everyone's lives better. Think about how much you receive when you give and consider why you want to volunteer.