The Benefits of Volunteering

Apr 15

Volunteering is a remarkable way to contribute to your community, fostering strength and unity. Not only does it create a positive impact, but it also offers significant personal benefits. By donating your time and skills, you can develop new abilities, expand your network, and find fulfillment. You can learn event organization, teamwork, and effective communication, all while meeting new people who can offer valuable connections. Most importantly, the sense of satisfaction derived from seeing your direct impact, such as a child's smile at a charity event or an improved local park, is immeasurable.

In this blog, we'll explore the many ways that volunteering can enrich your life. From boosting your mental health to enhancing your resume, the act of service yields remarkable returns. We also have a conversation with HENSLEE Co-Founder Lee Turner, who shares a bit about his own experience with volunteerism, and his position as a board member for the non-profit Project Helping!

Benefits of Volunteering

Whether you're looking to develop new abilities, expand your network, or simply find more meaning in your life, volunteering offers enriching opportunities. By contributing your talents to a worthy cause, you can unlock personal growth, professional advancement, and a deepened sense of purpose. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits that volunteerism can bring.

An Enriched Sense of Purpose

Volunteerism fosters an enriched sense of purpose by providing the opportunity to make a tangible, positive impact in the community, leading to a heightened awareness of one's ability to effect meaningful change.
According to a [survey conducted by NCVO](https://www.ncvo.org.uk/news-and-insights/news-index/time-well-spent-national-survey-volunteer-experience/volunteer-impacts/#:~:text=Almost nine in ten volunteers,their mental health and wellbeing.), most volunteers (90%) believe that their volunteering efforts make a difference, with the majority feeling they impact an individual's life (47%) or a specific societal group or issue (44%).**
By volunteering your time and skills, you are able to make a direct, meaningful impact on your community, fostering positive change and contributing to the overall betterment of your local environment.

Building Community and Making Connections

From the same [survey conducted by NCVO](https://www.ncvo.org.uk/news-and-insights/news-index/time-well-spent-national-survey-volunteer-experience/volunteer-impacts/#:~:text=Almost nine in ten volunteers,their mental health and wellbeing.), we see that many individuals experience social advantages from their volunteer work. Almost 90% of volunteers report meeting new individuals through their efforts. It's most notable among young people aged 18-24 and 25-34, with 77% and 76% respectively, stating that their volunteer work helped to reduce feelings of isolation.**
Volunteering provides opportunities to meet and connect with people from diverse backgrounds, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.
Regular participation in community service can lead to long-term relationships, expanding your personal and professional network.
Collaborating with others towards a common goal in a volunteering scenario enhances team building and communication skills, often leading to stronger community bonds.

Improved Health

Volunteering plays a profound role in improving both mental and physical health. This can be attributed to the increased social interaction, sense of purpose, and achievement that volunteering often brings.
From the same [survey conducted by NCVO](https://www.ncvo.org.uk/news-and-insights/news-index/time-well-spent-national-survey-volunteer-experience/volunteer-impacts/#:~:text=Almost nine in ten volunteers,their mental health and wellbeing.), we see that more than 75% of volunteers observed that their mental health and wellbeing improved due to their participation in volunteer work, a benefit that was reported more frequently than physical health improvements (at 53%).**
According to data found from Project Helping, 94**%** of people who volunteer say that volunteering improves their mood.*
From the same data source, we found that 76% of people who volunteer say that volunteering has made them feel healthier, and 80% of people who volunteer say they feel they have control over their mental health and depression. *

Career and Personal Growth

According to data found by Project Helping, 56% of new volunteers felt that volunteering would help their career.
Volunteering offers the chance to develop new skills and refine existing ones, often in real-world scenarios that can't be replicated in a typical work environment.
It provides the opportunity to explore different fields and industries, which can inform career choices and transitions.
Volunteering can serve as an impressive addition to your resume, demonstrating initiative, commitment, and the practical application of your skills.
It expands your professional network, providing opportunities to meet industry professionals and like-minded individuals who can offer career guidance and job opportunities.
Volunteering can also provide leadership opportunities, allowing you to gain experience in managing teams and projects.

A Conversation with Lee Turner

Now that we know the benefits that come from volunteering, we’re thrilled to hear from Lee Turner, who shared his personal experience and history with volunteerism, and a little more about his position on the Board of Directors at Project Helping.

What inspired you to start volunteering, and how has your motivation evolved over time?
You could say I was born into it really. My mom worked for the Girl Scouts the entirety of her adult career. My brother and I started attending events and volunteer opportunities with her from a very young age. From there, we joined the Cub Scouts and participated in even more volunteer and service based projects before moving into the Boy Scouts. It was a natural progression to continue this service mentality throughout my upbringing and into my career.
Over time, this call to service evolved to be an extension of my chosen professions - People Operations. When I first transitioned to POps it was because I was so passionate about helping others. Whether that’s creating inclusive workplace cultures or helping managers navigate the complexities of difficult conversations, I approach these with a servant leadership mindset. I ask myself, “How can I help empower and enable someone else?”
Can you describe a particularly challenging or rewarding volunteer experience you've had?
I worked in Operations for a non-profit with a mission to “end and prevent homelessness through compassion, accountability and results.” One of my responsibilities was helping to author the quarterly newsletter where I was able to interview our clients and tell their stories. The process of getting to know them on such a connected, human level was incredibly rewarding, and also very challenging. As an empath I felt the pain, frustration, and sadness of their stories. I also felt the joy, gratitude, and fortitude that they experienced. What always stood out to me was these are individuals who want more for their lives, just like the rest of us, but are often overlooked and misunderstood.
I’ll always remember how every Friday we gathered in the common area with staff, clients, and volunteers. We shared announcements, celebrated our wins, and served meals. And, every Friday I felt both challenged and rewarded by these experiences.
What have you learned about yourself and your community through volunteering?
Through volunteering I have learned grace and compassion, both for myself and for others. I’ve learned how to be more patient, to listen more and talk less. I’ve learned how connected we are all and that we have the same basic needs. I’ve learned I’m not alone in my thoughts and emotions. And, that millions of other people around the world are experiencing loss, joy, grief, stress, and love today. Volunteering helps change the “me” perspective to “we” and creates a much larger community that we sometimes forget we are a part of. I believe we have a duty to nurture these communities, to share the extras that we have, and to help remind folks that we are all equally important.
How does Project Helping align with your personal philosophy with volunteering and how did you connect with them?
What first drew me to Project Helping was the intentional connection between mental health and volunteerism. Justin Kruger’s unflinching commitment to telling the story of his own mental health journey really hit home for me. The benefits of volunteerism are well documented and when we talked about the significant impact this type of service has on one’s mental health it all clicked. I knew that I felt better from acts of service but didn’t quite realize the “why” behind it.
I got into HR/People Ops with one mission: to help others. I knew first-hand how a culture of belonging and support could impact an employee. I wanted to help others experience that on a larger scale. It took so long for me to be comfortable enough to share my truths about anxiety and depression but once I did my world opened up. I’ve worked hard to normalize those feelings with my coworkers and clients. It’s only then that we can have honest dialogue and affect change. Project Helping is a natural extension of my mission to help others. We’re able to provide opportunities to easily volunteer (even from the comfort of your own home!) the countless benefits that come from volunteering, and the platform for people to tell their stories.

Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to explore the rewards of volunteering. It enriches the sense of purpose, builds community and connections, improves health, and fosters personal and career growth. Our co-founder, Lee Turner, exemplifies these benefits through his own volunteerism journey. Remember, whether you're starting a new volunteer venture or continuing an existing one, the rewards are as profound for you as they are for those you are helping. So, go out there, contribute, and lead with heart.