Why Give?

As a volunteer manager, I hear from many people who are interested in helping, and I have several conversations each week about volunteer opportunities and striking the balance in order that both volunteer and program are benefited from the service.

I guess the following argument and musings make it clear that I am not a development person and come from a very direct-service, program perspective...I believe in the idea that service, volunteering, and giving should be beneficial for the giver, volunteer, or server. I, just think, however, that the service or gift ought to be done in a way that does not expect or want; this is the way to true happiness, anyway, asking of no gratitude for work that is done. Going in with expectations of "feeling good" will ultimately hinder this feeling, and quite bluntly,  defeats the purpose of giving and serving. Many people have made the service all about them, when the only real goal of service is to benefit and support those individuals, charities, and others that need it most. 

One of my favorite quotes that I often find myself meditating on is one from Rabindranath Tagor, and goes, "I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I woke and saw that life was service. I acted, and behold, service was joy." 

So, yes, service is joy and people can certainly get a lot of perspective, purpose, and joy from giving to their community. It's just that what you're willing to give or do must be something this community wants or needs, otherwise, what's the point?  

What good is several thousand pounds of canned goods to an organization that is not a food pantry? How helpful are your grandmother's old clothes to people looking for jobs? I get queries all the time from people interested in volunteering in a specific way...for things we do not do. We need very specific types of volunteers, and it is a burden on staff to incorporate a person who wants to do a specific thing that is not currently done. Perhaps this thing isn't particularly useful to the clientele served. 

Another request I get all the time is for my organization to create large-group volunteer opportunities. People want to be able to help just once or twice a year! Why? So they can feel good about themselves! People expect that an organization ought to accommodate their schedules. We run our programs during the day, when many people with interest in volunteering are working; we ought to accommodate them, by creating opportunities to serve on the weekends and in the evenings. Creating projects that don't exist and changing working hours puts a large burden on staff and isn't actually beneficial to the people served via the program. These demands would be for the sole purpose of appeasing would-be volunteers. 

Now for the development perspective: yes, it is important to build a strong group of individuals who might be potential donors. If we engage them and they learn something about the population served or the issue at hand, they might become donors or at least  pass this knowledge on and the community will be better informed. 

Still, this is privilege-service to me. People want to have an activity once in awhile, or to say they did this or that for some person or some organization. It is a privilege to "other" and alienate these people that are served by going in to "learn" about them; it further divides people into two distinct groups. 

I encourage everyone during this holiday season to get out and volunteer! It's a great way to give back, support your community, and build relationships. I also encourage you to challenge your way of thinking. Why are you volunteering? Find out what it is that motivates you to this service. If it is self-serving, you will not get the same joy from it nor self-reflection. Serving must be for the sake of serving in order for anyone to be involved. Finally, ask organizations and charities what it is they need and be willing to do that. You might be surprised: organizations often most need someone to scrub some floors or help out with data entry. These aren't the glamorous or feel-good jobs that people often want when they go looking for service work, but these are truly the ways to give back and be humble. 

There are all types of service opportunities, and there are all types of people with unique skills and talents. Your specific skills and talents are needed some place. The best way to get involved is to ask what needs to be done, and to be humble enough to do it. Giving and service can provide real transformation in the life of a volunteer, and it is truly what life is all about. To do it right requires a certain amount of sacrifice. 

--Megan