How-To Make a Habit of Volunteering with a Full Agenda

We all know why volunteering is good for you and why you should do it. It's clear that no matter what your background is, how much or how little money you have, you can be a volunteer and make a difference in the lives of others as well as your own. That's all fine and well, but we live in a time where most of us work full time jobs (if not multiple jobs), we have full social calendars, kids and families to care for. In short, there's just no time between all these responsibilities on our agendas to volunteer on top of that and still have some time to do absolutely nothing (a much needed piece of our agendas for sanity).

So how do you fit it in and make it a continuing habit? Well, let's break it down.

Your Availability

First, start with figuring out when your spare time actually is. If you're like me and keep a hourly calendar, great; if you're not OCD though, just spend some time thinking about when you have free time you can spare. Even if it's only an hour or two once a month, find that time.

Your Passions

Everyone has those few things they're really passionate about. Five of some of the most popular causes I've noticed include:

1. Animals 
2. Homeless/Hunger 
3. Veterans/Seniors 
4. Human Rights 
5. Youth/Teen Outreach 

There are several other causes, but this is a great start. Write out five causes, working from this list or five completely different causes, that you care about. Maybe you or someone you know has been a victim of domestic abuse or rape, or perhaps you really love the arts and want to keep the world cultured. Get to brainstorming. (And if you have more than five, list everything.) When you're finished, rank them starting what's most important to you.

The Organization

Now that you have your list, start with your number one ranked cause and now we get to do some research. If your interests are more obvious (ex. wanting to work with animals could mean volunteering at your local Humane Society), then your work here is easy. Simply find the closest organization to you that fits in the area you want to give your time to. If, however, your cause is more abstract (ex. Arts & Culture, or Human Rights), that may be a little harder to just think of the perfect place. So with that being said, here are some great volunteer sites where you can search based on your interests to find organizations, and often specific volunteer jobs available: 

1. Idealist 
2. Volunteer Match 
3. News Press 

Making the Connection

This can go one of two ways. The first and easiest is you found a specific volunteer job on one of these sites and you send in your interest. If that is the case, I still recommend reaching out to the organization personally either by a phone call or going to their location. As an employee of a nonprofit organization, I can tell you that we get insanely busy and a request to volunteer (while desperately needed) can often slip through the cracks or be forgotten about for a week or three. It doesn't mean at all that we don't want your help, it just means we're preoccupied. When you call or go in, tell them exactly how often you can help; if your availability doesn't meet what they need be sure to ask if they do any events after regular hours. If it's still a no, ask if you could help host an event for free based on your expertise or put on a fundraiser. For example, the organization I work at is a Family Resource Center and we're always looking for skilled people to teach classes ranging from Early Education to English as a Second Language. If, in a perfect world, they don't need any volunteers and don't want you to raise money for them, then move on to another organization. And if you've run through all the organizations in your number one cause, move onto number two and repeat the process (though I doubt you'll have to).

Keep it going

Finally you've found the perfect volunteer opportunity that fits your schedule and they love your help (because who wouldn't, you're amazing). Now all you have to do is keep volunteering - because, as we know, the more often you help others, the better you feel about yourself. The easiest way I've found to become a recurring volunteer is to treat it like a job, you don't make money, but you get paid in an uplifting experience, so treat it like it matters as much as your paying job. Still having trouble making it a habit? Try recruiting a friend or family member to volunteer with you to keep you accountable. Maybe you can let down these strangers at this new organization, but can you let down a loved one?

And remember, every little bit helps. Whether you can volunteer multiple days a week or only an hour every month or two, you're still making a difference in your community and that's amazing. Thank you.