You may not think you have time to volunteer. After all, you have a family, career and other responsibilities. In fact, everyone has time to volunteer. Even as little as one hour a month can make a difference in the lives of others.
Volunteering can also benefit you in more ways than you can imagine. It's true: volunteering your time can help you achieve your lifelong goals, all while helping improve the quality of life for others.
Professional Networking
It's difficult to meet new people, especially if you work full-time. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to meet people with similar interests and goals, while helping others in the process.
Meeting new people gives you the opportunity to make new social and professional contacts. You never know whom you might meet while volunteering. It could be a person who has the ability to hire you for your dream job.
Develops Skills
Volunteering allows you to donate your time in any area you want: everything from manual labor to graphic design. This almost unlimited potential gives you the ability to focus and improve on a skill you don't have the opportunity to pursue in your current professional life.
For instance, if you want to improve your writing skills, you can volunteer to write newsletters for a local non-profit organization. Or, if you want to learn construct buildings, volunteer your time with an organization that teaches you the skills you need to do it successfully. Over time, your work will help others while you enhance your own marketable skills.
Leadership
Volunteering puts you in the company of other intelligent and forward-thinking people who are interested in improving the quality of life in your community. Over time, you'll learn various leadership traits from the people you meet volunteering.
Also, volunteering with a group gives you the opportunity to lead others without assuming a typical managerial role. This lets you enhance your leadership skills through strategic work with fellow volunteers. You're left with tangible skills that you can use for professional growth.
More Visibility
Successful people in your community volunteer their time because, like you, they understand the importance of helping others. Volunteering gives you the chance to be noticed by those successful people. You never know when they may be looking to fill a position within their company, and if they know you through volunteering, it's possible you'll have a leg up on competing professionals who don't volunteer.
