Volunteering in your community is a win-win situation. Not only do you help those less fortunate than you, but you also receive many benefits as well – both personal and professional.
Nothing gives you satisfaction like giving back to your community. Volunteering brings knowledge, experience and positivity to your life.
Check out these benefits for giving back to your community:
1. You’re reminded there’s a whole world outside of yourself. Giving back helps you de-focus from yourself and your own challenges while showing you the struggles and needs of others.
2. Being a part of something bigger than yourself is rewarding. We’re reminded of the impact we can make on others when we become a part of something bigger. Giving back to the community allows you those experiences.
3. Learn something new. Regardless of how you decide to help your community, it’s likely you’ll learn something you didn’t already know.
4. Strengthen your confidence. Because you’re helping others, you’ll feel more positive about yourself.
5. Gain work experience. Depending on the type of community work you do, you could learn something that will help you in your job or future work.
6. Make new business contacts. Getting out and giving back to your community will help you meet more people. Because each person has a network of their own, you never know how far your positive influence could travel – bringing you new prospects, clients, or even job offers.
7. Helping others is a wonderful thing to do. It does your heart, mind and soul good to reach out to help others.
8. Become known in the community. If you want more people to know and recognize you, helping others is a great public relations strategy.
9. Make new friends. Because you’ll encounter so many new people, you could meet people that you become friends with.
10. Strengthen your community. Volunteering contributes to your community by uplifting others in the community.
11. Know that you make a positive difference. Volunteering makes a difference to you, to the agency you volunteer for, and to your community.
12. We don’t operate in a vacuum. Living your best life involves making and maintaining connections with others. Giving back to your community develops a network of resources you’ll be able to access when you need them.
13. Add to your resume. Volunteering gives you marketable experiences and qualifications to include in your resume.
14. Volunteering is a real-life experience that can’t be had in the classroom. Some college instructors recommend “service learning” which is another term for “volunteering” or “giving back to your community.” Service learning provides a real-world experience to students that would be impossible to learn in the classroom.
15. View how others live. Seeing how others live their lives enhances your own life.
Giving back to your community is important for a number of reasons. By volunteering, you view a world outside of yourself, learn new things, develop positive feelings, gain job experience, and make new contacts. Plus, helping out in your community is a kind and wonderful thing to do.
You might become well-known, make new friends, strengthen your community, and even add a line to your resume when you volunteer.
When you give back, you’ll experience things in the real world that you can’t in the classroom and you’ll see how others live. For these reasons and more, make it a point to give back to your community. You’ll be inspired!