Volunteering as a family is a great way to spend time together and make a difference in your community! While you never need an excuse to volunteer together, this Saturday is Family Volunteering Day, so it’s a great time to volunteer as a family or start a new tradition of service!

If you’re looking to start a tradition of volunteering in your family, but aren’t sure where to begin we’ve got some great ideas to get you started.

Don’t rush into it! We know you’re excited, but taking a little bit of time together as a family to talk about where you want to volunteer and what you want to do goes a long way to making sure everyone has a great time and is excited to volunteer together again!

Look for the best fit. You and your family might be tempted to volunteer at the first opportunity that looks right for all of you, but look for a few opportunities that everyone can agree on. Your perfect project might not be the first one you find!

Start small. Think about volunteering at a one-time event for your first family volunteer event. It’s a great way to find out if volunteering with that organization is a good fit for your family. Participating in a few different one-time events gives your family the opportunity to learn what they like to do most when they volunteer.

Find out what’s expected. It’s a good idea to do a little bit of homework before your family’s first volunteer event. Ask the Volunteer Manager what the age requirements are for the project, what appropriate dress looks like, how to be safe, or any other questions you might have before volunteering. If the organization you’re volunteering with has an orientation program, try to make sure that everyone in your family can attend the orientation.

Plan for success! Make sure you’ve planned to arrive on time and know where the volunteer site is. Showing up on time lets you make sure that your family doesn’t miss any important information they might need to have a successful and fun volunteer experience.

Be like Axl Rose. All you need is a little patience (). Smaller children might have a harder time paying attention or staying on task. Be patient with them and praise their small successes!

Take time to reflect on your accomplishments. Taking the time to talk about what you did as a family after volunteering makes the experience more real. Take some time to talk about what you did, why you did it, how you felt and what you learned. It doesn’t have to be just on the drive home! Use this as an opportunity to add to the tradition. Have the conversation about volunteering as part of a special treat.

Share your experience! Share your volunteer experience with friends and family members and encourage them to join you the next time you volunteer as a family!

Are you looking for more tips for having a great time volunteering as a family? Check out generationOn’s resources for having an awesome experience volunteering as a family.

Do you volunteer with your family? Are you volunteering with your family for the first time this weekend? Tell us about it in the comments!

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