Today’s guest post comes from Sally Hallingstad and is republished from the Points of Light blog. Sally is Director of Events & Marketing at Metro Volunteers, a HandsOn Volunteer Action Center in Denver.  Through generationOn’s What Will You Bring to the Table? initiative, Sally and her team are engaging youth in taking action against child hunger. Today, Sally offers four ways adults can support youth in tackling hunger through hands-on volunteer projects.

1. Create Partnerships.
   Often-times, in a youth/adult relationship there is an unspoken rule that the adults make all the decisions of where to go, what to do, etc. Many times, this is needed in order to be productive and efficient; however, in order for a youth to find his/her passion for community, adults need to learn to let go of the dictatorship and allow them the option to explore different ideas and ways to make our world a better place. Brainstorming is a great opportunity to let the youth have their voice while allowing the adult to show support while implementing a certain amount of guidance.
2. Create Awareness.
   Child hunger is a prominent, global topic that is relayed with television ads and billboard campaigns raising funds for children in developing countries. What many youth don’t realize is how close to home hunger really is. Take the time to research facts about child hunger in your community; this ultimately will make it a more “real” issue to them if they understand that child hunger is local and could easily be affecting someone they know.
3. Create Action.
   There are a number of hunger-focused organizations across our nation that do an amazing job of engaging volunteers in their mission. Because of them, volunteerism can come in many forms, whether it’s giving time to a food pantry, serving a meal at a soup kitchen or participating in a national campaign like What Will You Bring to the Table? By encouraging youth to give their time to a cause, adults are helping them understand that no matter how old they are or how much time/money they have they are able to fight hunger in their own way.
4. Create Voices.
   The most powerful tool an individual has is their voice. Encourage youth to talk about their experiences to their families and classmates. The more people that become aware of the needs in their community, the greater chance we have of engaging people in the fight against child hunger.

Through April 30, you can engage youth in tackling child hunger through generationOn’s What Will You Bring to the Table?  Through hands-on projects, food drives and advocacy, 1 million meals will be generated for children who are hungry.  Click here for GenerationOn’s age-appropriate resources to educate youth about hunger and guide them in taking action through easy-to-implement projects.

Today’s post comes from Chelsea Martin at Volunteer Centers of Michigan.

It was going to be a regional meeting in Atlanta during the month of October… but hurricane Sandy hand other plans.  So come February, I headed to Los Angeles for the regional affiliate meeting. I’d spent the previous few months on calls with other network members and HandsOn (HON) staff thinking about the meeting content and how to make it a useful gathering. The planning calls gave network members the chance to give input on what was important to discuss when convening and how it could be structured. Repeatedly, those on the call said networking time with other Volunteer Centers was critical- having the opportunity to listen and share was a big reason why members attend the regional meetings. Turns out those individuals were right.

Attending the meeting was a great opportunity to represent the Volunteer Centers of Michigan network and talk about all the great work going on in our communities throughout the state of Michigan.  Even better, I got to hear about the amazing programs, innovative organizational structures, and implementation of new initiatives in other Volunteer Centers around the country. Network members wanted to hear about our work in Michigan and I was excited to hear about their role in the community.

During the sessions and networking time, it became clear there are more than a few inspiring things happening and network members are truly facilitating change in local communities. Among all of the sharing of ideas there was a common theme of change for Volunteer Centers. Change in the funding climate. Change in leadership. Change in how community members want to be engaged. Through all the talk of programming, sustainability, and transition at the gathering, three topics really stood out to me:

1.      Innovation takes time and capacity.

HON supports a cohort of Volunteer Centers who serve as innovation hubs (ihub).  Each ihub focuses on finding different ways to use volunteers to tackle community challenges.  At the gathering we got an update about ihubs and the work they are doing. The idea of giving a Volunteer Center the time, community, and a little capacity to think creatively about developing projects and programs is exciting. These incubator centers are trying out ideas to strengthen not only their center but so that those new programs can be adopted or adapted by other centers across the country.

I think the ihub model is a unique way to help move the network forward. It helped me to think about how this same model (on a smaller scale) could be used by a local center to help develop innovative programs or strategies for meeting their community’s critical needs. It is important to take the time to develop a space to think deeply and differently about Volunteer Center programming to help keep up with the changing world.

2.      Creative programs help engage more volunteers.

The affiliate gathering offered the venue to discuss the different programming currently taking place at centers. It was interesting to hear about the different strategies being used to engage more volunteers. Centers continue to be creative with their programs in an attempt to grow a volunteer base and keep those volunteers engaged. Not all the ideas are new but some are new to a particular Volunteer Center.

A couple very cool ideas stuck with me after I returned from the meeting. In communities with a lot of newcomers, the idea of using volunteering as a way to get to know the city has proven successful. In cities where people have short amounts of time to give micro-volunteering has been a way to tap new volunteers. There is also an incredible movement to partner with local companies to utilize their employees as both skilled volunteers and to give their time as a group on a specific project.  While this idea is not new it seems to be gaining traction in more communities and with more companies. Partnering with companies is a way to leverage volunteers and has developed into a revenue stream for Volunteer Centers.

 3

• .      Have your ID. Have equipment that works. Engage all sectors.

Karen Baker, California’s Secretary for Service and Volunteering, joined the gathering and gave an engaging key note that had most of us in the audience laughing and nodding in agreement. She emphasized the need for Volunteer Centers to have a clear brand and to invest in the organization’s reputation. It is critical for people to know who a Volunteer Center is and what it means to the community. Baker told the group that Volunteer Centers need to have the right equipment in order to succeed. She explained that the right equipment includes having a supportive board and the right staff to deliver on the organization’s reputation. Lastly, Baker highlighted the importance of engaging all sectors including public organizations like government, private business, and individuals. Engagement of all sectors helps stabilize an organization by diversifying the type of supporters and positions the Volunteer Center to be a leader in the community.

Participating on the planning team calls and making the trip to the gathering was an excellent experience and offered context to the work being lead by Volunteer Centers around the country. The mix of causal networking, structured sessions, and inspiring speakers lends itself to an increased appreciation of the network’s efforts and helped me consider how to move the work forward in Michigan.

What does the future hold for volunteering?

Longer working lives, economic uncertainty, combined with an easier way to find out about volunteering opportunities means that the face of volunteering could change in the future.

Since the economic downturn hit both the US and the UK economies in 2007/8, the rate of volunteering has declined on both sides of the Atlantic.

Statistics show that the rate of volunteering declined by 0.3 per cent to 26% for the year ending September 2012 in the US. Official stats from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show that about 64.5 million people volunteered at least once between September 2011 and September 2012. Despite the decline, it is still 1 in 4 of the population that volunteers.

Women continue to be more active volunteers than men. This is the case regardless of age, education or other demographic characteristics.

 

In terms of age it is those aged between 35 and 44 that are more likely to volunteer; here it accounts to nearly 1 in 3 *33.6%). The younger 20- 24 year old generation are the least likely to volunteer (18.9%). Those aged 16- 19 had a volunteer rate of 27.4%.

Interestingly when it comes to education, those volunteers aged 25 and over are likely to be college graduates. In fact, 42.2% of them are likely to be graduates compared to just 8.8% that have a high school diploma.

How does the US volunteer sector compare to the UK?

The results do throw up some interesting comparisons with the UK.

In the UK too, volunteering rates have declined slightly in recent years too. But that figure is still close to 25% of the population volunteering. Volunteering adds close to £21.5billion to the UK economy.

Interestingly too, while the numbers may be falling slightly in terms of overall volunteer levels in both the US and the UK, the level of interest in volunteering is actually growing. Of course, there are plenty of ways to volunteer in 2013 and the internet means there is no excuse for reviewing your options thoroughly.

Economic Uncertainty and Volunteering

There is more unemployment, particularly among younger generations. People are interested in using their time more carefully and productively. Young people who cannot find a job are keen to gain new skills; they see volunteering as a good way to do this. While older workers, perhaps with free time on their hands for the first time since leaving full time education, take up volunteering when they are in between jobs. They are keen to give something back.

Could this be the future for volunteering?

Many people struggle with long term volunteering commitments these days, with work and family pressure often seeming to take up all of our time. Of course, for those who find the time, the benefits of this type of volunteering are enormous.

But demand for short term volunteering options could see an increased rise in one-off activities or for short term ‘micro-volunteering’ reasons.

As people live longer on both sides of the Atlantic and more and more of us are likely to take career breaks and ‘time outs’ over the course of our lives, there is a real opportunity here for volunteering to grow into something that is part and parcel of society; part of the ‘rituals’ and milestones of our lives.

Today, when a busy executive takes a year out to volunteer we view it as very worthy, but a bit out of the ordinary. Admit it; we do a bit, don’t we?

It’s how many students who took a gap year to go travelling were viewed in the 1950s and 1960s, but now it’s considered normal. Imagine if volunteering became that normal?

Volunteering as Part of Our Lives

Something that all of us did at regular intervals throughout our lives – committing ourselves to volunteer for a matter of months or even years. With all of us having to work longer into old age we need to realise that we are going to be at work for the long haul – so why not pull over and give something back, while enriching your own and other people’s lives in the process.

It’s something I’m considering doing next year perhaps. In the US I would certainly think about joining the Hands on Network as I like the ethos of the organisation (plus the informative blog!); it is similar to volunteering with the Army Cadets in the UK in that they look to inspire people to develop within themselves and instills the qualities needed to be a good citizen. I have read quite a lot of inspiring stories about the ACF, largely the significant increase in developing a selfless and productive way of life. If that’s not worth a bit of my time, I’m not sure what is! I’ll review my options this year, so please let me know what you think?

Dale Lovell is a journalist and blogger from the UK, who has spent considerable time in the US in the past. A former editor he now specialises in writing about future trends, publishing and volunteerism.

 

Today’s post comes from Deva-Dee Siliee, Co-founder Curaçao Cares

Curaçao Cares is the first of its kind volunteer and project management organization in Curaçao, a Dutch-Caribbean island. Curaçao is well known for its beautiful capital Willemstad that is on the UNESCO Heritage List, for its beaches, and of course for its blue liqueur. The island received country status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010 after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, meaning that Curaçaoans would still keep a Dutch nationality, but that we would have autonomy over our internal affairs. After a transition period with many constitutional changes, we are now trying to stand on our own feet and build a nation in the face of great challenges; a dire financial situation, a dormant economy, poverty and school drop-out rates that are concerning, continuous brain-drain as a result of emigration, and perhaps most unfortunately, a lack of social cohesion.

The decision to found Curaçao Cares concretely took shape in the summer of 2011, when I was sitting around the coffee table with Lysayé de Windt and family members that were visiting New York, talking about Curaçao and about what we as individuals could do to contribute to the sustainable development of our beloved island. Lysayé and I reflected on the fact that as young adults privileged enough to have traveled and lived in different countries, we were so much more active in making other communities a better place to live in than our own.

I had just graduated Columbia University with a degree in Political Science and Human Rights. Though at a young age I had spent time volunteering to teach dance at my high school in Curaçao as well as in different foster homes, my real dedication to volunteering started while living in NY. I volunteered at New York Cares Days, spent some Saturdays instructing conflict resolution to elementary students in New York City public schools, and organizing seminars for High school students from underprivileged areas to raise awareness on public and international affairs. I also volunteered in Tanzania in 2008 and had a transformative experience teaching male juvenile detainees.

Lysayé also grew up attending and volunteering at Rotary and Inner Wheel events with her family, as her parents were both part of these organizations. In 2005, she had a life-changing experience studying abroad with the Semester at Sea program, visiting 10 countries, among others: Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan. While abroad, she volunteered in the many countries with numerous local NGOs. Though her experiences in each country were relatively short, she observed the importance of the organizations and the positive impact they had on the local communities. After a few years working in the financial sector in New York and Amsterdam, she pursued her dream and established her own photography/visual communication and concept development company in Curaçao.

On that faithful afternoon we established that many people that would want to flexibly give their time, talent and skills in Curaçao, might also be asking how and where they can get more involved, but like us encountered that this information is hard to come by. We had witnessed how New York Cares had made community service accessible to millions of people from all walks of life in New York. “We must find a way to make this happen on an island of 150.000 people”, we thought. There is a lot of human capital and goodwill that is underutilized because there is no platform that can bridge the gap and manage connections.

As a new HandsOn affiliate, our mission is aligned with that of the network; to inspire and mobilize individuals to seek active citizenship through flexible engagement in meaningful service projects, and to create and manage flexible but sustainable volunteer projects in partnership with individuals, corporations, and non-profit/social organizations. Through volunteerism, we hope to foster understanding and facilitate crucial exchanges between citizens, in order to elevate the quality of life on the island and create a greater sense of community.

Curaçao Cares was officially established in October 2012, so it is still in a cocoon, but we are making strides. In this start-up phase, we are focusing on reaching out to community partners to understand their needs and the possibilities. On the other hand, we are working on building partnerships with corporate partners to create and implement corporate volunteer projects as part of a comprehensive CSR policy. Starting with the corporate community is important to see us through financially, since there are not many other ways to get subsidy. We are happy to announce that we already confirmed a three-year founding partnership with three large companies! For a fourth company, we are already working on an exciting photography project with a local special needs school.

We want to thank Points of Light and the HandsOn Network for their support and the wealth of knowledge that we have already received. We look forward to sharing our story and contributing to the growth of the network.

 

 

Why do you volunteer? Many volunteer for selfless reasons, but service can do so much good for the volunteer too! Consider volunteering more often to help others in your communities, social circles, and life, not only for all the wonderful benefits that come from spreading kindness, but also for the great benefits that people experience when they help others.

Research, observation, and possibly even your own experiences agree that helping others, altruism and finding meaning in life all have their hand in stress management. While donating your time or unneeded possessions doesn’t always solve your problems or ameliorate your stressors, acts of kindness and volunteer work can provide the following positive effects:

• A good feeling about oneself. Having a positive sense of self can actually help you feel less reactive to stress, and bring more enjoyment to all of your activities.
• A feeling of connection to others. Having a sense of community, a supportive circle of friends and other forms of social support can increase your resilience as well as your longevity and quality of life.
• A sense of meaning and greater purpose in one’s life. Having a greater sense of meaning can help stressors seem more manageable, feel less threatening and be less likely to trigger your stress response.
• Perspective about one’s stressors–others may have greater problems. Having a change of perspective can help your stressors seem much smaller to you, and may help you realize that you have more control in life and more options than you realized.
• A reminder to feel gratitude. When you’re feeling more gratitude about what you do have, your whole life feels better, and those things that you lack seem less important, less stressful.
• An opportunity to use one’s own unique gifts. Especially if you’re battling burnout or in a job that doesn’t thrill you, it’s important to have outside activities that ‘feed your soul’, that challenge you in ways that make you feel alive. Often, volunteer opportunities can provide that, while you provide others with gifts that they can really use as well.
• Something to think about other than one’s stress! Distraction can be a beautiful thing, and distraction from stress can give your body a chance to recover from chronic stress and feel healthy and calm again.

All of these effects can help with stress management, and are reasons to continue to volunteer throughout the year! Consider starting with small things that will still make a big difference to someone in need; do to what you can, rather than thinking that you’re too busy to make a real difference! Are you a regular volunteer, or do you plan to do something to help others this weekend? Share your good deeds in the comments below.

Valentine’s Day is a week away, and while you may be thinking, “Why would I actually want to celebrate this day it is just another excuse to spend money?” this year you can get a little more out of your presents than just making your sweetheart swoon over your gift.

Why not choose a Valentine’s gift that gives back instead of just gives for a couple days. Whether it is fair-trade chocolate, flowers that fight causes, or a teddy bear for charity you are sure to make an impression with these gifts!

1. Flowers are always a good choice when it comes to your Valentine. How about choosing flowers that not only look gorgeous on her work desk or dinner table, but also give back to her favorite charity. Companies such as organicbouquet.com do just that! You have the choice of choosing from a bouquet of flowers in their Flowers for Good program. You can choose flowers that will give back to organizations such as the American Lung Association, Women For Women, Amnesty International, or PETA. Your sweetheart is sure to be impressed with this gift from the heart!
2. Looking to put your honey’s feet in style, why not try TOMS shoes? For every pair of shoes that you purchase, another pair is given to a child in need. This is great way to not only bring a smile to your significant other’s face, but also give a smile to a child in need!
3. Does your lover have a sweet tooth? Fair-trade chocolate is the perfect gift to satisfy a sweet tooth! Companies such as TCHO Chocolates and Divine Chocolate donate a portion of their proceeds to support fair-trade or practice fair-trade.
4. Is your Valentine not much of a chocolate fanatic? Cookies are always a great gift for any holiday! Cookies for Kid’s Cancer not only taste great they also donate 100 percent of profits to fund pediatric cancer research!
5. Looking for date ideas? Volunteer together for your favorite cause. It is a great way to spend time together on something that you are both passionate about.
6. Give cookies or valentines cards to those in need. You can make cookies for your local retirement home, make valentines cards for a homeless shelter, or visit a hospital and make someone’s day a little brighter.
7. Perform a small act of kindness for someone in your neighborhood, work, or a complete stranger. Whether you are shoveling someone’s driveway or mowing his or her lawn. You can truly show someone the power of love just through a simple act of kindness.

This Valentine’s Day do more to spread the love. You are sure to impress that special someone, while you also spread the love to someone who may need it more with these simple Valentines tips.

We hope these suggestions get you out of the Valentines Day rut and help you celebrate the power of love. Have a happy Valentines Day and please share with us how you are celebrating, we would love to hear about it!

 

1. Look for a big audience.

If you can, schedule a volunteer orientation for a large group of new volunteers.  A larger group gives you a better chance of being able to connect with someone.  If you find yourself starting to get nervous focus on a person you’ve connected with, it will help you to get back on track and not feel as nervous.

2. Take all the words off your slides.

If you need to make sure that your volunteers are paying attention to what you’ll be saying, take all of the words off of your slides.  This way, no one will be reading ahead of what you’ll be saying.  Make sure to use pictures that relate to what you’re talking about, though.

3. Don’t give print outs of your slides.

Giving out a printout of your slides before your presentation gives your new volunteers something to pay attention to other than you and the orientation.  If you want the volunteers to have the information you’ll be talking about, give it to them after the orientation.

4. Show up early to figure out the lay of the land.

This may sound a bit silly, especially if you’ll be giving your orientation at the place you work.  You probably know the lay of the land there fairly well.

It’s not just about being familiar with the room, but being able to set up a room in a way that works best for you.  Don’t like where a desk is?  Move it.  Don’t like how much light is in the room?  See if you can change it.

Showing up early gives you time to set up your presentation before your new volunteers arrive.  This way you can get things started right away instead of keeping your new volunteers waiting while you set up.

5. Encourage your audience to ask a lot of questions.

Make sure to leave open time during your orientation for the new volunteers to ask questions.  Not only does this give the volunteers an opportunity to ask their question while it’s still fresh in their head, but it gives you a break from talking and moves the attention to the volunteers.  A few moments of not talking reminds you to breathe and gives you an opportunity to get a drink of water or mentally rearrange your orientation.

6. Have fun with mistakes.

No matter how well rehearsed and planned your orientation is, something is going to go wrong.  Don’t dwell on what’s not going right.  Have fun with what’s not working instead of letting it turn into a crisis.

Lets not kid ourselves.  Standing up in front of a group of people and talking is hard.  Try not to let it intimidate you.  Remember that you know what you’re going to be talking about.  Don’t forget to have fun, either!

How do you prepare for new volunteer orientations?  What have you done that works really well?  What have you found that doesn’t work?

Did you make a resolution to volunteer more, but don’t know what you can do? How can you ever fit more projects into your already hectic schedule?

We have a great list for you to make your resolution into a reality! Whether you are a busy person or you have some time on your hands, volunteering can always happen in various ways!

1.  Go to your local animal shelter and donate a bag of dog or cat food
2. Donate your unused books to your local Salvation Army, thrift store, library, or school
3. Volunteer to read to children at your local library
4. Clean up your neighborhood park
5. Plant a tree
6. Make the decision to bike to work or take transit instead of driving to work
7. Donate winter clothing to your local homeless shelter
8. Bake cookies and bring them to your local police shelter or fire department
9. Spend a Saturday helping out at your local soup kitchen or food bank
10. Hang out or read to a senior citizen at a retirement home
11. Decorate a local school or retirement center
12. Help someone who is sick or homebound with their grocery shopping
13. Donate to your local charity
14. Help out with the kids at a woman’s center so that moms can go shopping or look for a job
15. Recycle your trash
16. Help out with building a home at a Habitat for Humanity event
17. Assist with an English language class
18. Donate hygiene products to your local shelter or retirement home
19. Plant a community garden in your neighborhood

No matter what you choose, any form of service benefits those in your community. If you have made volunteering your resolution for 2012, do not get discouraged your project can be big or small; anything that will benefit your community is service to your neighbors. Don’t forget, you can find a great volunteer opportunity with any of our HandsOn Network affiliates!

We hope that these tips help make your decision to serve easier to accomplish. How are you serving this year? Share your comments and insights with us in the comment box; we would love to hear them!

 

 

 

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club claims that Phil’s prediction is correct one-hundred percent of the time. However, spoilsport scientists say he’s no more accurate than your local weatherman: An analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that, from 1988 to 2010, there was no correlation between the groundhog’s prediction and the weather for the rest of the season.

Regardless of Phil the Groundhog’s accuracy, there are important lessons to be learned from Groundhog Day for the field of volunteer management. Read on for Phil’s lessons!

Have patience Winter can often seem endless, especially in the usually cold days of January! Every year we must exercise patience, waiting for the groundhog’s revelation, and even more so when Phil predicts six more weeks of winter! In your service and volunteer management, patience is just as important of a virtue. When you encounter red tape, when funding is at risk, or even when you just can’t seem to find a volunteer position that suits your skill set, patience is key. Let Punxsutawney Phil’s hibernation be your inspiration for peace and patience this winter!

Keep an eye out for industry predictions As in any evolving industry, it is important to keep an eye out for new trends and best practices in the field of volunteer management. Just as Punxsutawney Phil prognosticates future weather conditions, movers and shakers predict nonprofit and volunteer trends for the year based on the past year. Keep an eye on blogs for this information to stay ahead of the curve; congratulations, you’re in just the right place!

Take risks When we put our collective trust in a rodent’s notice of his shadow each year to determine the season, we take quite a risk! Don’t be afraid to take risks in your field, especially as the new year is the perfect time to implement the new trends you’ve discovered.

Embrace silliness Its easy to get bogged down in the administrative burden and various minutiae of volunteer organization and begin to see it as a burden. If nothing else, Groundhog Day teaches us not to take ourselves too seriously and to embrace a little silliness. Why not send Groundhog Day cards to your volunteers? A little fun will fit into nearly any setting, and your volunteers are more likely to remember your organization fondly if you show your goofball side!

Don’t drive angry! This may be the most important lesson Phil teaches us this year. Keep a cool head!

Did you watch Phil’s prognostication? How will you apply these tips to your service? Let us know in the comments below!

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You survived January 2013, now what? Did you make that New Years resolution stick through the chilling January temperatures? 

Let’s not get discouraged, let’s get out and volunteer to keep that New Years resolution throughout the whole year! Statistics show that after the first month of trying to stick to a New Years resolution only 64% of people who set them will actually stick to them.

If you resolved to help others and your community in 2013, you do not need to be another statistic in this continuous cycle of failed resolutions. Helping others does not need to be a complete life change or turning away from a bad habit. It is just a positive addition to your life that will benefit you in so many ways (hey maybe with the positive feeling you get from volunteering you will be able to move to new goals like losing weight)

So why do people find it so hard to stick to resolutions such as volunteering?

1. Many people believe that they do not have enough time to volunteer during their hectic schedule. Come on we have heard this excuse so many times, why do you think people don’t exercise?
2. Some people do not know where to volunteer their time or what organizations need volunteers.
3. Volunteers get intimidated by the many options available in the nonprofit world. There are a ton of action areas it can be difficult to choose just one!
4. Some people do not see problems in their community, so they do not believe that their community needs volunteers.
5. Others will get distracted by various plans. It can be difficult to volunteer on the weekends especially when you work all week.

Do these excuses sound like similar phrases that have come out of your mouth this past month? Well, it is good you are looking at today’s post. Let’s find solutions to these excuses. You do not have to be super volunteer to help your community. Make baby steps. No one completes their resolutions over night; if we did losing weight would be number one on our lists!

Excuse #1: You may be extremely busy, and volunteering just does not have a place on your schedule. Okay, so you can’t go out on a Saturday morning and volunteer physically to a soup kitchen or volunteer for a Habitat for Humanity build. But you can…

• Donate canned goods to a food bank or soup kitchen
• Donate gently used clothes or appliances to a shelter or donation center
• Make decorations for a retirement home or hospital
• Conserve water and energy
• Recycle
• Save your change and donate it to your favorite cause or charity

Excuse #2: There are so many charities and nonprofits in every city; it can become overwhelming when you are searching for a volunteer opportunity. There are many organizations that can help you find a volunteer opportunity that will guide you to the perfect match! Check out:

• HandsOn Network
• Volunteermatch
• Serve.gov
• 1-800-volunteer.org

Excuse #3: Yes, we know there is an overwhelming amount of volunteering opportunities available. To make your volunteering choice less intimidating pick out something that you are truly interested in, so that you will want to continuously do it. Who wants to keep up with something they do not enjoy. Volunteering opportunities fall into a majority of these categories:

• Animals
• Elderly
• Military
• Youth
• Environment
• Disaster relief
• Homelessness
• Poverty
• Women

Excuse #4: It is sometimes difficult to observe your community’s needs on a daily basis. The truth is every community needs and relies on volunteer work. Your contribution no matter how big or small will make a huge difference to your community and its members. Never believe that volunteering in your community will go unnoticed!

Excuse #5: It is normal to just want to relax during your time off. There are volunteering opportunities for every level of volunteer. You can volunteer from your couch, your kitchen, or your workplace. You can choose projects that are big or small just do something that you enjoy and it will not seem like work, because the benefits will outweigh the costs.

It is 2013. Don’t let yourself give up on another resolution. Make this year count! You will begin to see the rewards of your service quicker than you think. Just try it; what do you have to lose?

Are you volunteering in 2013? Share your ideas with us; we would love to hear them!

Related articles

• Want to Make a New Years Resolution Stick? Volunteer!
• 20 Ways to Volunteer in 2012
• 8 Benefits of Volunteerism
• “Healthy” Volunteering: 5 ways to incorporate health into volunteering
• Stay Out of the Cold and Volunteer from Home