Give Something Back to Your Community by Volunteering

Many business people want to "give something back" to
their community, so they decide to volunteer.
Volunteering is good for you and your business — as
long as it is the right fit. Unfortunately, often
volunteers wind up dreading the chore rather than
finding it to be a rewarding experience.

by Vicki Gerson

If you want to volunteer, you need to do your homework
to avoid disappointment. Here are some tips on what you
should look for before devoting your time and energy to
a volunteer position:

How will your time be spent?

It’s highly unlikely you would blindly accept a job
without getting some facts. Find out all you can about
the organization before you commit to volunteering for
them. What are the organization’s objectives? What
goals have been reached? Who is the organization
helping? Talk to the people who run the organization to
find out what services they expect you to perform and
how often. Are these services you want to perform? In
addition, talk to other volunteers to find out if they
actually enjoying volunteering for the organization.

How does it benefit you?

Be honest about your goals. If you are volunteering in part
to gain exposure for your company, make sure that you do.
If your motives are more personal, you should still ensure
that you fell fulfilled in your service.

Do what you love

Although you may be a whiz as a number cruncher, you
may not want to spend your time volunteering as an
unpaid accountant. As a volunteer, you may decide that
human contact is more important then sitting behind a
desk.

The key is to volunteer at something you love to do. It
is not important that you use your skills from your
business as a volunteer — and don’t feel guilty if
someone tries to peg hole you into that spot. This
isn’t a paying job, so do what you love or have always
had a desire to do.

It’s okay to say no

Many times the staff at a nonprofit will see a
good volunteer and ask for more service then the
volunteer was originally willing to give. It is
important to learn to say, "No, I can’t do that." If
you don’t learn to say "no," more jobs will be piled
upon you. Instead of volunteering five hours a week,
you may suddenly find yourself at the nonprofit
organization 12 hours a week. That extra time might
considerably cut into time for yourself, your family or
your business. In the end, you will wind up hating
volunteering because it has become a weekly obligation
that needs to be met rather than something you look
forward to.

Don’t expect miracles

In the nonprofit world, remember not to expect
miracles. Progress may be very slow. If you had on your
business hat, you know things would be different. Be
patient. Remember to keep in mind that you are not the
director of this organization and a little slow
progress is better than none.

To read this and other related articles online, visit:
http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_19361.html