DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.

You’ve heard it before. “We need several volunteers to graciously lend their time.” You should volunteer out of the simple will to do good. Do good for good’s sake. Be a good Samaritan. Be a steward of your community. All these things are true. But still, volunteer numbers are never as high as they should be.

What if the actual benefits of volunteering went beyond those perceived?

Post-virus crisis, we are coming out of a devastating, yet transformative change that has left many out of work, or in dire financial straits. If the world needs anything now, for young or old, it’s help.

P.S. If you’re a new graduate figuring out the post-virus world –

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1. It broadens your network.

When first starting your career, you might attend a smattering of organizations and events trying to snap up as many contacts as you can. Sometimes that approach is successful, and you never know who you’re going to meet. However, once you hone in on which opportunities benefit your ambitions most, you’ll see more channeled results.

My best professional experience so far has been my involvement with 212NYC, New York’s Interactive Advertising Club. Founded in 2003, and one of the first organizations specifically focused on digital media, it provides professionals an extracurricular network to learn, teach, and meet new people. Though I’ve been attending the events much longer than working with the committees – I’ve now been serving as a Mentorship Leader for 2 years running, and have built countless professional relationships, even gotten a job out of it.

2. It takes your focus off work.

It seems like in the stretch of road from the moment you throw your graduation cap to when you blow out your retirement candles, life is going to be consumed by work. Of course there’s truth to this – and it can be very enjoyable. However, on that journey you find that you can make meaningful connections both during and outside of work. Life isn’t all about work – It’s just your day shift. Being a volunteer, by its nature, is an opportunity to step out of your daily life unconcerned about money or any sort of heirarchy.

One of these instances is Partnership with Children, which supports the most vulnerable children in overcoming the stress of growing up in low-income environments or below the poverty line. From website: They offer school-based programs across New York City’s five boroughs to 10,000+ children. These services include counseling, schoolwide programs, and boosts to social and emotional learning strategies. The volunteer opps offered are broad. We participated in a backpack donation drive, as well as helping to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the school kids and their families. It was incredibly redeeming to see the kids’ reactions and personalities during all of the events.

3. It teaches you new skills.

In the 21st century, you consistently hear about the exorbitant cost of higher education. You hear about national student debt shooting through the roof. Even with the Great Recession, people are taking out more student loans than ever before. So while “I’m going back to get my degree” was never an easy statement, now the cost is the main inhibitor, even with scholarships and grants.

Building on the above, knowledge is essentially free. It’s the time to teach that represents the cost. Your mind first likely goes to a direct teacher-student relationship. It’s bigger than that. You can learn from professionals outside your field, anyone from any economic-cultural background, or even children.

A great example is the organization Wikitongues, which seeks to archive the world’s endangered languages by recording native speakers. It’s been featured in TED, Nat Geo, Atlas Obscura, and is even partnered with the Peace Corps. If you know a second language, all you need to do is submit a video of yourself speaking it to build their library. The learning available is tremendous, with 650+ videos available to watch.

4. It humbles you, and builds your sense of purpose.

Not everyone you help is going to have had the opportunity to live a life without flaws or hurdles. That’s part of being human. When you can offer someone a portal from the life they’ve lived into a new ones, it’s fulfilling at a level few things are.

Defy Ventures is a nonprofit organization that helps to empower formerly incarcerated individuals as entrepreneurs. The organization has received contributions from several of America’s Fortune 500’s and is growing quickly. I joined an evening session at Think with Google with the program. During the session, we helped 3 different Entrepreneurs in Residence with their respective business plans. From their website: 82% employment rate for Defy post-release program. 72% recidivism rate for Defy graduates.

5. Improves self-worth.

Lastly, I’ve witnessed plenty of professional colleagues who’ve greatly enriched sense of purpose and self-worth in volunteer activities, as have I. What one finds is that only by helping others does your self-worth rise. There’s more obvious examples like the Peace Corps, Americorps, etc. However, oftentimes you don’t have to make a multi-year commitment, and it can coexist with your professional life. One of these ways is helping those who did make a multi-year commitment, like armed forces members.

Bunker Labs is a non-profit national network of veteran and milspouse entrepreneurs dedicated to helping the military connected community start their own business. From the website: 25% of transitioning service members want to start a business and they need places inside their community where they can connect with the people, resources, and support they need to start and grow their businesses. 1,012 startups completed Bunker Labs programs to date. 1,002+ jobs created for Military Veterans. 1,954+ jobs created by participating startups.

Closing

Most of 2020 is still yours to explore these kinds of opportunities. I’ve personally found value in all five areas above. If you pursue this, you’ll likely find yourself better educated, with a renewed sense of purpose and new skills, all at the mere cost of your time. Sure, you could pay to take higher education classes. However, there’s no better education than direct human interaction and experience. After all, learning is free.