voluntary work for or against essay

Advantages and Disadvantages of Volunteering

Voluntary work is an act where an individual offers free services to people without getting a reward in return for the service provided. Voluntary work has gained popularity over time because it comes with many essential benefits. Whereas volunteering in any organization has many benefits to the individual, it also presents several challenges people face when they involve in the activity.

The benefit of voluntary service is that it enables one to learn a lot through volunteering activities. It helps the participants to expand their knowledge and gain skills in the activity they are engaging in (Willems & Dury, 2017). Working as a volunteer contributes to interacting with different people.

However, volunteers face some challenges while on duty. Volunteers do not earn money while offering their services. The saddening part comes when one has bills to pay. In such a situation, volunteers can suffer from severe financial problems that others may be discouraged from doing. Volunteering can be expensive when providing services abroad (Willems & Dury, 2017). The cost of the flight, accommodation, and other expenditures depend on the participant. The organization that plans for this volunteering activity will have to pay administration costs to authorities (Willems & Dury, 2017). Therefore, it is recommended that individuals make sure they can afford such activities before participating in any kind of voluntary work.

Volunteering can be rather challenging since it is not a fancy choice for one to make. A person may end up in a country where everything is new to them. The language of the native people may not be familiar to volunteers, making it challenging for them to serve in such places (Willems & Dury, 2017). Therefore, this activity has its benefits for people associating themselves with volunteering and also has downfalls.

In conclusion, volunteering comes with its benefits and its challenges. Those still learning will have a great time gaining experience and getting exposed to several people and cultures around their place of work. It is challenging for people with all qualifications to work as volunteers.

Willems, J., & Dury, S. (2017). Reasons for not volunteering: Overcoming boundaries to attract volunteers. The Service Industries Journal , 37 (11-12), 726-745.

Cite this paper

• Chicago (N-B)
• Chicago (A-D)

StudyCorgi. (2022, August 1). Advantages and Disadvantages of Volunteering. https://studycorgi.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-volunteering/

"Advantages and Disadvantages of Volunteering." StudyCorgi , 1 Aug. 2022, studycorgi.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-volunteering/.

StudyCorgi . (2022) 'Advantages and Disadvantages of Volunteering'. 1 August.

1. StudyCorgi . "Advantages and Disadvantages of Volunteering." August 1, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-volunteering/.

Bibliography

StudyCorgi . "Advantages and Disadvantages of Volunteering." August 1, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-volunteering/.

StudyCorgi . 2022. "Advantages and Disadvantages of Volunteering." August 1, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-volunteering/.

This paper, “Advantages and Disadvantages of Volunteering”, was written and voluntary submitted to our free essay database by a straight-A student. Please ensure you properly reference the paper if you're using it to write your assignment.

Before publication, the StudyCorgi editorial team proofread and checked the paper to make sure it meets the highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, fact accuracy, copyright issues, and inclusive language. Last updated: November 8, 2023 .

If you are the author of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on StudyCorgi, request the removal . Please use the “ Donate your paper ” form to submit an essay.

• How It Works
• Testimonials

Volunteering Essay

Volunteering is a responsible work which requires time, effort, and talent but gives an exciting impressions, helps to meet new people, acquaintances and gives an opportunity to help those in need. Working with an association as a volunteer in the sphere of helping international students is an interesting and inspiring experience. Studying in a foreign country can be difficult and stressful. Coming from abroad with an aim of studying can cause different personal, relationship, psychological, study troubles and distresses. It is easy to make the life of foreign students not so stressful by just helping them avoid all the tense worrying problems. This is a core mission of the association.

Each volunteer works as an organizer. My responsibilities were to arrange students’ get-together and be in control of meetings of students of my group in this association. I tried to coordinate students in the main points during some organized planned activities. Services of our association include working with international students in different aspects, including Michigan ID, finding an apartment out of campus if they want, and discover the community of Ann Arbor. Michigan ID should be got by foreign students, volunteer is to help to apply for the ID, it can be enhanced license or ID card which heightens security. Students are to be informed in the types of document needed to be fulfilled: identity verification, legal presence, and proof of Michigan residency, social security number or letter of ineligibility. Volunteer instructs students of all the details and necessities in getting an ID. It is possible for students to live out of campus. As it is difficult for students to orientate quickly my work as a volunteer is to assist and consult students in the way of finding an appropriate apartment with all the required by each student conditions. The first thing to do is to inform that living off the campus has its pros and cons, freedoms and concerns. The meeting on this subject can be organized and all the advantages and disadvantages discussed. Living outside the campus can be cheaper, students will have more freedom, privacy and personal space, no destruction during studying, preparing of own meals, on the other hand it can be more expensive to live in a private flat, student will have lots of domestic responsibilities and duties. It is also should be decided personally with each student if he wants to live without student society, far away from others or not. Discovering the community of Ann Arbor is important and exciting activity. A trip around the City can be planned including all the sights to see and get acquainted with. Ann Arbor is famous for the professional theatre, arts community, lively downtown, numerous festivals, and historical places. Museums are quite an essential part in discovering a community of the City, including Museum of main Street, Museum of Art, Museum of Dentistry. There are more than 250 different science and technology exhibits to see. I combined a plan of sightseeing activities in the town for my group of students including the most famous and important in discovering the community. Organization of important events is the work the volunteer should devote his time to. Volunteer should encourage international students participate in such kinds of events, thus help them get used to the environment of the university taking part in student’s social life.

Volunteer work with international students presupposes completing of different types of activities and assistance work directed on getting over the difficulties of students in the process of adaptation of them to new environment.

Working as a volunteer is a one’s own free will activity and useful work which develops organizational abilities, allows to expand social life of a student, helps making of new friends, enables a volunteer to collaborate with foreign students, organize, guide and direct the projects, meetings, events, congregations, enables to leadership and helping to those in need. Difficulties of foreign students are of different character. These are stressful situations, connected with the change of living environment, the change of country to study in, difficulties of accommodation to new conditions of life and studying. Volunteering gives an opportunity to find out something new about cultures of other countries.

The vision of this association is working regularly with foreign students on their possible, existing and worrying problems and questions.

I work as an organizer with a big team in association. My sphere of activity includes consulting students on the questions connected with finding of a flat, organization of special events, helping in learning the locality, people and society of Ann Arbor. I advise and consult on various questions, organize meetings, excursions, celebrations and festivals for international students.

Association provides many services: – Michigan ID (Consulting students about the necessity of ID card, requirements on the ways they can get it); – Find a flat out of campus if necessary; – seeing and learning something of the locality, residence and society of Ann Arbor, organizing of important events and international Celebrate. Finding a flat outside campus can be difficult and stressful for students. Thus volunteer association provides services explaining and assisting in searching an apartment. International students can be aware or not about advantages and disadvantages of living in campus. The decision to live in or out of campus is personal and depends on certain preferences of a student. The main is whether a student likes privacy or social life, whether he is able of managing domestic chores and problems or is willing to have somebody organized it. Volunteer is to help students in this decision with the help of consultations.

Learning locality, people and society of Ann Arbor is an important aspect in the work of association for international students. Volunteers provide excursions, meetings, seminars, which expand an outlook of students, help adapt faster and get used to the culture which is different from that of their own. The main aim of expansion of knowledge about culture, society of town is joining and accustoming to students’ life. The work held is of the following kinds: presentations of the history of the city, outstanding people of the city, exhibits in the city, meetings, seminars on the topics connected with social life of Ann Arbor, excursions aim of which is an acquaintance with culture, customs and traditions of the state and the country. Celebration of important events is also organized by volunteers in the association as it improves an atmosphere of communication and brings together students.

All in all, volunteer association provides useful range of services for international students.

Find out how much your paper will cost

Our services

Custom Paper Writing

• Term Papers
• Research Papers
• Thesis Papers
• Dissertations
• Presentations
• Case Studies
• Assignments

Essay Types

• 5-Paragraph Essay
• Argumentative Essay
• Analysis of Book
• Analytical Essay
• Business Report
• Critical Essay
• Creative Essay
• Cause and Effect Essay
• Descriptive Essay
• Classification Essay
• Deductive Essay
• Expository Essay
• Narrative essay
• Persuasive Essay

Additional Services

• Proofreading
• Free Papers
• Essay Writing Blog
• Revision Policy
• Money Back Guarantee

Our services are 100% legal. They do not go against university policies.

You are expected to use the paper that you order as follows:

• As a way to gain a proper understanding of the subject
• As a way to improve the reasoning of your research (you should reference the paper properly)
• If you want to paraphrase the paper, please make sure that it is done according to your institution's policies to avoid plagiarism
• A source in your research (please cite accordingly)

We expect you to respect our copyright and effort.

Site Management

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to write a great community service essay.

College Admissions , Extracurriculars

Are you applying to a college or a scholarship that requires a community service essay? Do you know how to write an essay that will impress readers and clearly show the impact your work had on yourself and others?

Read on to learn step-by-step instructions for writing a great community service essay that will help you stand out and be memorable.

What Is a Community Service Essay? Why Do You Need One?

A community service essay is an essay that describes the volunteer work you did and the impact it had on you and your community. Community service essays can vary widely depending on specific requirements listed in the application, but, in general, they describe the work you did, why you found the work important, and how it benefited people around you.

Community service essays are typically needed for two reasons:

#1: To Apply to College

• Some colleges require students to write community service essays as part of their application or to be eligible for certain scholarships.
• You may also choose to highlight your community service work in your personal statement.

#2: To Apply for Scholarships

• Some scholarships are specifically awarded to students with exceptional community service experiences, and many use community service essays to help choose scholarship recipients.
• Green Mountain College offers one of the most famous of these scholarships. Their "Make a Difference Scholarship" offers full tuition, room, and board to students who have demonstrated a significant, positive impact through their community service

Getting Started With Your Essay

In the following sections, I'll go over each step of how to plan and write your essay. I'll also include sample excerpts for you to look through so you can get a better idea of what readers are looking for when they review your essay.

Step 1: Know the Essay Requirements

Before your start writing a single word, you should be familiar with the essay prompt. Each college or scholarship will have different requirements for their essay, so make sure you read these carefully and understand them.

Specific things to pay attention to include:

• Length requirement
• Application deadline
• The main purpose or focus of the essay
• If the essay should follow a specific structure

Below are three real community service essay prompts. Read through them and notice how much they vary in terms of length, detail, and what information the writer should include.

From the Equitable Excellence Scholarship:

"Describe your outstanding achievement in depth and provide the specific planning, training, goals, and steps taken to make the accomplishment successful. Include details about your role and highlight leadership you provided. Your essay must be a minimum of 350 words but not more than 600 words."

From the Laura W. Bush Traveling Scholarship:

"Essay (up to 500 words, double spaced) explaining your interest in being considered for the award and how your proposed project reflects or is related to both UNESCO's mandate and U.S. interests in promoting peace by sharing advances in education, science, culture, and communications."

From the LULAC National Scholarship Fund:

"Please type or print an essay of 300 words (maximum) on how your academic studies will contribute to your personal & professional goals. In addition, please discuss any community service or extracurricular activities you have been involved in that relate to your goals."

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas

Even after you understand what the essay should be about, it can still be difficult to begin writing. Answer the following questions to help brainstorm essay ideas. You may be able to incorporate your answers into your essay.

• What community service activity that you've participated in has meant the most to you?
• What is your favorite memory from performing community service?
• Why did you decide to begin community service?
• What made you decide to volunteer where you did?
• How has your community service changed you?
• How has your community service helped others?
• How has your community service affected your plans for the future?

You don't need to answer all the questions, but if you find you have a lot of ideas for one of two of them, those may be things you want to include in your essay.

Writing Your Essay

How you structure your essay will depend on the requirements of the scholarship or school you are applying to. You may give an overview of all the work you did as a volunteer, or highlight a particularly memorable experience. You may focus on your personal growth or how your community benefited.

Regardless of the specific structure requested, follow the guidelines below to make sure your community service essay is memorable and clearly shows the impact of your work.

Samples of mediocre and excellent essays are included below to give you a better idea of how you should draft your own essay.

Step 1: Hook Your Reader In

You want the person reading your essay to be interested, so your first sentence should hook them in and entice them to read more. A good way to do this is to start in the middle of the action. Your first sentence could describe you helping build a house, releasing a rescued animal back to the wild, watching a student you tutored read a book on their own, or something else that quickly gets the reader interested. This will help set your essay apart and make it more memorable.

Compare these two opening sentences:

"I have volunteered at the Wishbone Pet Shelter for three years."

"The moment I saw the starving, mud-splattered puppy brought into the shelter with its tail between its legs, I knew I'd do whatever I could to save it."

The first sentence is a very general, bland statement. The majority of community service essays probably begin a lot like it, but it gives the reader little information and does nothing to draw them in. On the other hand, the second sentence begins immediately with action and helps persuade the reader to keep reading so they can learn what happened to the dog.

Step 2: Discuss the Work You Did

Once you've hooked your reader in with your first sentence, tell them about your community service experiences. State where you work, when you began working, how much time you've spent there, and what your main duties include. This will help the reader quickly put the rest of the essay in context and understand the basics of your community service work.

Not including basic details about your community service could leave your reader confused.

Step 3: Include Specific Details

It's the details of your community service that make your experience unique and memorable, so go into the specifics of what you did.

For example, don't just say you volunteered at a nursing home; talk about reading Mrs. Johnson her favorite book, watching Mr. Scott win at bingo, and seeing the residents play games with their grandchildren at the family day you organized. Try to include specific activities, moments, and people in your essay. Having details like these let the readers really understand what work you did and how it differs from other volunteer experiences.

Compare these two passages:

"For my volunteer work, I tutored children at a local elementary school. I helped them improve their math skills and become more confident students."

"As a volunteer at York Elementary School, I worked one-on-one with second and third graders who struggled with their math skills, particularly addition, subtraction, and fractions. As part of my work, I would create practice problems and quizzes and try to connect math to the students' interests. One of my favorite memories was when Sara, a student I had been working with for several weeks, told me that she enjoyed the math problems I had created about a girl buying and selling horses so much that she asked to help me create math problems for other students."

The first passage only gives basic information about the work done by the volunteer; there is very little detail included, and no evidence is given to support her claims. How did she help students improve their math skills? How did she know they were becoming more confident?

The second passage is much more detailed. It recounts a specific story and explains more fully what kind of work the volunteer did, as well as a specific instance of a student becoming more confident with her math skills. Providing more detail in your essay helps support your claims as well as make your essay more memorable and unique.

Step 4: Show Your Personality

It would be very hard to get a scholarship or place at a school if none of your readers felt like they knew much about you after finishing your essay, so make sure that your essay shows your personality. The way to do this is to state your personal strengths, then provide examples to support your claims. Take some time to think about which parts of your personality you would like your essay to highlight, then write about specific examples to show this.

• If you want to show that you're a motivated leader, describe a time when you organized an event or supervised other volunteers.
• If you want to show your teamwork skills, write about a time you helped a group of people work together better.
• If you want to show that you're a compassionate animal lover, write about taking care of neglected shelter animals and helping each of them find homes.

Step 5: State What You Accomplished

After you have described your community service and given specific examples of your work, you want to begin to wrap your essay up by stating your accomplishments. What was the impact of your community service? Did you build a house for a family to move into? Help students improve their reading skills? Clean up a local park? Make sure the impact of your work is clear; don't be worried about bragging here.

If you can include specific numbers, that will also strengthen your essay. Saying "I delivered meals to 24 home-bound senior citizens" is a stronger example than just saying "I delivered meals to lots of senior citizens."

Also be sure to explain why your work matters. Why is what you did important? Did it provide more parks for kids to play in? Help students get better grades? Give people medical care who would otherwise not have gotten it? This is an important part of your essay, so make sure to go into enough detail that your readers will know exactly what you accomplished and how it helped your community.

"My biggest accomplishment during my community service was helping to organize a family event at the retirement home. The children and grandchildren of many residents attended, and they all enjoyed playing games and watching movies together."

"The community service accomplishment that I'm most proud of is the work I did to help organize the First Annual Family Fun Day at the retirement home. My job was to design and organize fun activities that senior citizens and their younger relatives could enjoy. The event lasted eight hours and included ten different games, two performances, and a movie screening with popcorn. Almost 200 residents and family members attended throughout the day. This event was important because it provided an opportunity for senior citizens to connect with their family members in a way they aren't often able to. It also made the retirement home seem more fun and enjoyable to children, and we have seen an increase in the number of kids coming to visit their grandparents since the event."

The second passage is stronger for a variety of reasons. First, it goes into much more detail about the work the volunteer did. The first passage only states that she helped "organize a family event." That really doesn't tell readers much about her work or what her responsibilities were. The second passage is much clearer; her job was to "design and organize fun activities."

The second passage also explains the event in more depth. A family day can be many things; remember that your readers are likely not familiar with what you're talking about, so details help them get a clearer picture.

Lastly, the second passage makes the importance of the event clear: it helped residents connect with younger family members, and it helped retirement homes seem less intimidating to children, so now some residents see their grand kids more often.

Step 6: Discuss What You Learned

One of the final things to include in your essay should be the impact that your community service had on you. You can discuss skills you learned, such as carpentry, public speaking, animal care, or another skill.

You can also talk about how you changed personally. Are you more patient now? More understanding of others? Do you have a better idea of the type of career you want? Go into depth about this, but be honest. Don't say your community service changed your life if it didn't because trite statements won't impress readers.

In order to support your statements, provide more examples. If you say you're more patient now, how do you know this? Do you get less frustrated while playing with your younger siblings? Are you more willing to help group partners who are struggling with their part of the work? You've probably noticed by now that including specific examples and details is one of the best ways to create a strong and believable essay .

"As a result of my community service, I learned a lot about building houses and became a more mature person."

"As a result of my community service, I gained hands-on experience in construction. I learned how to read blueprints, use a hammer and nails, and begin constructing the foundation of a two-bedroom house. Working on the house could be challenging at times, but it taught me to appreciate the value of hard work and be more willing to pitch in when I see someone needs help. My dad has just started building a shed in our backyard, and I offered to help him with it because I know from my community service how much work it is. I also appreciate my own house more, and I know how lucky I am to have a roof over my head."

The second passage is more impressive and memorable because it describes the skills the writer learned in more detail and recounts a specific story that supports her claim that her community service changed her and made her more helpful.

Step 7: Finish Strong

Just as you started your essay in a way that would grab readers' attention, you want to finish your essay on a strong note as well. A good way to end your essay is to state again the impact your work had on you, your community, or both. Reiterate how you changed as a result of your community service, why you found the work important, or how it helped others.

Compare these two concluding statements:

"In conclusion, I learned a lot from my community service at my local museum, and I hope to keep volunteering and learning more about history."

"To conclude, volunteering at my city's American History Museum has been a great experience. By leading tours and participating in special events, I became better at public speaking and am now more comfortable starting conversations with people. In return, I was able to get more community members interested in history and our local museum. My interest in history has deepened, and I look forward to studying the subject in college and hopefully continuing my volunteer work at my university's own museum."

The second passage takes each point made in the first passage and expands upon it. In a few sentences, the second passage is able to clearly convey what work the volunteer did, how she changed, and how her volunteer work benefited her community.

The author of the second passage also ends her essay discussing her future and how she'd like to continue her community service, which is a good way to wrap things up because it shows your readers that you are committed to community service for the long-term.

What's Next?

Are you applying to a community service scholarship or thinking about it? We have a complete list of all the community service scholarships available to help get your search started!

Do you need a community service letter as well? We have a step-by-step guide that will tell you how to get a great reference letter from your community service supervisor.

Thinking about doing community service abroad? Before you sign up, read our guide on some of the hazards of international volunteer trips and how to know if it's the right choice for you.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

Student and Parent Forum

Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com , allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

• For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

Importance of Volunteerism Essay

Need to write an essay about volunteering? Community service is a truly hot topic! This argumentative essay about the importance of volunteerism contains everything necessary to inspire you!

Introduction

Importance of volunteering.

It is so disappointing that many people within our societies do not know, understand or value the importance of services in the community by volunteering. Serving society is very important in helping to solve many problems, especially those that have been neglected by the government and other social programs.

Volunteering to serve the community is not only beneficial to the individuals involved, but it is necessary in creating better societies for all. For instance, community members may volunteer to clean up a town near them or feeder roads.

This way, all members benefit by living in a clean environment that is free from illnesses related to sanitation. By cleaning the compounds surrounding them, society members help promote the health of their young ones who are always playing, during which time they can eat anything on the ground which would have otherwise caused them serious infections.

Community work does not always revolve around environmental work, but it is equally important for the fortunate members of society to help those who are less fortunate. Community members may volunteer to offer gifts and other services to help the less fortunate ones.

For example, people may contribute goods such as clothes and food to help the street children who have no homes or take them to children’s homes from where they can be provided for. This way, the members of society will have helped others live a more and better comfortable life.

Especially young children will feel the love that they never got from their parents. This is essential in the growth and development of a child, and the assistance and love they receive from society will surely help them grow to be better adults in society (Landry 1).

Volunteer work in our societies basically involves sharing and friendship through which people can find out what others need so that they can work on assisting them in all ways possible. Through volunteer work, many people’s lives are changed, be it through words or material assistance.

For instance, a community may volunteer to help young people addicted to drugs where they organize meetings with them, and doctors or psychiatrists volunteer to talk to them about the effects of drugs as the community helps them avoid the vise by giving them jobs to keep them busy.

Being responsive to the needs of other people makes us realize and appreciate humanity and spiritual being, as well as feeling good for changing someone’s life. This can even help shy people gain self-esteem. Volunteering in society work helps in promoting and building our social obligations as human beings.

Through community volunteer work, people are able to respect each because they work together without any discrimination. Volunteerism can be thought of as a social capital where everyone is concerned for the well-being of others. It also helps create trust and confidence between society members and brings society together (McHenry 1).

A society where people volunteer and work together always faces fewer problems since all the members tend to get along well and support each when they are in need.

The security of society is also improved, especially through the rehabilitation of street children and drug addicts who are more likely to cause insecurity in society. By supporting each other, society members can live in harmony and be happier than those societies that do not work together.

Importance of Volunteering: FAQ

• What Is Volunteer Work? Volunteering is unpaid work done by a person to benefit the community. In other words, volunteering means that someone is giving their time to help an individual, a group of people, or a non-profit organization.
• Why Is Volunteerism Important? Volunteer work develops and improves the community. Besides, it is helpful for the one who deals with it. Volunteering can improve one’s mental health, reduce stress, and give meaning to their life.
• How Does Volunteerism Benefit the Community? Volunteering is related to the need for people to participate in their community and be important to others. Imbued with such values as reciprocity, solidarity, and mutual trust, it significantly improves the quality of life.

Works Cited

Landry, L. “The importance of volunteering.” 2002. Web.

McHenry, W. “ The Importance of Community Service . ” 2000. Web.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, October 29). Importance of Volunteerism Essay. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-volunteerism/

"Importance of Volunteerism Essay." IvyPanda , 29 Oct. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-volunteerism/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Importance of Volunteerism Essay'. 29 October.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Importance of Volunteerism Essay." October 29, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-volunteerism/.

1. IvyPanda . "Importance of Volunteerism Essay." October 29, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-volunteerism/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Importance of Volunteerism Essay." October 29, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/importance-of-volunteerism/.

• Volunteerism Is Important in Canada
• Helping, Giving, and Volunteerism
• Volunteerism in Corporate America
• Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention Correlates of Corporate Volunteerism
• Philanthropy Among Young People: Empirical Methods
• How We Can Attract Higher Quality Volunteers
• Volunteers in Corporate America
• Organizing a Food Waste Awareness Campaign
• MillerCoors Corporate Social Responsibility
• Corporate Volunteer Programs for Employees
• Rebuilding Families and Marriage in America’s Society
• Cultural Influences on Personality
• Single Parenthood: History and Economic Implication
• Defining of True Friendship
• Outsourcing and Bad Working Conditions

• Listening Tests
• Academic Tests
• General Tests
• IELTS Writing Checker
• IELTS Writing Samples
• Speaking Club
• IELTS AI Speaking Test Simulator
• Latest Topics
• Vocabularying
• 2024 © IELTS 69

More students should do voluntary work. For and against essay

IELTS essay More students should do voluntary work. For and against essay

• Structure your answers in logical paragraphs
• ? One main idea per paragraph
• Include an introduction and conclusion
• Support main points with an explanation and then an example
• Use cohesive linking words accurately and appropriately
• Vary your linking phrases using synonyms
• Try to vary your vocabulary using accurate synonyms
• Use less common question specific words that accurately convey meaning
• Check your work for spelling and word formation mistakes
• Use a variety of complex and simple sentences
• Check your writing for errors
• Answer all parts of the question
• ? Present relevant ideas
• Fully explain these ideas
• Support ideas with relevant, specific examples
• ? Currently is not available
• Meet the criteria
• Doesn't meet the criteria
• 5.5 band In society nowadays, many people argue that computers are more of a hindrance than their benefits. In society nowadays, many people argue that computers are more of a hindrance than their benefits. Others consider them to be such essential tools that they could not live or function without them. In my point of view, computers are useful for people, however they should be some limitations to work ...
• 5.5 band Sugar level is increasing day by day good or bed? In this contemporary era, eating and drinking habits have changed as well sugar level is became higher in various food items compared to past and due to increasing sugar level its invites various health issues. Manufacturer should take certain steps to make food more healthier than unhealthy. I woul ...
• Do you know what a foreign accent is? It’s a sign of bravery. Amy Chua
• 5 band Having a good university degree is important in finding a job. I strongly disagree with the statement that having a good Bachelor degree guarantees people can find good job for two main reasons, First and foremost, a university degree only provides theoretical knowledge, but practical training makes a person robust and capable in the workplace For example, in t ...
• 5 band Divorce rates in Finland and Sweeden from 2011 to 2015 The demonstrated set of bars reveals information about marriage dissolution rate in Finland and Sweden during five years (2011-2015). From careful examination, it cqn br concluded that the proportion of divorced people in Finland expanded markedly while the percentage of divorced citizens of Sweden ...
• Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. Rita Mae Brown
• 5 band the country's economic proplems Successful administrations have failed to solve the country's economic problems. The Asian Football Confederation has an article praising the impressive final game in Changzhou, China. It said the match at the final round wrapped up Vietnam’s memorable journey at the tournament but it will live fore ...
• 6 band Do countries need borders? Do countries need borders? I suppose, it’s so interesting question for to think. Beforehand, I want to show the pros and cons of boundaries. At the best, I start with pros. If there were no borders between countries, it would be easier for people to travel between countries, and the export sector wo ...
• He who knows no foreign languages knows nothing of his own. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Essay About Volunteering

Volunteering is a way of helping others. It is giving a person 's time and ability to help someone who may be in need of help. Not only does volunteering help others, but what they may not know is that it can be helpful to themselves. It is a great way for someone to interact with others in their community. It gives someone that time to themselves while also creating bonds when they are doing the greater good. The effects of volunteering can range from many helpful characteristics. From helping those in need, giving back to the community, working for worthwhile causes, and overall helping someone with their health, mentally and physically. Volunteering can affect many people in different ways, but what most do not know is that it can help with …show more content…

When volunteering, people become close to the ones with whom they are volunteering. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and gain more friends for life. Not only can someone create new bonds when they volunteer, but they can also make the bonds they already have with somebody stronger. The article, "15 Unexpected Benefits of Volunteering That Will Inspire You" states, "Volunteering creates stronger bonds between friends, family, and coworkers." When volunteering, it gets the volunteer out there and makes them be more social. With them being more social and civil with others, this causes them to create those new bonds and friendships. People who volunteer can build better connections, more powerful attachments, and closer relationships with people when they work together. If someone is feeling they need to connect to people on a different level, they could try volunteering together. Many different causes can affect how friendships are developed. Meeting new people through volunteering causes somebody to develop new friendships while they are doing good for their community. Developing new friendships causes a very positive effect on people 's lives. Meeting new people and becoming good friends is a wonderful thing. It can all come from reaching out and

National Honor Society Four Pillars

I love volunteering because even though you don't get money for helping someone, you get the joy and happiness of knowing you did something good for someone else. Being a member of Key Club and Junior Optimist I have the opportunity to volunteer frequently in the community and to the school. I have volunteered to work in various booths at the Glandorf Park Fest. I helped work at the YMCA Trunk or Treat to pass out candy to the little kids on Halloween. A group of my friends went over to Kalida to help with the Triathlon.

Mandatory Public Service Rhetorical Analysis

When the topic of volunteering would be mentioned upon me and my peers, we would most likely change the subject or disperse. Volunteering is something that is rising in our generation, yet is hidden in the shadows at the same time. In Kent Ansen’s essay, “Should the United States Establish Mandatory Public Service for Young Adults?” the author tells the audience why public service should be mandatory. I believe that volunteering is an amazing subject that comes with unbelievable benefits to the person and the environment that is affected by the, but at the same time, should not be mandatory for everyone.

Personal Narrative: United Way Of Snohomish

I never thought that volunteering would bring me much happiness and joy. It feels very nice when you help others and this happens to me every time I prepare and fill the taxes of the people who come to do their taxes to our office. The people who come are people of low income, and my heart feels leno and beats hard every time I help someone. This is my first experience being a volunteer and now I want to

Required Volunteering

Many high school students around the country are required to do a certain number of community service hours before they are able to graduate. While there seems to be no problem with that requirement, some people believe that forced volunteering isn't truly volunteering. If someone is being helped by these services, it does not matter whether it is forced or not. Volunteerism promotes good citizenship and betters all people who take part in it. Required service hours could also work as a factor that simply encourages students to participate in service related events.

Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital

These critics argue that volunteer work is the government’s disguised attempt to lessen their responsibilities within communities (412). To combat this argument Dunlap and Stukas suggest, “Such criticism often fails to recognize that, in many cases, community involvement can provide tangible benefits for the individuals, communities, and societies…” (413). When everyone works together for the common good of the community, everyone benefits from this; the individual, the community, and the society. Not only does the engagement within the community build the social capital, but it also builds trust amongst the neighbors. When there is trust, there is fellowship, and fellowship paves the path to flourishment.

High School National Honor Society

In addition to helping the community, volunteering has helped me build the person I am today. The warm feeling that I get after volunteering is an honorable feeling that influences me to become a better person and makes me know that I can be there for

Volunteering Personal Statement

It is always a god way to support a community and as well meet new people, and help others. I feel that everyone should volunteer because you will gain a lot out of life by helping others. I am glad I got the chance to volunteer, because I felt better about myself knowing that I helped others, and I look forward toward more opportunities like this. I know that my experience as has been a wonderful opportunity to grow as a person, and I have made use of this to the best of my ability.

Maslow's Theory Of Volunteering

In the general perspective, volunteering refers to a kind of helping activity that benefit others or the wider community and it has been done by an individual or a group of people who are not

Persuasive Speech On Volunteering

III. From volunteering, you can increase your humanity sense, can easily connect with others people, can easily build your self-confidence and also can gain more experience. IV. It is my believe that, charity event is very synonym with a volunteering services. V. After doing and extensive research and observation, I have realized that volunteerism is not only occur when you take part in the event, but helping people in need anywhere and everywhere also can be considered as volunteer.

East Carolina University Student Analysis

I volunteer for different types of things like my doctor’s office, family business, and religious organizations. I volunteer at my doctor’s office by helping the nurses with the patients, and cleaning up after them. I volunteer to help manage the family business and give them a hand with different tasks. I spend an abundant time volunteering for religious organizations like Indian dances and activities by organizing events and planning things out. I have had many different outstanding educational experiences in my past, like AP and Honors classes, clubs and volunteering in my community.

Argumentative Essay On Volunteering

Volunteering has been proven to reduce mischief in adolescents, depression, heart disease, and even stress. If a person were to feel unimportant, volunteering has a way of making them feel like an important role in society. For all ages, volunteering can benefit each age group. To adolescents, it can keep them out of trouble and teach them life lessons. For adults, it can improve their self-worth and overall happiness in life.

Personal Narrative: My Journey To New Jersey

Furthermore, engaging in volunteer work can help to carry a great deal of change. These acts of service create a better sense of community while making a stronger connection. Being involved can support a person’s individual mental and physical health.

A Personal Reflection Of Volunteering

1. In the summer of 2017, I volunteered once a week for 6-8 weeks with an organization called The First Tee, which works with youth to teach them life skills via the game of golf. Starting as young as 5-6 years old, the participants learn to play golf and develop their skills in the sport, but a large aspect of the organization’s mission is to teach children life skills such as integrity, honesty, and responsibility. Through golf they learn to be courteous to those around them and to always act with integrity as well.

Essay On Community Service

Community service does not only have a profound impact on our community, but the impact it has on the individual people is even greater. The concept of community service has always been something that I grew up with, and now that I am older I better understand how important community service is for society. I have participated in community service activities. Starting in elementary school, I helped feed the homeless and rescue animals. Even with my wide range of volunteer experience, it was difficult to find an activity that would be meaningful and fulfill my thirty-hour obligation for my senior project.

Volunteer Scholarship Essay

When I was a little girl, I faced an opportunity that I did not know would be so life-changing. When I was first presented with this opportunity, I wanted to refuse because it seemed so boring and lame. As a kid, I thought I had better ways to use my time. However, I decided to do it, and soon realized that this was a great choice. This time turned out to be one of the best times in my life.

More about Essay About Volunteering

Why Students Should Volunteer - and How to Motivate Them to Participate

What is giving compass.

We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us .

Giving Compass' Take:

•  Basil Sadiq describes why it is critical for students to volunteer to develop their life skills and have opportunities to contribute to society. 

•  How can funders help to facilitate remote volunteering opportunities for students? What causes in your area would benefit from an influx of volunteers right now? 

•  Read about six ways to find high-quality volunteers .

Volunteering is more than spending one’s time actively participating in selfless acts or activities that benefit other people. It has a greater impact on society as a whole. Volunteers are of great help to the community as they immerse themselves in a pool of opportunities. These opportunities are one reason why we need to encourage more students to volunteer.

By volunteering, students develop life skills and become well-rounded individuals.

Starting young provides an opportunity for students to learn and grow into valuable members of society. They develop life skills as they get immersed in activities that are outside of their comfort zones.

Volunteering helps students become competent, employable, and better meet their learning objectives.

Another opportunity to take advantage of is becoming competent and employable after meeting all learning objectives. Volunteering also serves as a training ground for honing students’ skills.

Employers seek volunteer experience from fresh graduates.

Volunteers are reliable, selfless, responsible, and willing to do more than what is asked even without monetary compensation. These are qualities that employers look for when hiring fresh graduates.

Read the full article on student volunteers by Basil Sadiq at Volunteer Match.

More Articles

Five ways volunteering boosts career development, volunteer match, aug 21, 2019, four reasons every teen should volunteer, volunteermatch, mar 3, 2021.

Become a newsletter subscriber to stay up-to-date on the latest Giving Compass news.

Giving Compass Network

Partnerships & services.

We are a nonprofit too. Donate to Giving Compass to help us guide donors toward practices that advance equity.

Trending Issues

Copyright © 2024, Giving Compass Network

A 501(c)(3) organization. EIN: 85-1311683

The power of volunteerism

People the world over engage in volunteerism for a great variety of reasons: to help to eliminate poverty and to improve basic health and education, to tackle environmental issues, to reduce the risk of disasters or to combat social exclusion and violent conflict. In all of these fields, volunteerism makes a specific contribution by generating well-being for people and their communities.

Volunteers are motivated by values like those of justice, equality and freedom as expressed in the United Nations Charter. A society which supports and encourages different forms of volunteering is likely to be a society which also promotes the well-being of its citizens.

More than 1 billion people volunteer globally , the majority of them serving in their own countries. Many are in the forefront of efforts to improve the way they and their fellow citizens are governed and engaged. Moreover, volunteers are playing a vital role in making governments worldwide more accountable and responsive to their citizens.

They are working with governments and civil society to hold those in power to account and to represent the voices of those who are often left out of development decisions such as women, youth and marginalized groups. The end result is more inclusive –and ultimately more effective– development.

Volunteerism is a basic expression of human relationships. It is about people’s need to participate in their societies and to feel that they matter to others. We strongly believe that the social relationships intrinsic to volunteer work are critical to individual and community well-being. The ethos of volunteerism is infused with values such as solidarity, reciprocity, mutual trust, belonging and empowerment, all of which contribute significantly to quality of life.

Volunteerism and well-being

People the world over engage in volunteerism for a great variety of reasons: to help to eliminate poverty and to improve basic health and education, to provide safe water supply and adequate sanitation, to tackle environmental issues and climate change, to reduce the risk of disasters or to combat social exclusion and violent conflict. In all of these fields, volunteerism makes a specific contribution by generating well-being for people and their communities.

Volunteerism also forms the backbone of many national and international non-governmental organizations and other civil society organizations, as well as social and political movements. It is present in the public sector and is increasingly a feature of the private sector.

There is a widespread view today that gross domestic product (GDP) does not provide an adequate picture of a society because it does not account for the well-being of individuals and their communities. Nor does it include activities that have an economic value but that fall outside the market and therefore have not, traditionally, been reflected in national accounts.

Where mainstream economics fosters values of self-interest and competition to achieve maximum satisfaction, a focus on well-being finds greater reason to value compassion and cooperation, both core values of volunteerism. The discourse on quality of life and well-being, and its place in the evolving development paradigm, must recognize the solidarity and reciprocal values of volunteerism as part of the dynamics that enhance human wellbeing.

A healthy society is one in which importance is given to formal and informal relationships that facilitate interaction and engagement and thus engender a sense of belonging. It is also one in which there is broad participation by all sections of the population. Communities with these characteristics do better in moving forward to meet common aspirations.

Volunteers are more likely to develop civic skills, to attach more importance to serving the public interest as a personal life goal and to be more politically active. Thus, in going about their voluntary activities, individuals are also cultivating an outlook that contributes to a social environment that nurtures the well-being of all.

State on the World`s Volunteerism

Our mission is to promote volunteerism

• youtube-play

This website benefits from the continuous support of Online Volunteers. UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

UNV Scam Alert

UNV Privacy Policy

UNV Website Terms of Use

Benefits of a Volunteering Essay Sample

The main advantage of the following volunteering essay sample is that you can use it to write your own paper. If you have difficulties with writing, this essay will help you.

What Are the Benefits of Volunteering and Giving Back? Volunteering means that you willingly give your free time for a cause. You are not paid for volunteer work, but can help people or animals in need, or the environment. But how does the volunteer benefit from volunteering? What do volunteers gain from doing this? 1. Improves your social and relationship skills 2. Improves your well-being 3. Gives new experiences for your career 4. Makes you feel self-fulfilled Improves Your Social and Relationship Skills When you volunteer, you will meet new people with similar interests and have new connections. In the future, these people might support you and help you when you are in need. Volunteering helps you practice and develop your social skills especially if you are reserved (Segal & Robinson). If you volunteer as a group with friends or family, it boosts your relationship with each other as you collaborate in your volunteer work. It also improves teamwork in general whether you are working with people you know or with new people. Improves Your Well-Being Volunteering aids in fighting stress, anxiety, and even in combating depression. It also redirects your attention away from your daily tasks, thus helping you to clear out your mind and feel relaxed. When you connect with people, you will have a support system to help in combating depression, and you will feel less lonely and isolated. It also improves your outlook in life. Meanwhile, working with animals in shelters can ease stress and uplift your mood (Segal & Robinson). Physically, volunteer work makes you more active, especially in a crisis or in emergencies. It also helps to burn fats, as well (Fritz). For seniors, it reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This improves the elasticity of the brain, according to studies from the Journal of Gerontology (Fritz). Moreover, it slows down aging, as seniors feel younger when they are active. Gives New Experiences for Your Career You can volunteer for work that is related to your dream job and add this as working experience in your resume. You can also add the skills in your resume and discuss this during the interview. Some volunteer work needs specific skills like project management, public speaking, and other communication skills. For fresh graduates, volunteer jobs could already serve as work experience since most of them do not have paid working experience yet. Even if your volunteer work is not related to your dream job, some soft skills such as being a team player, responsiveness, and being people-oriented can be added to your cover letter and interview. Makes You Self-Fulfilled When you volunteer, you feel rewarded in assisting others. Making a difference in someone else’s life improves your self-worth and self-esteem, as this can make you feel that you have a purpose in life. Making strangers feel better also makes you feel better and happier. Also, when you willingly work on something that you are passionate about, it energizes you. It is also a way to find out your interest and passion. You can also work for free on similar jobs that you would have liked to work before but were unable because of some criteria you did not meet. A good example of this is working as a reserve for military service. Volunteer work may not make you rich but it is the fulfillment that makes you feel complete as a person. In conclusion, volunteering does not only benefit the recipient of the help, but also the volunteer. You may not receive money from it, but the experience itself is enough payment for the work that you have done. Works Cited Fritz, Joanne. “15 Unexpected Benefits of Volunteering that Will Inspire You.” The Balance Small Business, 24 June 2019, www.thebalancesmb.com/unexpected-benefits-of-volunteering-4132453. Accessed 29 July 2019. Segal, Jeanne, and Lawrence Robinson. “Volunteering and Its Surprising Benefits.” Help Guide, June 2019, www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/volunteering-and-its-surprising-benefits.htm. Accessed 29 July 2019.

From this volunteering essay, you can get valuable ideas and thoughts for your writing. In addition, you can see how to structure the paper and format it in the right way. Our samples always give hints on how to write a paper on the particular topic, but never give direct instructions, because your paper should have your own voice. If it turns out that you don’t know how to start your writing, you can always check out our blog to find helpful guides. We believe that on our blog, you can find all the necessary information that will help you with your writing.

If you can’t write your volunteering essay, then a necessary step should be to place an order on WritingCheap. Despite the fact that there are many cheating writing services, there is no need to be afraid of using our service, because we do everything possible to satisfy customers’ needs. For example, our writers write unique papers, stick to customers’ requirements, and follow academic standards. Moreover, they writer papers of different academic levels, such as high school, college, university, and so on. At the same time, you won’t spend much if you decide to get help from our cheap custom writing service . Don’t hesitate any minute.

~ out of 10 - average quality score

~ writers active

EVENTS & ENTERTAINING

Food & drink, relationships & family, what are the pros and cons of volunteer work, more articles.

How to Deal With Being Disowned

What Are the Rewards of Helping Others?

• Charitable Organizations That Will Help Needy Families
• Advantages & Disadvantages of Low-Income Families
• Programs to Take Care of a Disabled Adult at Home

Jeff Schear/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

It may seem on the surface that there couldn't be a downside to volunteer work. After all, aren't people supposed to give back a little, help others in need and otherwise engage in selfless pursuits? While volunteering is an admirable activity, it's worth pondering some of the potential pitfalls of volunteer work before you dive in. The better you understand the risks and rewards of volunteer work, the better decision you can make for you and your schedule.

Pro: It's Rewarding

By definition, volunteer work is unpaid, so the rewards you reap will be more emotional and perhaps spiritual rather than financial. The non-profit Botanic Gardens Conservation International, which relies on volunteers throughout the world, suggests the advantages of volunteering include "[the] opportunity to give back to society and feel useful," "[to] fill in a gap in your personal life" and "intellectual stimulation and growth."

Con: Time commitment

Once you begin to volunteer and organizers of that particular activity or program see that you're a valuable asset, you make be asked or encouraged to do more. This can lead to scheduling problems and leave less time for school, family, work and other obligations. It's important to know at the outset what the expectations are of your volunteer work and to make clear to organizers just how much time you can devote to the cause. Setting boundaries is a necessary evil in the volunteer world.

Pro: Health improvement

A number of research studies have shown that volunteering, particularly by older adults, provides health benefits. For example, one study published in the February 2009 "Journal of Gerontology" notes that older women who volunteered in elementary school classrooms were not just more active than their counterparts who did not volunteer, but that activity boosted their metabolism to where they were burning twice as many calories. Physical activity and a positive outlook can also help reduce blood pressure, other studies have shown.

Con: Emotional involvement

Volunteering to clean up a park, help in a library or build a house for Habitat for Humanity can be great ways to stay busy and contribute in a positive way to your community, without much of a risk of emotional attachment to those you are helping. But if you volunteer to work with children, abandoned or injured animals, senior citizens, hospital patients or other people in need, you run the risk of involving yourself emotionally. That's not always a bad thing, but it can carry over into your family or work life and leave you sad or anxious about those you're trying to help.

Pro: Community service hours

For students who need community service hours to graduate high school or qualify for scholarships, volunteer work is a particularly important and necessary commitment of time. Some high schools even offer class credit for community service hours. Of course, community service can also be an option for some people who run afoul of the law as a means of avoiding jail time and/or heavy fines.

Con: Frustration

In its report on "Why People Volunteer," the Voluntary Action Directorate of Multiculturalism and Citizenship Canada cites several common turnoffs to volunteering, such as poor organization, a lack of training and assignments that don't fit the volunteers' interests or skills. But another key problem is that volunteers can become so committed and involved in their particular cause, they can easily become frustrated that others don't share their passion. The report states, "Many volunteers care a lot about the work they do and it bothers them that society doesn't place enough value on it."

Pro: Personal Growth

The "Why People Volunteer" report, which polled numerous volunteers of all ages, found that one of the overwhelming responses from those surveyed was that volunteer work revealed interests and skills that had never been realized by the volunteers. The report states, "Among the major rewards and incentives of volunteering appears to be the opportunity for personal growth... Participants mentioned being pleasantly surprised by discovering they are good at doing unexpected things. There was talk of growing self-esteem and confidence with each new challenge tackled and skill learned. Others found that life developed more intensity, more colour, as they were exposed to new experiences that would not ordinarily have come their way."

Related Articles

Charitable Organizations That Will Help ...

Advantages & Disadvantages of ...

Programs to Take Care of a Disabled ...

Similarities and Differences Between ...

The Disadvantages of Poor Time ...

Why Is Family More Important Than Money?

The Effects of Eating Breakfast on High ...

What Are the Benefits of Outdoor ...

Boot Camps for Bad Children

Different Kinds of Social Traps

List of Volunteer Ideas for a ...

Personal Characteristics of an Explorer

Activities for Homebound Elderly

Types of Extrinsic Motivation

How to Find Meaningful Volunteer ...

What Is the Definition of Companionship?

Factors That Affect People's Leisure ...

What Are Independent Living Skills?

• BGCI: Guide to Using Volunteers
• Science Daily: Advantages of volunteering

James Roland is the editor of a monthly health publication that has approximately 75,000 subscribers in the United States and Canada. Previously, he worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, covering issues ranging from the environment and government to family matters and education. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon.

Photo Credits

Making Good Friends

Finding the right career.

• Imposter Syndrome: Causes, Types, and Coping Tips

Personality Types, Traits, and How it Affects Mental Health

Gratitude: the benefits and how to practice it, prayers for anxiety, healing, and coping with life’s challenges, finding joy during difficult times.

• Online Therapy: Is it Right for You?
• Mental Health
• Health & Wellness
• Children & Family
• Relationships

Are you or someone you know in crisis?

• Bipolar Disorder
• Eating Disorders
• Grief & Loss
• Personality Disorders
• PTSD & Trauma
• Schizophrenia
• Therapy & Medication
• Exercise & Fitness
• Healthy Eating
• Well-being & Happiness
• Weight Loss
• Work & Career
• Illness & Disability
• Heart Health
• Childhood Issues
• Learning Disabilities
• Family Caregiving
• Teen Issues
• Communication
• Emotional Intelligence
• Love & Friendship
• Domestic Abuse
• Healthy Aging
• Aging Issues
• Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia
• Senior Housing
• End of Life
• Meet Our Team

Why volunteer?

Benefit 1: volunteering connects you to others, benefit 2: volunteering is good for your mind and body, benefit 3: volunteering can advance your career, benefit 4: volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life, how to find the right volunteer opportunity, getting the most out of volunteering, volunteering and its surprising benefits.

Volunteering can help you make friends, learn new skills, advance your career, and even feel happier and healthier. Learn how to find the right volunteer opportunity for you.

With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering can be enormous. Volunteering offers vital help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and the community, but the benefits can be even greater for you, the volunteer. The right match can help you to find friends, connect with the community, learn new skills, and even advance your career.

Giving to others can also help protect your mental and physical health. It can reduce stress, combat depression, keep you mentally stimulated, and provide a sense of purpose. While it’s true that the more you volunteer, the more benefits you’ll experience, volunteering doesn’t have to involve a long-term commitment or take a huge amount of time out of your busy day. Giving in even simple ways can help those in need and improve your health and happiness.

Benefits of volunteering: 4 ways to feel healthier and happier

• Volunteering connects you to others.
• Volunteering is good for your mind and body.
• Volunteering can advance your career.
• Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life.

One of the more well-known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. Even helping out with the smallest tasks can make a real difference to the lives of people, animals, and organizations in need. And volunteering is a two-way street: It can benefit you and your family as much as the cause you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills.

Make new friends and contacts

One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to a shared activity together. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. It strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network, exposing you to people with common interests, neighborhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities.

Increase your social and relationship skills

While some people are naturally outgoing, others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests. Once you have momentum, it’s easier to branch out and make more friends and contacts.

Volunteering as a family

Children watch everything you do. By giving back to the community, you’ll show them firsthand how volunteering makes a difference and how good it feels to help other people and animals and enact change. It’s also a valuable way for you to get to know organizations in the community and find resources and activities for your children and family.

Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health.

Volunteering helps counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. The social contact aspect of helping and working with others can have a profound effect on your overall psychological well-being. Nothing relieves stress better than a meaningful connection to another person. Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety.

Volunteering combats depression. Volunteering keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which in turn protects you against depression.

Volunteering makes you happy . By measuring hormones and brain activity, researchers have discovered that being helpful to others delivers immense pleasure. Human beings are hard-wired to give to others. The more we give, the happier we feel.

[Read: Cultivating Happiness]

Volunteering increases self-confidence. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. And the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals.

Volunteering provides a sense of purpose. Older adults, especially those who have retired or lost a spouse, can find new meaning and direction in their lives by helping others. Whatever your age or life situation, volunteering can help take your mind off your own worries, keep you mentally stimulated, and add more zest to your life.

Volunteering helps you stay physically healthy. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do not. Older volunteers tend to walk more, find it easier to cope with everyday tasks, are less likely to develop high blood pressure, and have better thinking skills. Volunteering can also lessen symptoms of chronic pain and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Speak to a Licensed Therapist

BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more. Take the assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours.

I have limited mobility—can I still volunteer?

People with disabilities or chronic health conditions can still benefit greatly from volunteering. In fact, research has shown that adults with disabilities or health conditions ranging from hearing and vision loss to heart disease, diabetes or digestive disorders all show improvement after volunteering.

Whether due to a disability, a lack of transportation, or time constraints, many people choose to volunteer their time via phone or computer. In today’s digital age, many organizations need help with writing, graphic design, email, and other web-based tasks. Some organizations may require you to attend an initial training session or periodical meetings while others can be conducted completely remotely. In any volunteer situation, make sure that you are getting enough social contact, and that the organization is available to support you should you have questions.

If you’re considering a new career, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field. Even if you’re not planning on changing careers, volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization. You might feel more comfortable stretching your wings at work once you’ve honed these skills in a volunteer position first.

Teaching you valuable job skills

Just because volunteer work is unpaid does not mean the skills you learn are basic. Many volunteering opportunities provide extensive training. For example, you could become an experienced crisis counselor while volunteering for a women’s shelter or a knowledgeable art historian while donating your time as a museum docent.

[Read: Finding the Right Career]

Volunteering can also help you build upon skills you already have and use them to benefit the greater community. For instance, if you hold a successful sales position, you can raise awareness for your favorite cause as a volunteer advocate, while further developing and improving your public speaking, communication, and marketing skills.

Gaining career experience

Volunteering offers you the chance to try out a new career without making a long-term commitment. It is also a great way to gain experience in a new field. In some fields, you can volunteer directly at an organization that does the kind of work you’re interested in. For example, if you’re interested in nursing, you could volunteer at a hospital or a nursing home.

Your volunteer work might also expose you to professional organizations or internships that could benefit your career.

When it comes to volunteering, passion and positivity are the only requirements

While learning new skills can be beneficial to many, it’s not a requirement for a fulfilling volunteer experience. Bear in mind that the most valuable assets you can bring to any volunteer effort are compassion, an open mind, a willingness to pitch in wherever needed, and a positive attitude.

Volunteering is a fun and easy way to explore your interests and passions. Doing volunteer work you find meaningful and interesting can be a relaxing, energizing escape from your day-to-day routine of work, school, or family commitments. Volunteering also provides you with renewed creativity, motivation, and vision that can carry over into your personal and professional life.

[Read: Building Better Mental Health]

Many people volunteer in order to make time for hobbies outside of work as well. For instance, if you have a desk job and long to spend time outdoors, you might consider volunteering to help plant a community garden, walk dogs for an animal shelter, or help out at a children’s camp.

There are numerous volunteer opportunities available. The key is to find a position that you would enjoy and are capable of doing. It’s also important to make sure that your commitment matches the organization’s needs. Ask yourself the following:

• Would you like to work with adults, children, animals, or remotely from home?
• Do you prefer to work alone or as part of a team?
• Are you better behind the scenes or do you prefer to take a more visible role?
• How much time are you willing to commit?
• What skills can you bring to a volunteer job?
• What causes are important to you?

Consider your interests

You will have a richer and more enjoyable volunteering experience if you first take some time to identify your goals and interests. Think about why you want to volunteer. What would you enjoy doing? The opportunities that match both your goals and your interests are most likely to be fun and fulfilling.

What are your volunteering goals?

To find a volunteer position that’s right for you, look for something that matches your personality, skills, and interests. Ask yourself if there is something specific you want to do or achieve as a volunteer.

For example, you might want to:

• Improve your neighborhood.
• Meet new people with different outlooks or experiences.
• Try something new.
• Do something rewarding with your spare time.
• See new places or experience a different way of living.
• Try a new type of work that you might want to pursue as a full-time job.
• Expand on your interests and hobbies.

Consider several volunteer possibilities

Don’t limit yourself to just one organization or one specific type of job. Sometimes an opportunity looks great on paper, but the reality is quite different. Try to visit different organizations and get a feel for what they are like and if you click with other staff and volunteers.

Where to find volunteer opportunities

• Community theaters, museums, and monuments.
• Libraries or senior centers.
• Service organizations such as Lions Clubs or Rotary Clubs.
• Local animal shelters, rescue organizations, or wildlife centers.
• Youth organizations, sports teams, and after-school programs.
• Historical restorations, national parks, and conservation organizations.
• Places of worship such as churches or synagogues.
• Online directories and other resources (see below).

How much time should you volunteer?

Volunteering doesn’t have to take over your life to be beneficial. In fact, research shows that just two to three hours per week, or about 100 hours a year, can confer the most benefits—to both you and your chosen cause. The important thing is to volunteer only the amount of time that feels comfortable to you. Volunteering should feel like a fun and rewarding hobby, not another chore on your to-do list.

You’re donating your valuable time, so it’s important that you enjoy and benefit from your volunteering. To make sure that your volunteer position is a good fit:

Ask questions. You want to make sure that the experience is right for your skills, your goals, and the time you want to spend. Sample questions for your volunteer coordinator might address your time commitment, if there’s any training involved, who you will be working with, and what to do if you have questions during your experience.

Make sure you know what’s expected. You should be comfortable with the organization and understand the time commitment. Consider starting small so that you don’t over commit yourself at first. Give yourself some flexibility to change your focus if needed.

Don’t be afraid to make a change. Don’t force yourself into a bad fit or feel compelled to stick with a volunteer role you dislike. Talk to the organization about changing your focus or look for a different organization that’s a better fit.

If volunteering overseas, choose carefully. Some volunteer programs abroad can cause more harm than good if they take much-needed paying jobs away from local workers. Look for volunteer opportunities with reputable organizations.

Enjoy yourself. The best volunteer experiences benefit both the volunteer and the organization. If you’re not enjoying yourself, ask yourself why. Is it the tasks you’re performing? The people you’re working with? Or are you uncomfortable simply because the situation is new and unfamiliar? Pinpointing what’s bothering you can help you decide how to proceed.

VolunteerMatch  – Find opportunities that match your volunteer interests, from location to type of work. (VolunteerMatch)

Idealist  – Find volunteer opportunities in your local area or internationally. (Idealist)

National and Community Service  – Federal organization offering volunteer positions across the U.S. (National Service)

Volunteer  – Directory of environmental volunteer opportunities. (Volunteer.gov)

U.S. Peace Corps  – Offers volunteer opportunities overseas and includes a  50 Plus  division. (Peace Corps)

American Red Cross  – Volunteer in any of the Red Cross’s key service areas. (Red Cross)

More Information

• Simple Changes, Big Rewards - A Practical, Easy Guide for Healthy, Happy Living. (Harvard Medical School Special Health Report)
• The Health Benefits of Volunteering: Recent Research (PDF) - Research on the benefits of volunteering, especially for seniors. (Corporation for National and Community Service)
• The many ways volunteering is good for your heart - Includes resources for finding volunteer positions. (Harvard Health Publications)
• 10 Tips on Volunteering Wisely - Tips to make the most of your volunteering experience. (Network for Good)
• Carr, D. C., Kail, B. L., & Rowe, J. W. (2018). The Relation of Volunteering and Subsequent Changes in Physical Disability in Older Adults. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B , 73(3), 511–521. Link
• Kim, E. S., Whillans, A. V., Lee, M. T., Chen, Y., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2020). Volunteering and Subsequent Health and Well-Being in Older Adults: An Outcome-Wide Longitudinal Approach. American Journal of Preventive Medicine , 59(2), 176–186. Link
• Lawton, R. N., Gramatki, I., Watt, W., & Fujiwara, D. (2021). Does Volunteering Make Us Happier, or Are Happier People More Likely to Volunteer? Addressing the Problem of Reverse Causality When Estimating the Wellbeing Impacts of Volunteering. Journal of Happiness Studie , 22(2), 599–624. Link
• Okun, M. A., Yeung, E. W., & Brown, S. (2013). Volunteering by older adults and risk of mortality: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging , 28(2), 564–577. Link
• Salt, E., Crofford, L. J., & Segerstrom, S. (2017). The Mediating and Moderating Effect of Volunteering on Pain and Depression, Life Purpose, Well-Being, and Physical Activity. Pain Management Nursing , 18(4), 243–249. Link

More in Well-being & Happiness

Tips for meeting people and making meaningful connections

How to choose or change career paths and find job satisfaction

Tips to staying healthy as you get older

Imposter Syndrome

What to do when you feel like a fraud at work, school, or in relationships

Your personality impacts your health, mood, and relationships. Here’s what you need to know.

Reaping the mood-boosting effects

Find strength, healing, and support

Daily practices to lift your spirits

Professional therapy, done online

BetterHelp makes starting therapy easy. Take the assessment and get matched with a professional, licensed therapist.

Help us help others

Millions of readers rely on HelpGuide.org for free, evidence-based resources to understand and navigate mental health challenges. Please donate today to help us save, support, and change lives.

More students should choose to do voluntary work during the long holidays rather than working for money. Discuss both views.

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Writing9 with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Fully explain your ideas

To get an excellent score in the IELTS Task 2 writing section, one of the easiest and most effective tips is structuring your writing in the most solid format. A great argument essay structure may be divided to four paragraphs, in which comprises of four sentences (excluding the conclusion paragraph, which comprises of three sentences).

For we to consider an essay structure a great one, it should be looking like this:

• Paragraph 1 - Introduction
• Sentence 1 - Background statement
• Sentence 2 - Detailed background statement
• Sentence 3 - Thesis
• Sentence 4 - Outline sentence
• Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph
• Sentence 1 - Topic sentence
• Sentence 2 - Example
• Sentence 3 - Discussion
• Sentence 4 - Conclusion
• Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph
• Paragraph 4 - Conclusion
• Sentence 1 - Summary
• Sentence 2 - Restatement of thesis
• Sentence 3 - Prediction or recommendation

Our recommended essay structure above comprises of fifteen (15) sentences, which will make your essay approximately 250 to 275 words.

Discover more tips in The Ultimate Guide to Get a Target Band Score of 7+ » — a book that's free for 🚀 Premium users.

• Check your IELTS writing »
• Find writings with the same topic
• View collections of IELTS Writing Samples
• Show IELTS Writing Task 2 Topics

Doctors in many countries are saying that people are not getting enough physical exercise. What are the causes of this and how it can be addressed?

Computers are being used more and more in education. discuss the advantages and disadvantages., the internet has transformed the way information is shared and consumed, but it has also created problems that did not exist before. what are the most serious problems associated with the internet and what solutions can you suggest write at least 250 words, some people think it is more important to spend money on roads and motorways than on public transport systems. to what extend do you agree , these days world leaders of all kinds are younger than in the past. what are the reasons is this a negative or a positive trend.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

The Logic of 'Mandatory Volunteerism'

By Stewart Ain

• March 23, 2003

EMILY FRIED, an 18-year-old senior at Roslyn High School, has put in more than 350 hours of community service at various sites, including at her former elementary school and Hebrew school. It all began because her high school requires students to perform 40 hours of community service in order to graduate.

''If it was not mandatory, I never would have looked into doing it,'' she said. ''But once I started, I liked it. And I have continued doing it because I realize how important it is to help other people. It has been very fulfilling for me.''

Miss Fried added that she believes community service should be mandated at all high schools because ''most kids don't even consider doing community service on their own.''

Beginning with the class of 1997, Roslyn High School students were required to complete 30 hours of community service at any time during the 9th through 12th grades. The standard was increased to 40 hours the following year.

Jayson Stoller, principal of Roslyn High School and vice president of the Nassau County Principals Association, said most of his colleagues ''have been looking at mandating community service for a long time but have not gotten the cooperation of the community.''

Part of the argument against it, he said, is the ''kids' right not to do involuntary servitude.''

Dr. Stoller added that many districts were using Roslyn ''as a model to see how things worked out. Well, things have worked out.''

But a spot check of school districts on Long Island found only three -- Roslyn, Commack and William Floyd -- that require students to perform community service before they graduate. William Floyd, which includes Mastic, Moriches and Shirley, requires 10 hours in the senior year. Commack requires 65 hours -- 15 hours in each of the 9th, 10th and 11th grades and 20 hours in the 12th grade.

William R. Bolton, superintendent of the Copiague schools, said his district considered mandatory community service but decided against it because it is a ''high-need district.''

''Many of our children work to make money because a lot of them are supporting themselves,'' he said. ''We are a 50 percent poverty district and 60 percent minority.''

As an alternative, the Wise Program, a school-business partnership, was developed in which seniors may intern with someone in the business community. ''As long as they are not paid and make a formal presentation about the work they learned, they get credit for it,'' Dr. Bolton said.

The Great Neck school district declined to mandate community service, believing that volunteerism is the ''purest form of community service,'' said William A. Shine, the district superintendent.

''It has been talked about by school administrators, but it has never risen to a board discussion,'' he said. ''The high school principals and faculty feel as though the youngsters are participating, especially as they get into their junior and senior years. The list of things they do is heartwarming. It just seemed to the faculty that when you mandate it, you lose the joy of volunteering.''

Dr. Shine estimated that 40 percent of the 2,000 students in the high school perform community service.

The Port Washington school district also rejected mandatory public service.

''If you say to kids they have to go to an old age home or have a coat drive, they will do it but it is not self-directed, and teaching kids to self-direct and make good decisions is important,'' said Geoffrey N. Gordon, the Port Washington superintendent. ''I don't believe in mandatory community service, I believe in volunteerism.''

He estimated that 75 percent of the district's 1,200 high school students perform 25 to 75 hours of community service in their four years.

''I want to emphasize to students that excellent citizenship and giving to others not only helps others but makes you feel better about yourself,'' Dr. Gordon said. ''Everything today is about what kids get -- toys and computers -- and in school it's important to teach what students can give.''

Eleanor H. Kurz, a Port Washington parent, said she believed it was wrong to impose community service on youngsters.

''Everything today is mandatory and arranged and organized,'' she said. ''I don't believe that people should be like a horse, put in harness and driven down the track. People's minds should be able to grow. We're living in a society where things are more and more controlled, and to have a great society you need to have a society that is inspired by great ideals.''

The Herricks school district considered mandating volunteer community service in 2001, but abandoned the idea when ''students and some others pointed out it can't be both at the same time,'' said John E. Bierwirth, superintendent of the district, which includes New Hyde Park, Williston Park, Manhasset, Roslyn, Albertson and East Williston.

''There is strong interest on the part of students, parents and staff to encourage community service and the question is what is the best way to do that,'' Dr. Bierwirth said. ''I think there is probably universal agreement that the ideal way would be for students to do it on a voluntary basis because it is something that is important and is a way to give back to the community. If you mandate it, you take out the voluntary part.''

He added that ''a tremendous number'' of his district's 1,300 high school students were performing community service, but that the district was now exploring how to get even more involved. ''And there are people who think it should be mandated,'' he said.

A number of school systems nationwide require mandatory community service as a high school graduation requirement, but William W. Reinhard, a spokesman for Maryland's Department of Education, said his is the only state to require it of all its high school students.

Mr. Reinhard said several cities, most notably Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Seattle, have a similar requirement.

Some students around the country fought mandatory service in the courts, claiming it violated the constitutional prohibition of slavery. All of the cases lost.

In the mid-90's, the New York City Board of Education studied the idea and dropped it after finding that some administrators nationwide viewed it as a distraction from academic studies. Last November, the city schools did implement it, but only as punishment.

William K. Costigan, president of the Roslyn school board, said that when the board first broached the idea, there was some apprehension from parents because it was ''always thought of as a punishment.''

''It's a shame school districts are using it as a punishment because our plan in no way has anything to do with punishment,'' he said. ''We just felt there was enough time in four years of high school to take 40 hours and do something to help the community. And when you look back on it, it has proved to be correct.''

Jay H. Pilnick, assistant principal of Roslyn High School and coordinator of the community service program, said most students found the experience so worthwhile they put in substantially more than 40 hours.

''Last year, the average was 114 hours,'' he said. ''There are at least 150 agencies that kids are working with, including local hospitals, nursing homes, Habitat for Humanity, churches and synagogues, the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross and soup kitchens.''

Mr. Pilnick said he met with students and tried to match their interests with the work of the agencies.

''We also invite agencies to speak at our community service class,'' he said. Each student is required to take the one-semester course, which explains community service, multiculturalism and values training.

Daniel H. Ostroff-Moskowitz, 15, a sophomore at Roslyn High School, said he had been working at the gift shop at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens since his freshman year. And last summer he volunteered at Camp Kehilla in Melville, a camp for children with special needs.

''It has given me a new perspective on everything,'' he said, noting that he put in 320 hours of community service at the camp.

Gennifer C. Soren, 16, a junior at Roslyn, said she had amassed more than 500 hours of community service working with children in an afternoon program at the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center in East Hills and in its Teen Council program, in which participants visit old age homes and help at soup kitchens each month.

''I'm not so sure I would have thought of doing this'' if it was not mandated, she said. ''Doing this made me realize that I might want to work with kids'' professionally.

The Jacobson Center is the largest placement site for Roslyn students seeking to perform community service, said Stuart R. Botwinick, director of teen services.

''Last year we had over 200 volunteers perform more than 4,000 hours of community service here,'' he said. ''On any given day we have 15 to 20 students here.''

He said that students from Herricks also volunteer at the Jewish Community Center but that the numbers are not as high because it is not required there. And Mr. Botwinick said he could understand why. ''We made up a list of what kids do after school,'' he said. ''They have homework, extra help, a tutor in every subject, sports, clubs activities and working out at the J.C.C., and they have a job, household chores and want to hang out with friends. There is so much going on in their lives that if it is not required, the numbers doing it are not going to be that high.''

The superintendents of Commack and William Floyd school districts said community service was no longer an issue there because it had been mandated for more than a decade.

''It is historically ingrained in the culture and is part of our mission statement,'' said James H. Hunderfund, the Commack superintendent. ''The value of altruism is something we want in our value system. Our primary mission is academic, but we want the kids to acquire not only skills but attitudes and values to become a contributing member of the community and the greater society.''

Asked about those who object to the coercion of students to perform volunteer activities, Dr. Hunderfund replied: ''How many students would do homework if we didn't require it? I don't think a lot of kids would read all the books and do their assignments. We think it's up to the professionals to decide what is important to learn, and to do that, you have to have them experience it.''

Richard J. Hawkins, the William Floyd superintendent, said the requirement had been ''institutionalized for such a long time, that the students know this is an expectation the district has of them. ''The only feedback is positive,'' he said. ''It connects the kids to the community, and our kids have told us that being connected is important.''

• ABOUT THE PROJECT
• HEALTHY LIVING
• FINANCIAL SECURITY
• SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT

THREE REASONS WHY PEOPLE DON’T VOLUNTEER, AND WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT

By Amy Yotopoulos

“I don’t have enough time and volunteer schedules are too inflexible”

The most common reason for not volunteering is lack of free time (about half of Americans cite this as the main reason), and another common reason is that the volunteer schedules and commitments are too inflexible. Which is interesting because retirees (who presumably have enough time) do not volunteer at higher rates than employees, and people ages 35 to 44 (those most likely to have young children at home and be employed) actually volunteer at slightly higher rates.

One solution is to understand about “volunteering inertia”, which is basically the habit we create by volunteering or not volunteering. Research shows people who volunteer before retirement are more likely to volunteer in retirement (75%). In contrast, only about a third of retirees who did not volunteer while working begin to volunteer in retirement. This suggests there is a “sweet spot” for volunteer recruitment in the years prior to retirement.

Another possible solution is to make volunteering more accessible and automatic. If working parents are volunteering, is most likely at their kids’ schools, which is a location they are already frequenting daily. Employers could encourage volunteerism on-site or in a proximate location. Organizations could be more flexible in the way they use volunteer work, including work that could be done at home, or during evening or weekend hours.

“I don’t have enough information and most volunteer roles aren’t interesting”

Another very common reason is that people don’t have information about where to volunteer, or if they do, the jobs are not meaningful or purposeful. While motivation to volunteer can vary by age, with younger volunteers more motivated by future preparation (such as increasing skills, knowledge, and advancing careers) and older volunteers more likely to cite generativity as a reason for volunteering, most people are motivated to volunteer by personal gratification and having a meaningful experience.

A solution would be for organizations who utilize volunteers to make sure they are matching the skills and experience of their volunteers to the roles they have available. Making copies and coffee are certainly not meaningful to most. Some organizations have a short interview process where they discuss the background of the potential volunteer to closely match it to the needs they have.

The Stanford Center on Longevity produced a report on ways to support intergenerational volunteerism, which included five best-practices strategies. In addition, there are several websites that help individuals find volunteer roles in their area and interest. Yet many individuals still don’t know about these websites that can help access meaningful volunteer roles more adeptly.

“No one asked me to”

One out of 4 people say they don’t volunteer because no one asked them to; so let’s ask! Research shows the organizations that are most successful at recruiting and retaining volunteers have a full-time paid volunteer coordinator. This is the person who invites them to be a volunteer and oversees them throughout the application and training process as well as connects with them routinely during their tenure as a volunteer. Volunteers want to feel included in the goals of the organization, and that their work (even if unpaid) is valued and appreciated.

Employers and schools can help with asking as well. High schools and colleges are already requiring volunteer service, and many employers are offering paid time off to volunteer or including it as a part of their wellness plans.

Creating a new social norm of volunteering

Potential for increasing volunteerism is high if we are able to address these common barriers. By reducing these barriers, we can create a new social norm of volunteering throughout one’s life; where it is expected that everyone volunteers starting from school age and throughout old age. In the pre-retirement years, employers could encourage increasing volunteer hours as they slowly decrease their work hours, so that retirees would be fully integrated into their meaningful volunteer roles in a gradual and seamless transition. The Stanford Center on Longevity is piloting a volunteer project with Santa Clara County. Read more here: http://longevity3.stanford.edu/santa-clara-county-volunteering-survey/

40 Interesting Pros & Cons Of Volunteering

“ Going out and volunteering sounds simple, but many people don’t volunteer because they don’t know where to start.”

Mark Foster, Musician

Advantages & Disadvantages of Volunteering

Volunteering is an altruistic activity where people use their time in order to benefit other people or organizations without getting financial compensation.

Volunteering has become quite popular and offers many important advantages.

Yet, there are also some issues related to volunteering.

Please enable JavaScript

The pros and cons of volunteering are examined in the following.

Audio Lesson

Advantages of volunteering, many different areas of volunteering, you can learn a lot through volunteering, volunteering can help you mature in character, better impression regarding what you want to do with your life, you can make many new friends, you learn how to work in a group, volunteering gives you the opportunity to join a strong network, can look good at your résumé, you get a broader perspective on life, usually lower stress levels compared to a normal job, you can volunteer abroad, high level of inner motivation to help others, can be much more fulfilling compared to a normal job, flexibility regarding time commitment, you can explore new cultures, volunteering gives you the opportunity to give something back, can help to reduce the labor shortage in some professions, you can learn empathy towards other people, volunteering can turn into a regular job after some time, people will often be really grateful for your volunteering work, you will value your own life much more afterward, volunteering helps you to learn responsibility, volunteering can help us to mitigate our environmental problems.

One important advantage of volunteering is that there are almost unlimited different fields from which you can choose from, depending on your individual wishes and preferences.

Therefore, for almost everyone out there, there will be a volunteering opportunity that matches his or her interests.

It has also become quite easy in our current state of the world to find volunteering opportunities since you can just use the internet and search engines and will get plenty of helpful results in just a few seconds.

Hence, everyone who claims that there are no suitable volunteering opportunities for them should research a little bit more. I am sure you will find some if you really want to! 😉

Volunteering also gives you the opportunity to really expand your knowledge in the respective field.

This can be great, especially in case you also plan to get a job in a similar area afterward.

Apart from the hard skills you will learn, you will also learn how to interact with people and how to treat them with respect.

This is also quite important for your later life since if you get good at understanding people, you will have a much higher chance to succeed in various parts of your later life.

Another benefit of volunteering is that you can really grow in character over time.

Especially if you do your volunteering in poor developing countries, you will see under which conditions people have to live there.

Moreover, you will also recognize how hard people have to work in order just to survive in those regions.

All this will really make you a different person who will be much more aware of the struggles that some people have to go through in life.

In turn, you will be able to put your own problems in context and will realize that many people all over the world have it much worse than you.

Volunteering can also help you to realize what you really want to do with your life.

Many people, especially when they are young, struggle to find a real purpose in life.

They often choose to go for an office job that pays well, yet they hate to get up in the morning and are always looking forward to the weekend.

In my opinion, this is a great waste of time and people should rather follow their passions.

However, in order to figure out what your passion really is, volunteering can help you in this regard since you will have the opportunity to do many different things and will also often have enough leisure to think about your life.

Through volunteering, you will also be able to make many new friends.

Chances are that you will be able to meet many like-minded people who are eager to help others and this common trait will be a key driver to make friendships for a lifetime.

Thus, especially if you just moved to a new area or don’t have too many friends due to various other reasons, chances are that you can find many new friends through volunteering.

Working in a group is another important skill which you will often need later on in your life.

In many professions, group work is on a regular basis and if you want to be successful in a corporate career, you have to learn how to deal with different people and different opinions.

Volunteering can be a great way to learn this skill since you will often interact with many different people and can also learn to resolve possible conflicts.

Many volunteering programs also offer you the opportunity to stay in touch with your former colleagues.

Most people will work in regular jobs after they finished their volunteering and therefore, if you have many connections from your volunteering career, you will also have connections to many people who work in many different companies.

In turn, it will often be much easier to get into those companies since you already know a person who can connect you to his or her boss and facilitate the job interview process for you.

Many employers often value your volunteering work quite a lot and volunteering can also look really good on your résumé.

In fact, your chances to get a decent job can greatly increase due to your volunteering work.

Hence, also if you just want to improve your chances to get a good job in big corporations, volunteering can also greatly help you in this regard.

If you engage in volunteering activities, you can also get a much broader perspective on life.

It is shocking to me how many adults still act like children and have a quite narrow view of the world.

If you want to really learn about life and about all the possibilities which it offers to you, volunteering can really help you since you can try many different things, learn and really figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life instead of just pursuing a corporate job which you will most often hate after just a few years.

Most volunteering jobs are also less stressful compared to a normal corporate job.

This can be quite beneficial, especially for your people who are often not able to deal with significant stress in a proper and calm manner.

Hence, volunteering can be great after you finished college in order to get some work experience without having to jump into the cold water of a demanding corporate job yet.

Therefore, if you don’t feel to be ready for a real job yet, volunteering can also be a great way to learn some skills, boost your confidence and work in a job that pays you money later on.

Volunteering also gives you the great opportunity to travel and spend some time abroad.

Many organizations offer you the opportunity to work in poor countries all over the world.

Even though the overall living conditions will be much poorer on average, you will still make many priceless experiences that really shape your character and which will also make you much stronger from the inside.

Thus, if you have the opportunity to volunteer abroad, I would definitely recommend that you go for it for a few weeks or months.

You will come back as a different person, who will be much more aware of how the world really looks like.

Since you will see how people have to live in poor countries all over the world, you will also feel an inner obligation to help those people.

You can do so by volunteering, but you will also carry this attitude towards life back home.

In turn, it will become much more likely that you will donate money or that you continue to do some part-time volunteering work in the future in order to help those people who are often not able to help themselves.

Another upside of volunteering is that it can also be much more fulfilling compared to working in a regular corporate job.

In those office jobs, you will often feel quite demotivated since you will not really see the end result of your efforts.

Moreover, quite often, chances are that you will also not care too much about the company goals.

In contrast, if you go volunteering, chances are that you will feel much more fulfilled since you can really help people with their problems and can make a significant change in the lives of those people.

Many volunteering institutions will also give you the opportunity to work flexible hours.

This is especially true if you volunteer in areas that do not have strict deadlines and where it doesn’t really matter if you do your work today or tomorrow.

This gives you a great level of flexibility and you could even work in a regular part-time job in order to cover your expenses while still volunteering for an organization at the same time.

In case you go volunteering abroad, you will also have the unique chance to explore new cultures.

Quite often, you will work hand in hand with locals and thus, you will really get to know each other.

In turn, you will get to know different cultural values and will also realize how relative cultural values and social norms really are.

You might not have realized it yet, but if you are borne in the rich Western world and are a healthy person, you have already won the lottery.

There are billions of people out there who would do anything to be in your position.

Hence, since you had been so lucky, volunteering also gives you a great opportunity to give something back to people who had not been that lucky.

In fact, many people feel an inner obligation to give back something to our global society and volunteering can be a great way to do so.

In some job markets, many countries suffer from a serious shortage of workers.

For instance, in many countries, there are not enough nurses or caregivers.

If this is the case in the area you live in, you can also do our society a great favor by volunteering in these fields so that the problem of labor shortage in those areas can be mitigated to a certain extent.

Through volunteering, you can also learn great levels of empathy towards others.

Many young people don’t realize how good they really have it in life and that there are so many other people out there who will never have similar opportunities.

If you volunteer and work in professions that let you talk to those people who really struggle in life, chances are that you will learn a much higher level of compassion, which is also quite important for our society as a whole.

If you do your work properly, chances are that you will also be able to get a regular paid job after you finished your volunteering.

Especially if you enjoyed your volunteering time quite a lot, this can be really beneficial for you since you can work in a job you really like while making sufficient money at the same time from your passion.

People will often also show great levels of appreciation for your volunteering work.

Many people don’t take your volunteering for granted and if you help them with their problems, chances are that those people will be really grateful.

Hence, you will also get a great feeling since you know that you did something that has value to other people.

Volunteering often implies to get in touch with people who have to deal with great challenges in their lives.

Especially if you go volunteering abroad, you will see under which poor conditions many people have to live and chances are that you will value your life back home much more once you lived a similar life for a while.

Many young people also lack a sense of responsibility.

They often let their parents do all of the work in the household and also expect their parents to guide them.

However, this is not a healthy attitude towards life since at some point in time, you have to learn to stand on your own feet, to make your own decisions and to live with the consequences.

Volunteering can give you the opportunity to really learn to take on responsibility and to really grow in character, which is quite important for success in various parts of your life.

Through volunteering, you can also help to solve our environmental problems .

Especially if you volunteer in professions which aim to protect our planet, you can raise the awareness of people regarding how important it is to make a change as soon as possible in order to assure a livable future for the next generations.

Disadvantages of Volunteering

You don’t earn money while volunteering, volunteering abroad can be expensive, many volunteers have too high expectations, volunteering abroad means to leave your partner at home, some volunteering organizations are quite dodgy, volunteering abroad may lead to homesickness, confrontation with reality may shock some kids, you may lose motivation for volunteering, volunteering abroad can be dangerous, also volunteering can be real work, you make a certain commitment, may not be suitable if you already have kids, you will be older when you finally get a job, people may have trouble to go back to their normal lives, lack of organization may lead to chaos, requirements in the work world may shock volunteers afterward, dependence on volunteers is dangerous.

Apart from the numerous benefits of volunteering, there are also some downsides to the concept.

One problem with volunteering is that you will not get paid.

This can be a big disadvantage, especially if you already moved out of your parents’ home and have to pay rent or have to cover additional expenses.

In such a case, volunteering can lead to serious financial problems and in such a case, you should look out for volunteering opportunities that at least provide you with sleeping opportunities and board so that you don’t have to pay too much out of your own pocket during this time.

Especially if you volunteer abroad, you often have to pay significant amounts of money for it.

You will have to pay for your flights and often also for your accommodation.

Moreover, there will also be some administration costs for the company which organizes this sort of international volunteering.

Hence, make sure that you can afford volunteering abroad before you decide to go for it.

Another disadvantage of volunteering is that many volunteers simply have far too high expectations regarding the true impact they have for the respective project.

Many volunteers want to change the world and when they finally realize how hard it actually is to make just small differences, many of them become quite frustrated.

Therefore, make sure that you also have a realistic attitude towards volunteering in order to avoid significant disappointments when you will be confronted with the reality of the world.

If you are currently in a relationship, chances are that volunteering may also lead to some problems.

Your partner will not like that you will be away for an extended period of time and many relationships even end due to that.

Therefore, make sure that your volunteering is really worth it for you to leave your partner behind.

Even though most volunteering organizations are trustworthy, there are still some organizations out there that are rather dodgy and you should inform yourself about the different organizations in order to find a reputable one so that your volunteering time will be as pleasant and informative as possible.

If you want to volunteer abroad, you may also suffer from serious homesickness over time.

This is especially true for people who never spent an extensive period away from their homes.

Hence, if you belong to this group, volunteering abroad may not be the best way to go for you and you may want to volunteer in your home area instead.

Another downside of volunteering is that it might be quite shocking for young people to be confronted with the reality of the world.

For instance, if you volunteer in a third-world country, chances are that you will be quite shocked regarding how people have to live in those countries.

Moreover, you will also miss the many amenities which you have back home.

Some people will also lose their motivation for volunteering over time.

Many people are quite motivated at the beginning, yet their level of motivation drops quite quickly.

This is often due to the fact that volunteers do similar jobs like normal workers, but don’t get paid for it at all.

Hence, many people may become quite frustrated over time and may leave their volunteering profession quite soon after they started.

If you want to volunteer in a poor developing country abroad, make sure that it is actually safe to do so. In many parts of our planet, there are still serious conflicts going on and especially for young people, it is often hard to assess the situation in a proper manner, which can lead to serious trouble for you in the long run.

Many people also think about volunteering as a part-time job or even as some sort of vacation.

The truth is that volunteering jobs can be quite demanding and quite often, they are not much less exhausting than normal jobs.

Consequently, if you search for an opportunity to relax, volunteering may not be the right way to go for you.

If you decide for volunteering, you often also sign a contract that aims to assure that you will volunteer in your field for a certain period of time.

After you signed the contract, you will often be obliged to fulfill this contract and therefore, you also make a certain commitment.

Hence, make sure that you really want to volunteer in a certain profession before you sign those sorts of contracts.

Some people also have kids at a rather young age. In case you already have kids, volunteering will likely also not be for you since you have to take care of your kid and also have to make money somehow.

Some people also claim that volunteering is a waste of time since you will be older when you finally enter the workforce.

Hence, if you are one of those people who are really centered around their career and want to get into the workforce as soon as possible, volunteering may also not be the right way to go for you.

As I stated before, volunteering has the ability to really change people.

Even though this can be quite beneficial for character development and to get a broader perspective on life in general, volunteering can also lead to trouble for people to go back to their normal lives.

In fact, many people will lose their motivation to work in boring corporate jobs when they realize how much the world really has to offer.

Thus, some volunteers may also have difficulties to get back into our system after they come back.

Some volunteering organizations are also organized quite poorly and if you work for one of those institutions, chances are that your volunteering profession will be characterized by high levels of chaos.

Hence, make sure to check out reviews so that you can choose the best volunteering organization in order to avoid any trouble.

If you work as a volunteer in a field that is not that demanding, you may also be quite shocked if you join the workforce afterward.

Especially if you switch from volunteering to a demanding corporate career, chances are that you will feel quite overwhelmed since those jobs can be much more demanding.

Thus, volunteering can also give you a flawed perception regarding what will be expected from you in your future work life.

Also for organizations that rely on volunteers, this concept is quite dangerous.

If those organizations are heavily reliant on volunteers to do the work, there will be serious trouble in case there will no longer be enough volunteers due to various reasons.

Hence, the dependence on volunteers should be rather limited in order to avoid unpleasant worker shortages in the long run.

Top 10 Volunteering Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should you volunteer.

As we have seen before, there are many advantages and disadvantages to volunteering.

In my opinion, the pros of volunteering outweigh the cons and if you can financially afford it, I would definitely recommend that you volunteer for a certain period of time in order to grow in character and to figure out what you really want to do with your life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volunteering

https://www.networkforgood.org/volunteer/volunteertips.aspx

https://www.volunteersarnia.com/top-10-volunteering-tips/

About the author

My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues.

As I went to university and got my Master’s degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics.

After finishing university, I traveled around the world. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet.

Wanna make a contribution to save our environment? Share it!

Terms & Privacy Policy

Affiliate Disclosure

As an associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon or other programs.

Please note that all the information I provide on this website is to my best knowledge. However, I will not take any responsibility for incorrect information and will not be liable for any negative consequences that might occur due to the reliance on this information.

Pin It on Pinterest

• Admission help
• Custom essay help
• Writing assignment
• College essay
• Coursework writing
• Custom writing
• Dissertation writing
• Homework help
• Personal statement
• Proofreading
• School papers
• Speech writing
• Thesis help
• Lab report writing
• Ghostwriting
• Book report
• Book review
• Movie review
• Testimonials
• 1-929-999-5210 Copied!
• Write my essay

Argumentative Essay About Voluntary Work

What is volunteer work essay.

Basically, volunteer work or volunteering is the act of individuals working for or on behalf of others or for a certain cause without being paid for their services. Therefore, volunteer work can be defined as assisting the needy in society. This may entail reading to children in a school for the disabled, raising money to reduce poverty, coaching a community team, raising awareness of essential issues in the community, planting trees, and offering counseling and support, including caring for the elderly. In general, volunteer work is commonly seen as an altruistic engagement, designed to promote public good and enhance human life.

Volunteer work comes in numerous forms and is also carried out by a broad range of diverse individuals. Many people involved in volunteering are specifically trained in the area they choose to work in, such as emergency rescue, first aid, medicine, and education. In essence, volunteer work definition covers almost all spheres of life and is available in such institutions as hospitals, schools, homes for the elderly, NGOs, and the military.

Individuals involved in volunteer work may or may not be paid for their work, while their work profits others. All in all, volunteering brings about instrumental social changes both to the involved individual and to society. This can be testified by…

  Do you want to get a custom volunteer work essay written for you from scratch by real masters of their craft? Place an order now, and a professional writer will compose a state-of-the-art original essay in just 3 hours or less!

Order Your Own Unique Essay!

This essay intro has been used by many students, but we can write you a perfect new one!

Order Here!

Need a great paper?

Write essay for me and soar high!

We always had the trust of our customers, and this is due to the superior quality of our writing. No sign of plagiarism is to be found within any content of the entire draft that we write. The writings are thoroughly checked through anti-plagiarism software. Also, you can check some of the feedback stated by our customers and then ask us to write essay for me.

Rebecca Geach

Customer Reviews

Orders of are accepted for more complex assignment types only (e.g. Dissertation, Thesis, Term paper, etc.). Special conditions are applied to such orders. That is why please kindly choose a proper type of your assignment.