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3 Little Known Benefits of Volunteering for a Non-Profit

August 9, 2023

We know how it feels to have a burning desire to be a part of the change you want to see in your community.

We’ve operated as a non-profit organization serving adults with developmental disabilities in Santa Clara County for over 20 years. We’ve come across many people since then but none so pivotal as our volunteers who’ve been a driving force behind our organization’s impact.

The sentiments behind why people come back to volunteer with us always puts a smile on our faces. Volunteering not only has allowed people to feel like they are a part of our mission but be a part of the change they want to see for a community they care deeply about, adults with developmental disabilities.

In this blog, we’ll uncover the surprising ways in which being a helping hand could contribute to building a stronger community relationship, learning new skills, and improving physical health.

Stronger Community Bonds

Communities are built on relationships, and volunteering serves as a catalyst for forging stronger bonds within them. When volunteers come together with a shared goal of making a positive impact, a sense of camaraderie emerges.

People of all different backgrounds come together for a shared purpose. This provides the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals and create new friendships or expand your professional network. This often happens with volunteers who join their favorite non-profits endeavors monthly but we’ve also seen a connection happen after one event.

We’ve also had a flux of individuals who’ve shared that after moving to the South Bay area they saw volunteering as the perfect opportunity to get to know the community better and learn about local resources.

Volunteering at a nonprofit is ideal for the individual who just moved into town and wants to learn about local collective efforts but also for the individual whose lived in an area long term and wishes to build a tighter-knit fabric with their community.

Skill Building

Volunteering is an often overlooked opportunity to expand skill sets and personal growth. Non-profits may not always have the appropriate number of staff to fill important roles across different departments that would otherwise come with a list of job requirements. This leaves a window of opportunity to do tasks typically associated with a non-profit and even a corporate job role.

This could look like doing leadership-related duties, event planning, marketing, and fundraising. Let’s go over a couple of these.

Leadership

Non-profits notice when you dedicate your time to helping them and especially when you become a familiar face during volunteering events. These individuals with a passion to help further an organization’s mission will often get asked about their interest in fulfilling a leadership-type role where they might help guide new groups of volunteers or coordinate activities.

Marketing

You’ll notice non-profits host events throughout the year and these typically help with fundraising efforts. There is much content creation, event planning, and day-of-event duties that a nonprofit’s marketing team must take care of.

Any extra set of helping hands could really help the marketing team by spreading the word about the organization’s mission and helping the execution of events be as seamless as possible.

Consider doing volunteer work for a non-profits marketing team and grow your knowledge of event planning, and other fundamental marketing practices.

The exposure to a range of diverse responsibilities directly grows and sharpens skill sets such as adaptability, communication, problem-solving, creative thinking, and teamwork.

Volunteering can be an invaluable training ground for honing both hard and soft skills, enhancing an individual’s self-confidence and competency.

Improving Physical Health

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Volunteering is known to help mental well-being but also extends its reach into improving physical health. Many volunteer activities involve physical exertion, such as organizing events, participating in cleanup projects, or engaging in outdoor activities.

This increase in physical activity levels can have a direct impact on cardiovascular health and overall fitness. Regular physical activity has been linked to lowering the risk of disease, weight management, and improving cholesterol levels.

Volunteering truly embraces the essence of giving and the journey of self-growth. It allows individuals to be part of a rewarding path of societal change, human connection, and gaining new skill sets. Our volunteers have been a remarkable part of our growth and contributed to our residents live quality lives in the community where they can thrive.