How Community Service Impacts More Than Just The Community

By Sebastian Troup


Community service is something that people want to accomplish since it is considered to be a "feel good" activity though we don't always have the time for it. This is quite apparent since everyone is so busy with their work and family. However, there are several reasons why volunteering is a good use of your time while at the same time also an opportunity to feel good about yourself.

Community service improves your community, and this is the most obvious reason. Why not take the time to make the community that you live in better? Simply by volunteering a few hours a month, you can have a huge impact with just a small investment of your time. Volunteer activities can include events such as park and street cleanups, local school projects, serving food at your local food pantry, helping with youth activities, and more. Volunteering in these activities will have high returns where it matters most to you and your family.

Your share in the volunteering work becomes exemplary to others. Not only are you making a huge difference with the community, but this also inspires your family and friends to volunteer. If you have children, you can use this opportunity to teach them about the importance and the fun of volunteerism. It is a good idea to find a volunteer opportunity that allows children to take part in such service. At a very early age, they will be able to grasp the idea that giving back is not only the right thing to do, but also helping others and the environment can create a better future for everyone. You also can create group volunteer events and invite your friends and ask them to participate. Social media is a very powerful tool that can be used to invite friends to join in and also spread the word throughout the community.

Many companies offer some sort of workplace volunteer program, which allows you to volunteer a certain amount of hours per month that are approved during work hours. Why not use this time to benefit the community? It's free time that you are already paid for, so take advantage and invite family members and friends to partake in group activities during work hours to get the most out of it. If your company does not have a workplace volunteer program, make sure to ask your management about it to help get one started!

Volunteerism enhances your skills and you gain more experience. This is one benefit that many don't realize, but is maybe one of the most important reasons to volunteer. You may have seen terms about volunteering such as "micro-volunteering" or "skills based volunteering." These are new concepts that are proving to be the most valuable to volunteers and organizations. Micro-volunteering or skills based volunteering means taking the skills you possess (often through your work experience) and applying it to a volunteer opportunity in small increments of time.

For example, many nonprofits do not have in-house web designers. If you are a web designer, your skills are in high demand. Taking time to volunteer every couple of weeks for a few hours and applying your design skills to an organization in need will have a huge impact for only a small commitment of your time. Not only will the organization benefit from it, but you will also gain additional experience by honing your skills. For freelance web designers, this is a great opportunity to do some pro-bono work that could potentially lead to a long-term contract with the organization once they see how well you do volunteering.




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