Volunteering and its Place in the Workplace
Volunteering... the act of serving others without any expectation of anything in return. The truth about volunteering is that you really do get something in return. Read on to hear about the hidden blessings for you and your business if you are proactively volunteering.
We all have free time. How do you spend yours? Martha and I spend a significant portion of our free time investing in married couples. We have found that our time invested in other couples results in their marriages becoming stronger, and ours as well. Not everybody is cut out for marriage mentoring, but one of the beauties of volunteering is following that natural impulse to do what you’re already passionate about in a way that freely aids others.
WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?
Maybe for you it’s helping the homeless, struggling single moms, people battling with addictions, shut-ins who can’t help themselves within their own home, pets in a shelter, or orphans in need. Whatever it is, we all need an outlet for our energy and strength that is not work related. When we volunteer it feeds our souls; it encourages us to see the impact of our time invested in others. Whenever you give of yourself to others, you will receive an equal benefit. It’s not why we do it; it is an added gift. When you touch the lives of others in need, it is like you are an extension of the hand of God in their lives.
BUSINESS LEADERS SHOULD ENCOURAGE VOLUNTEER WORK
You may be asking, “Jim, why are you talking about volunteering in a business blog?” Since people run businesses and people have inherent needs to give of themselves in order to truly be alive, I am encouraging all of you business owners to encourage volunteer work. Your people will be more well-rounded and fulfilled.
When I say encourage, I mean volunteer alongside of them. Find something your whole staff can be excited about and do it together. Not a mandatory activity, those need to be paid for. I am talking about adopting a mission/ministry/organization that needs volunteers and do the volunteer work as a team. Build goodwill with your employees.
Maybe you work alone or you are not a business owner. That’s fine. There is an organization that you already know needs you. Go invest in that organization with your time. You will see the benefit and you will be helping others. You can even gather of group of like-minded friends to volunteer together.
Volunteering is like salve to a wound. When you volunteer, you pour out yourself, yet you never become empty. Incorporating a volunteer atmosphere in your business will make a huge impact on all those involved.
READY TO VOLUNTEER OR FIND A NEW WAY TO SERVE?
Great! VolunteerMatch.org provides a simple way to get started. Just type in your zip code and a keyword that describes what you care about (or browse pre-made interest categories) and a list of volunteer opportunities that match your interests will appear. From there you can click the ‘Learn More’ button under any of the volunteer listings that interest you and even message them directly from the website to express your desire to volunteer.
About the Author, Jim Brangenberg
Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!