Volunteering can sometimes be viewed as an entirely selfless act, with the assumption that you’re sacrificing your time and resources to help others without any benefit to yourself…
But, as many of us know by now, this is far from the truth. Although our primary goal through volunteering may be to help others, we also know that the experience feels awesome!
Before getting started with a volunteer opportunity, it’s important to ask yourself what you’d like to learn or accomplish from the experience. If you jump into an opportunity that doesn’t resonate with what you’re already passionate about on some level or doesn’t aline with your current skills or interests, you could walk away with a negative volunteer experience, which would be a shame!
Whether you’re new to volunteering, we’ve compiled a list of just some of its many benefits to help keep you motivated!
20 Awesome Benefits of Volunteering
1. Reassess your strengths and weaknesses
2. Explore your interests
3. Strengthen past skills
4. Develop new skills
5. Learn something new
6. Become the teacher you never knew you were
7. Broaden your horizons by interacting with new people & places
8. Strengthen your compassion for others
9. Improve or develop new interpersonal skills
10. Gain a natural sense of accomplishment through helping others
11. Achieve a new or strengthened sense of purpose
12. Increase your self-esteem and self-confidence
13. Have a brighter outlook on life
14. Develop a new support system through those you meet volunteering
15. Improve your physical health through more active volunteer opportunities
16. Improve your overall mental health by helping others
17. Experience greater happiness through volunteering
18. Expect a healthier and longer life expectancy when you’re a regular volunteer
19. Advance your career through new connections, work experience and skills
20. Experience more fun and greater life fulfillment
Source: givegab.com
