“I just want to help wherever I am needed the most”. I hear that a lot when interviewing volunteers. People say it with the best of intentions. But really all it does is increase their chances of having a bad volunteer experience.
When you have a good time volunteering everyone wins so take time to find the right fit.
First decide what energizes you. Do you like to be around kids, seniors, or animals? Do you have a passion for education, healthcare, homelessness, or feeding the hungry? There are a lot of causes out there, all which need help.
Take time to research what the needs are and where they take place. The Internet has some great sites available, just Google volunteerism along with your cause and location. Contact your local volunteer center, talk to your neighbors, faith organizations, or city officials.
When you identify and contact an organization be patient. Often the person you need to speak with is managing more than the administration of volunteers. Feel free to call them if they haven’t returned your call.
Interview the organization. Make sure the position you are interested in is still available. Find out about the agency’s mission, and history in the community. Ask lots of questions: are they ready to engage your skills and time the way you expect; is there training for the job you will be doing; do they have a process to evaluate and advance volunteers within the organization, how often and for how long will your commitment be; what is the dress code.
Do a site visit. Will you be comfortable in that environment? The thought of helping a certain population may sound great on paper but the reality might mean spending time in uncomfortable surroundings.
This may sound like a lot to do when all you want to do is help. But it will make a difference. Your experience will be better because you know what you are getting into. The agency will benefit from the experience too. Not only will they have one more person helping them, they will have another volunteer saying good things about them in the community.
If the process of getting started sounds too overwhelming take a short cut, contact your local Volunteer Center. They can help you get connected.
Volunteer opportunities you may want to check out include: Home of the Sparrow’s new thrift in Woodstock. They are looking for volunteers to operate the store; Rebekah’s house is looking for volunteers to help with their annual picnic; The Crystal Lake Park District needs volunteers to organize games and activities for seniors; Girls on the Run of McHenry County needs volunteers to help with their June Wondergirl 5K race; Salvation Army is looking for volunteers for Donut Days; and The Light Center is looking for a person to manage small repairs. To get more information about these and other volunteer opportunities visit, www.volunteermchenrycounty.org or call 815-344-4483.
Only 211 days left this year to find a place to volunteer. Thanks if you are already helping!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Researching Your Volunteer Efforts
“I just want to help wherever I am needed the most”. I hear that a lot when interviewing volunteers. People say it with the best of intentions. But really all it does is increase their chances of having a bad volunteer experience.
When you have a good time volunteering everyone wins so take time to find the right fit.
First decide what energizes you. Do you like to be around kids, seniors, or animals? Do you have a passion for education, healthcare, homelessness, or feeding the hungry? There are a lot of causes out there, all which need help.
Take time to research what the needs are and where they take place. The Internet has some great sites available, just Google volunteerism along with your cause and location. Contact your local volunteer center, talk to your neighbors, faith organizations, or city officials.
When you identify and contact an organization be patient. Often the person you need to speak with is managing more than the administration of volunteers. Feel free to call them if they haven’t returned your call.
Interview the organization. Make sure the position you are interested in is still available. Find out about the agency’s mission, and history in the community. Ask lots of questions: are they ready to engage your skills and time the way you expect; is there training for the job you will be doing; do they have a process to evaluate and advance volunteers within the organization, how often and for how long will your commitment be; what is the dress code.
Do a site visit. Will you be comfortable in that environment? The thought of helping a certain population may sound great on paper but the reality might mean spending time in uncomfortable surroundings.
This may sound like a lot to do when all you want to do is help. But it will make a difference. Your experience will be better because you know what you are getting into. The agency will benefit from the experience too. Not only will they have one more person helping them, they will have another volunteer saying good things about them in the community.
If the process of getting started sounds too overwhelming take a short cut, contact your local Volunteer Center. They can help you get connected.
Volunteer opportunities you may want to check out include: Home of the Sparrow’s new thrift in Woodstock. They are looking for volunteers to operate the store; Rebekah’s house is looking for volunteers to help with their annual picnic; The Crystal Lake Park District needs volunteers to organize games and activities for seniors; Girls on the Run of McHenry County needs volunteers to help with their June Wondergirl 5K race; Salvation Army is looking for volunteers for Donut Days; and The Light Center is looking for a person to manage small repairs. To get more information about these and other volunteer opportunities visit, www.volunteermchenrycounty.org or call 815-344-4483.
Only 211 days left this year to find a place to volunteer. Thanks if you are already helping!
When you have a good time volunteering everyone wins so take time to find the right fit.
First decide what energizes you. Do you like to be around kids, seniors, or animals? Do you have a passion for education, healthcare, homelessness, or feeding the hungry? There are a lot of causes out there, all which need help.
Take time to research what the needs are and where they take place. The Internet has some great sites available, just Google volunteerism along with your cause and location. Contact your local volunteer center, talk to your neighbors, faith organizations, or city officials.
When you identify and contact an organization be patient. Often the person you need to speak with is managing more than the administration of volunteers. Feel free to call them if they haven’t returned your call.
Interview the organization. Make sure the position you are interested in is still available. Find out about the agency’s mission, and history in the community. Ask lots of questions: are they ready to engage your skills and time the way you expect; is there training for the job you will be doing; do they have a process to evaluate and advance volunteers within the organization, how often and for how long will your commitment be; what is the dress code.
Do a site visit. Will you be comfortable in that environment? The thought of helping a certain population may sound great on paper but the reality might mean spending time in uncomfortable surroundings.
This may sound like a lot to do when all you want to do is help. But it will make a difference. Your experience will be better because you know what you are getting into. The agency will benefit from the experience too. Not only will they have one more person helping them, they will have another volunteer saying good things about them in the community.
If the process of getting started sounds too overwhelming take a short cut, contact your local Volunteer Center. They can help you get connected.
Volunteer opportunities you may want to check out include: Home of the Sparrow’s new thrift in Woodstock. They are looking for volunteers to operate the store; Rebekah’s house is looking for volunteers to help with their annual picnic; The Crystal Lake Park District needs volunteers to organize games and activities for seniors; Girls on the Run of McHenry County needs volunteers to help with their June Wondergirl 5K race; Salvation Army is looking for volunteers for Donut Days; and The Light Center is looking for a person to manage small repairs. To get more information about these and other volunteer opportunities visit, www.volunteermchenrycounty.org or call 815-344-4483.
Only 211 days left this year to find a place to volunteer. Thanks if you are already helping!
Some Seniors Could Use a Lift
We all know that transportation is an issue in McHenry County. Getting around can be a nightmare at times. But if you are an older adult who no longer has a driver’s license transportation becomes a nightmare of another sort.
Our senior population in McHenry County is around 25,000. That is a lot of seniors who, if not now, someday are going to need rides. Family and friends are not available as much as they have been in the past making transportation a growing problem.
Faith In Action and Senior Services are non-profits that help provide transportation to seniors. They do an impressive job. However, the need is so great that most of the time these organizations can only provide rides to doctor visits and grocery stores. Visiting friends, rides to hair appointments and hardware stores, or just taking a drive to a memorable place in your past no longer exists for many homebound seniors.
May 4 First Congregational Church in Crystal Lake added to their service day a ‘Sunday Drive’. Volunteers from this church were matched up with seniors. For two hours the volunteers chauffeured the seniors to wherever they wished to go. My hope is that the volunteers who participated enjoyed the gift they gave to these seniors and more rides will become available down the line.
In the last few weeks Crystal Lake, Lake in the Hills, McHenry, and Woodstock signed proclamations declaring April 27 to May 3 to be National Volunteer Week. These proclamations spoke loud about connection to community, working together toward common goals and solving human and social problems. They reinforce the need to get involved, and take action (like driving older adults).
It is time to become part of a solution. Turn off the TV and video games. Look around your neighborhood, community, and schools. Find out who needs help. Visit our website, www.volunteermchenrycounty.org. Along with providing transportation for seniors you will see non-profits that are looking for volunteers to: replace a garage door; help out at a gala event supporting kids, clean a bunny cage; repair and organize a medical closet; mentor women to reach their goal; unpack boxes for a senior; video tape a training session; and teach a child how to ride a bike. No matter what your time and interests are there is a place for you to help.
If you already volunteer – kudos to you, if you don’t, you have 239 days left this year to get involved.
Our senior population in McHenry County is around 25,000. That is a lot of seniors who, if not now, someday are going to need rides. Family and friends are not available as much as they have been in the past making transportation a growing problem.
Faith In Action and Senior Services are non-profits that help provide transportation to seniors. They do an impressive job. However, the need is so great that most of the time these organizations can only provide rides to doctor visits and grocery stores. Visiting friends, rides to hair appointments and hardware stores, or just taking a drive to a memorable place in your past no longer exists for many homebound seniors.
May 4 First Congregational Church in Crystal Lake added to their service day a ‘Sunday Drive’. Volunteers from this church were matched up with seniors. For two hours the volunteers chauffeured the seniors to wherever they wished to go. My hope is that the volunteers who participated enjoyed the gift they gave to these seniors and more rides will become available down the line.
In the last few weeks Crystal Lake, Lake in the Hills, McHenry, and Woodstock signed proclamations declaring April 27 to May 3 to be National Volunteer Week. These proclamations spoke loud about connection to community, working together toward common goals and solving human and social problems. They reinforce the need to get involved, and take action (like driving older adults).
It is time to become part of a solution. Turn off the TV and video games. Look around your neighborhood, community, and schools. Find out who needs help. Visit our website, www.volunteermchenrycounty.org. Along with providing transportation for seniors you will see non-profits that are looking for volunteers to: replace a garage door; help out at a gala event supporting kids, clean a bunny cage; repair and organize a medical closet; mentor women to reach their goal; unpack boxes for a senior; video tape a training session; and teach a child how to ride a bike. No matter what your time and interests are there is a place for you to help.
If you already volunteer – kudos to you, if you don’t, you have 239 days left this year to get involved.
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