Thank-You Volunteers

Do you volunteer? There are both intrinsic and extrinsic benefits to volunteering. The intrinsic include a feeling of connection with a community, the satisfaction of selflessly helping others and the friendships you make. The extrinsic benefits can be improving your profile and employment prospects making business connections and potentially working your way into a paid role.

The benefits to the country are profound, and Australians have an international reputation as generous volunteers. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has calculated that if we had to pay every volunteer in Australia for the work they do for free, it would cost each household $4,000 a year. Volunteering does not necessarily mean menial labour (although it often does) I have volunteered for many years to supply training to other community groups on topics of interest.

Modern life is very busy and people find it hard to make the time commitment often needed to volunteer. I have met some people who volunteer only 1 hour a month to edit and format a community organisation’s newsletter. This form of volunteering is called “Micro-Volunteering” and is a growing trend so the time commitment to volunteer does not need to be unmanageable.

Taking a break from your routine life can be as good as a holiday and volunteering can give you this break in routine.