Volunteering can have a meaningful, positive impact to your Association, but did you know that it also can provide many benefits for you too? Here are some reasons to volunteer:
Learn or develop a new skill
Volunteering is a great way to discover something you are really good at or to further develop an existing skill. It is never too late to develop new skills. Volunteer activities are wonderful opportunities to try new things and develop expertise in new areas that can enhance your career and personal life. Volunteer work can contribute to both skill development and in improving leadership skills.
Be a part of your Professional Association
Like many associations, CAPPA depends on volunteer support to advance our mission to our membership. Volunteering helps both the association and your colleagues. What better way to connect with your professional association and give back to the membership than to volunteer of your time.
Sense of accomplishment
Volunteering is about the giving of your time, energy and skills freely and we know there is choice involved in how and where you give of your time, energy and skills. Volunteers come away with a joyful sense of achievement from the enthusiasm they brought to the task. Every volunteer can make a difference and giving of your skills and time provides a wonderful sense of accomplishment.
Enhance your career options
Surveys report that a majority of employers would recruit a candidate with volunteering experience over one without, and believe that volunteering can add to skills. Employees on the other hand who have volunteered and learned new skills, benefit in getting their first job, improving their salary or being promoted.
Explore new interests
The busyness of our professional and personal lives can be hectic and volunteering can give us an escape from the everyday routine and help to create balance in our lives. Finding new interests is always fun. The energy that can come from volunteering can also spill over into other areas of your life and aide in overall fulfillment. Sometimes volunteering helps you discover new areas of interests and can strengthen your professional or personal life.
New experiences
Volunteering is a superb way to gain life experience and to meet new people. Diversity of volunteers provide significant networking opportunities as well. Both your fellow volunteers and those that benefit from your volunteer work can be a rich source of inspiration and help to develop your interpersonal skills. There is also the opportunity to develop lasting personal and professional relationships. Networking is an exciting benefit of volunteering and you never know you will meet or how you may impact each other’s lives.
Send a signal to your employer, instructors, fellow members, friends and family
Those around you will recognize that you are involved in volunteer pursuits, are learning new skills and appreciate your work towards a rewarding work/school-life balance. Volunteering reflects good character, dedication and commitment and you can be an inspiration to others.
Companies know that supporting volunteerism is viewed favorably by job prospects
Employers look for ways to motivate and retain employees and many see supporting volunteerism as an employee benefit. Many younger employees say that they would prefer to work for a company that provides opportunities to them to apply their skills and to benefit others through volunteering than a company that doesn’t. Older employees who are beginning to think about retirement and are seeking new hobbies or ways to give back are also interested in volunteering.
Studies show that there are positive health effects to volunteers such as lower heart disease, less stress and depression than with non-volunteers.
