Featured: Top Tips for Youth Volunteering

It seems as though there are more and more youth involved in service every year.  And why not? There are a ton of great reasons to get involved: here and here and here. Whatever your reasons for volunteering, we want to help you make the most of your experience! If all goes well, volunteering should be a win-win…you will get some rewards from it and the organizations you are helping should get some valuable assistance.

While getting involved isn’t rocket science, there are things that you should keep in mind…

Passion and Interests

1. First, think about what you want to DO! What do you care about? What causes are your passionate about or interested in? What injustices or problems make you angry? How would you like to make the world better? The possibilities are almost endless: feeding the hungry, teaching kids sports, finding good homes for animals, preserving the natural spaces around us, growing organic food, making sure senior citizens have a good afternoon by playing board games or Wii, providing therapy to kids through horseback riding, escorting patients at a hospital, passing out gifts at Christmas, organizing files for a nonprofit office, performing in a play or helping kids with art projects. We could go on for hours and hours.

There really is something for almost everyone…the trick is, figuring out what matters most to YOU.  Look at this year’s VolunTEENS Opportunities list to get an idea of things you can do in your community: More than 240 opportunities at more than 100 organizations!

It’s like a job, sort of…

2. Approach finding a volunteer job like you would approach finding a paying job.  Always be polite, prompt and professional.  A volunteer coordinator is on the lookout for people that can do the job AND be good representatives of their organization. At risk of sounding like a parent: always be on your best behavior! If you do, you’ll not only take away a great experience and the respect of your supervisor(s), but you’ll have a great reference to use for a future job application! (Trust us, you’ll need this…)

Tick tock, tick tock

3. Realize that the process takes time.  They say that time is money….as it turns out, nonprofits have a limited supply of both.  If you decide you’d like to volunteer (or need to volunteer), we can’t stress this enough: Do NOT wait until the last minute, and be patient! It may take a bit of time for the organization to get back to you (no one working at a nonprofit organization is sitting around with their feet up, waiting for you to call…we’re all swamped with a mile-long to-do list…that’s why we need your help!)

After they get in touch with you, there may be other steps involved, such as an application, phone interview, in-person interview, reference checks, orientation session or training. Every organization is different, so every process is different. Just give yourself plenty of time to get started.  If you want to volunteer for the summer, apply a month or a month and a half before summer begins.  Interested in holiday volunteering? Give yourself 2-3 months.

If the process moves quickly, you can be pleasantly surprised, right?

Don’t over-commit

4. Remember that nonprofit organizations can be flexible with your schedule, but that doesn’t mean that you can just stroll in and out whenever you feel like it. Let them know ahead of time about your scheduling needs, ask what they expect from you and make sure that you show up when you are expected to.  If you have family vacations, sports camps, other camps, job, school and social obligations, that’s understandable. Nonprofits get that too. Just be upfront with them and be reliable. You’ll gain a good reference and have a better experience.  We would recommend starting slow and not committing to a full schedule right away…until you have a good handle on the amount of time you have.

If you’ve never volunteered before, another option is to try out special events or one-time episodic opportunities, rather than signing up for an ongoing commitment. We have a regularly updated list here.

Two heads are better than one…sometimes

5. Sign up with a friend or family if you can.  This will not work for all volunteer jobs, as some of them just don’t take two people to accomplish!  But, if you check with the organization and you and your friend or family members all submit applications, it can be a great social activity while you are doing good! Just be sure to keep your attention on the task at hand and don’t fall behind on the job because you are distracted by your friends.

Have fun!

6. Above all, enjoy your experience.  It may not be 100% fun every minute, but try to take pleasure and pride in the fact that you’re doing something that is helping others, getting yourself out of your comfort zone and teaching you something! A good sense of humor and flexibility will help you go far!

For some more advice and guidance, here is a fun way to think about getting involved.

As always, Volunteer Kalamazoo is here to help you! Contact us by phone, 269.382.8350 or via email with any questions you still have.

Be sure to visit our VolunTEENS page to get started and happy volunteering!

Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.
Martin Luther King Jr.

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• Adventures in Volunteering » Student Volunteering: There’s still plenty to do! October 18, 2011 at 3:40 pm

  [...] check out our top tips for youth volunteering before you get [...]