VolunteerCentered » Volunteering

Everyday Volunteering: Finding Your Balance

James Higginbotham — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:39:59 +0000

It can be easy to go from being a newbie to an experienced volunteer in a new team. Once you get beyond the learning curve, it becomes easier to think “I have this down” and start saying ‘yes’ to new opportunities. This tends to happen during the first few months after coming to Christ, or when you have found a good match for your volunteer time. Don’t let the excitement fool you into making a big mistake!

Be sure to find a balance between the excitement you are experiencing today and the things you want sign up for tomorrow. I’ve seen too many volunteers burn out by taking that excitement of volunteering and turning it into “sign up for everything fuel” that never stops saying ‘yes’.

While being willing to go above and beyond for a short time may be acceptable, be careful not to jeopardize your family or other volunteers by signing up for extra work that you can’t balance. Our egos have a great time making us think that we’ll have time to help out a little extra, but we often overestimate the time we have and underestimate the time it takes to get things done. This leads to hurt feelings, burnout, and sometimes self-destruction.

Excited about an additional opportunity? Great! Use this excitement to recruit a friend or acquaintance to help out rather than burning out.

Find your balance. Stick to it. Make sure your excitement today will last tomorrow.

Everyday Volunteering: Finding Your Foundations

James Higginbotham — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:39:05 +0000

Now that you have a place to volunteer your time, it is important to build integrity into your service. A foundation of integrity will help both you and your leader be more effective and have more fun. The following five tips will guide you as you start out on your new volunteer role:

Honor your commitments – If you signed up to serve at a specific time, honor it
Give plenty of notice when you are unavailable – telling your leader 24 hours before an event that you can’t serve your scheduled time isn’t appropriate unless it can’t be helped
Catch problems early – is your new volunteer role not working out? Tell your leader early. Don’t drag it out, as it isn’t healthy for either of you
Give it your everything – just because you are volunteering your time doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your best
Be prepared and on time – make sure you are prepared to volunteer when the time comes. Be there on time and ready to start

Take some time to review this list and commit to making your volunteer time the best it can be. You and your leader will appreciate it!

Everyday Volunteering: Finding Your Serve

James Higginbotham — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:37:38 +0000

Serving in a role that matches your skills and passions is important. Without this kind of match, it can be difficult to find the energy to keep going when things get tough. Here are some ideas to help you find a good fit for your next volunteer opportunity:

Seek God – God must come first in the decision making process. Let God guide, narrow, and decide
Match your likes – make a list of things you enjoy. This may be the same as your profession, or it may be something completely different
Skip your dislikes – don’t select something that isn’t a good fit. Don’t like being around infants? Don’t sign up to help in the nursery
Consider the commitment – ask how long you’re required to commit, then consider before accepting. You may find something that matches your skills but will require too much time away from your family
Be willing to say ‘no’ – saying ‘no’ is a good thing. If something doesn’t seem right, say no. Otherwise, you’ll feel stuck and won’t enjoy your volunteer time

Filter your opportunities. Find good matches. Narrow and choose. Use these tips to help you find your next volunteer opportunity and you’ll have plenty of joy while giving your spare time.