By Kristine Villaflor
Have you ever asked yourself what’s your purpose in this world? I guess every one of us – at some point in our lives – has thought of this. From our childhood to adulthood, we are challenged to find our significant self. If you want to work toward your purpose by contributing and helping, this post is for you.
Kristine volunteers at the Chatham Habitat for Humanity office.
Andy Lewis, the author of “No Greatness Without Goodness,” claims that all people – including businesses – have the responsibility to make the world a better place. It doesn’t matter how small or big your contribution is; what matters is you are making a difference and impacting the lives of others.
Giving back creates a proven enticing result for the one who gives. For individuals, giving can have enormous benefits mentally and physically. Volunteering can help you make more friends, learn new skills and feel happier and healthier. Here are some positive outcomes for individuals:
Meeting New Friends – You will get acquainted with many different people – from staff to co-volunteers – you meet on your volunteer journey. Chances are that all the people that you will meet you share the same passion and interest that can lead beyond volunteering to networking and connections.
Never Stop Learning– From either honing your existing skills or discovering new things, there are so many ways to learn. It is not always necessary to be skilled in your volunteer task beforehand; in fact, your passion and dedication to learn new things is more important.
Feel Happy and Healthy– There’s always joy in helping, especially when giving back to people gives you fun and fulfillment. This is proven with scientific research (below) that aging with purpose is really good for your health.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Mahatma Gandhi
For businesses, helping better the community also can serve as good publicity for the business and help them retain their employees. Here are some positive outcomes for businesses.
Building Connections with Community– Businesses cannot survive on their own. We are interconnected within our society. Building a good relationship with your own community not only will give you a good reputation but will also impact the lives of the people that your company works with.
Good Publicity- It is recognizable when a company has a good relationship with their community. More customers will patronize your products and services and some may end up supporting your causes. A company can also be a good inspiration for other organizations or businesses when your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program is highly visible.
Employee Engagement– Volunteerism in the workplace impacts employee recruitment and retention. Encouraging your people to serve the community could boost their morale. A happy employee creates productivity in the organization. Plus, new generations are becoming more socially conscious and prefer to work with companies that demonstrate moral and ethical behaviors.
There are surely more advantages available for you to read…What I have written above are the most evident ones. Nevertheless, the whole goal of this post is to at least give you basic knowledge of the importance of giving and trying not to overlook it. It is not only that your deeds benefit those on the receiving ends, but you’ll also find a personal sense of fulfillment.
My next blog will discuss tips on how to find ideal places where we can help or volunteer. You may be overwhelmed that there are so many present organizations that offer opportunities for you to get involved with. But I think your purpose should fit what causes you believe in. This is important as it will create a long-lasting impact not only for you but for the benefiting organization as well. Doing this will make your efforts more significant and valuable to the organization.
Kristine currently volunteers in the Chatham Habitat office. Her background in public relations and corporate social responsibility inspired her to write a blog series for the organization.
Interested in putting your talents to work as an office volunteer? Click here to view current openings.
Sources
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/volunteering-and-its-surprising-benefits.htm
6 Advantages of Giving Back to Your Community