I’ve worked in the non-profit/volunteer space since I was 20 years old, and I’ve loved every minute of it. Over the years, people have told me that volunteering is just “working for free.” I strongly disagree with this perspective because volunteering is not only hard work, but its benefits are far greater than any payment I could receive.
My work started in this field started in 2008. I began volunteering for a faith-based organization in 2008; I branched out on my own and started my volunteer group, Youth Changing the World. I founded the organization with two friends from high school. We consistently ran the organization from 2009 to 2019. In 2020, we regrouped to help the frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, in 2022, after my brother, David, passed away from COVID-19, we granted his wish for Youth Changing the World to reach 100 total events.
In 2021, I continued my volunteer work as the Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion chairperson for The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL). I committed myself to that position for three years, and I now serve as the co-chair of an NCIL subcommittee. I enjoy the work I do for NCIL, and I’m passionate about their cause: helping people with disabilities thrive and promote independence.
What is the common thread between the positions I’ve held? They’re all unpaid, but they’re also all hard, meaningful work. These jobs require so many skills that most people don’t even think about, like planning and organizing events, delegating tasks, and working as a team.
Volunteer work can be emotionally draining. We often overextend ourselves because we feel the need to help everyone. This makes it hard for us to take time for ourselves and can lead to burnout. It doesn’t help that people often don’t see volunteering as “real” work—we have to work even harder to prove ourselves.
Society also needs to realize that, for many, volunteer work isn’t a one-time thing. People who work in volunteer and non-profit spaces don’t work for clicks and views. We don’t volunteer exclusively on holidays, and we don’t volunteer to feel better about ourselves. We volunteer because we genuinely care about the people who we help. If more people had this attitude towards volunteering, the world would be a far better place with fewer people in serious need of help.
Volunteering and nonprofit work is not only about giving back to our communities; it’s also about investing in people and causes. When we take time to help people, society changes for the better.
Volunteering is so much more than “working for free.” Communities count on volunteers to support people who need resources. Taking time to invest in those who need it saves lives. If you start working as a volunteer, you’ll soon see volunteer work in a new light.
Photo by The Tampa Bay Estuary Program on Unsplash
