When someone tells you they are a volunteer what runs through your mind first? They are well-rounded? Perhaps depending on whom it is you may think they do it for attention? Well what if I told you it doesn’t matter? Whether a volunteer does it for the right reasons or not, in most cases, is of no concern to a non-profit. In the end they are a business just like the rest of them. There are only a couple differences between a non-profit and a commercial business.
- A non-profit is just like the name suggest, the owners/board do not make a profit. They are interested in changing something within their capabilities to change.
- There are no ‘volunteers’ within a business. (Granted this is not always true, as is the case with the library, and other somewhat hybrid organizations)
Sometimes it is the cause, other times it can be a judge, or even a religion. In high school I volunteered at a soup kitchen. While there I frequently worked with young adults, between 19-25 years old I would estimate who were Mormon missionaries .This summer I volunteered at Recycle North for a couple weeks. While in the training session there were some teenagers there as well. The woman leading the session went around the room and asked why we were all there. Some of the teenagers responded it was court mandated. At all of these places I have volunteered I have worked with people who wanted to be there as well.
End Points
Volunteering is essential to the livelihood of non-profits. It would be nice if the volunteers all wanted to be there rather than being forced by either court or their school. At the same time most people don’t know they like something until they try it. So sometimes forcing a group of people to volunteer against their will can show some of them the experience of volunteering. Hopefully it is a good experience so that they want to go back for more.
For a list of volunteer opportunities check out some of these sites:
Volunteer Match
Live United
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