Volunteering for a good cause can change lives. And it doesn’t just bring value to the people we are helping; it impacts the receiver and the giver. Beyond the real benefits of contributing to the community and making a difference, volunteering can stimulate our personal development and improve our life. Everybody wins.
The case for volunteering keeps building, from boosting our health and happiness to promoting a sense of belonging, lifting our mood, and making friends. Aside from the feel-good factor of giving our time to a worthy cause, volunteering has several critical benefits for our personal development that make it well worth considering. Volunteering can provide individuals with a sense of purpose and civic involvement. Doing something we feel is worthwhile and valuable for our community gives us a sense of accomplishment that may help us feel more fulfilled.
Here are some surprising reasons why volunteering doesn’t just benefit receivers, but improves our well-being too:
- Developing awareness and consciousness
- Fostering a sense of purpose
- Meeting new friends
- Developing social skills
- Improving self-esteem and self-confidence
- Learning new skills
- Enhancing career prospects
- Boosting happiness and well-being
- Bringing new challenges
- Increasing cognitive functions
- Expanding our understanding of other cultures and ways of life
Our role as a volunteer can also give us a sense of pride and identity. And the better we feel about ourselves, the more likely we will have a favourable view of our life and achieve our future goals.
There is an increasing body of research supporting the multiple benefits of volunteering. In future articles, we will examine some of the leading research papers on the subject.
Smartvol is at the epicentre of this revolution by creating a platform to make volunteering easy and part of our lives. If you would like to contribute to this transformational subject, I welcome you to get in touch with me at: phil@smartvol.com – I also run Gelin Creative Coaching, which helps impactful startup founders and social entrepreneurs develop their vision, empower their community, and unleash their true power.
Image by Alexander Strachan from Pixabay Thank you Alexander!
