Volunteers
How to pick the right cause and the right role for you
Giving your time and expertise to a cause that you believe in is one of the most satisfying things you can do. Being of service to others not only helps them, but it often also provides a life-enhancing sense of purpose and meaning to the volunteer.
Most of us who volunteer want to have the biggest possible beneficial impact. We also have other responsibilities and limited resources. So, there are several important decisions to be made, and the inevitable tradeoffs to be weighed, before you commit your time. Following the meta-problem process can help you solve for both impact and efficiency.
The goal of a meta-problem is to identify which problems would be the best to solve, both in terms of the benefits and the costs to achieve the improvements.
There are two main lenses to use as you contemplate volunteering: What will my impact on the world be, and what will I get/take from the experience? Each of these will require a subset of supporting choices. As you ponder your options, there are a host of factors to consider along the way.
What does the world get out of your time?
There are two key questions which will drive your impact on the world: What is the right cause, and what expertise can I offer?
Let’s take a closer look at these main decisions, starting with choosing the right cause. Your personal values and preferences will give you a first cut of candidate causes, but often there are many not-for-profits addressing the same cause. Some are doing research, some are providing hands-on help, some are lobbying in support of an issue or profession, some raising public or professional awareness, and so on. Which type of work would suit you best as a volunteer? How clear is the organization about its goals? How well does it use its resources? How much impact is it having?
Then there’s the question of how best to use your expertise. This will also help you decide at what level you want to operate, within your chosen not-for-profit. Many of these organizations need project management skills, marketing and communications experience, help setting direction and strategy, et cetera. Others need field volunteers to do community work like food delivery, building housing or visiting the elderly. Where can your expertise provide the most value?
What do you get out of volunteering?
People get different benefits from volunteering. Some are driven by a cause, a sense of purpose, or by some vision of what needs to be different in the world of tomorrow.
Others enjoy the satisfaction of helping others. Maybe you went through a rough patch and think of volunteering as paying forward the help you received when you were at a low point.
Time spent volunteering can help you develop skills, expertise, and experience in a new field. Maybe you want to make new friends and connections: volunteering is a great way to meet others who have a shared passion.
Making a choice
After you review your options, you might identify the perfect opportunity to volunteer and not get a call back when you threw your name in the hat.
It’s important to remember that as a volunteer there is often a lot you don’t know about what the organization wants and needs. Fortunately, by the time you’ve identified your top choice, you should have a long list of other ideas of where to contribute.
It really helps if you have a long history of volunteering with that same organization. This adds an interesting layer as you can evaluate both your contributions today and over the coming weeks, months, or years.
Given limited hours in the day and so many demands on your time, the key to maximizing impact is to choose something you’ll prioritize time and time again.
If you want to learn more about how you can use the meta-problem, or if you have improvements to suggest, click on "Contact" below.