National Volunteer Week is a yearly tradition for communities worldwide to celebrate and promote volunteerism, so we can take action in overcoming society’s greatest challenges. With this week of celebration quickly approaching, from April 17-23, this is an excellent opportunity to make an impact as a volunteer. What are some ways you can help make a difference this year? Here’s how you can take part in making National Volunteer Week 2022 the most impactful week yet.
How to Get Involved
In 1943, National Volunteer Week began its roots in Canada to celebrate the contributions of women who helped out back home throughout World War II. While this week of celebration declined in popularity after the war ended, it would be revived in the 1960s and spread down into the United States. Now, this charitable week is celebrated around the world in other countries like the UK, New Zealand, and Australia. Here are the ways you can help out too!
Join an Event
The ways each community celebrates National Volunteer Week may differ, but many organizations have special events during the week that allow plenty of opportunities to help. If you keep an eye out, your local news will report on all the ways you can get involved. As the opportunities get shouted out, here’s how you can decide which areas you’ll be a great fit.
Think About Your Skills
What are your skill sets? Your profession will most likely have skills you can donate to a nonprofit, such as if you’re a chef or carpenter. Take a look at the organizations in your area and see which of your skills can make a difference. When you reflect on your passions and skills, you can decide how you’d best be able to give back to your community.
However, don’t worry if you feel you don’t have the right skills but still want to help out. By volunteering, you can even pick up valuable skills that you’ll have with you the rest of your life. For instance, if you volunteered with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, you can learn valuable craftsmanship by participating in Build Days.
Donations
Charitable donations are the most popular way to help a nonprofit because none of these efforts would be possible without funding. It takes money to provide food, water, and other charitable efforts to spread these resources to those in need. It also requires money to keep the lights on and the doors open to the nonprofit organizations making these efforts possible. So, if you don’t have time to carve out of your schedule to volunteer, you can make an impact through charitable donations if you have the money to do so.
Encourage Others
Using your voice to spread the word is vital to encourage others to help out. You can use this time to bond closer to your friends, family, and even your co-workers as you strengthen yourselves by strengthening others.
However, if you don’t have the time or means to help out, one more thing you can do is to encourage people to keep volunteering. Anytime a person volunteers, they’re giving up something to give back. Many volunteers would love to hear encouraging words that reaffirm that what they’re doing is genuinely making a difference. When you encourage your fellow volunteers, your kind words will motivate them to continue making an impact.
Benefits of Volunteer Work
Great satisfaction comes from the joy of helping others. Studies have shown that there are psychological and physical benefits from volunteering, including lower blood pressure, increased protection from Alzheimer’s, decreased mortality, and an improved sense of belonging.
Volunteering can also improve resume experience by demonstrating your good-natured characteristics and willingness to serve on a team to help others. You’ll grow and gain benefits in your own life experiences while benefiting your community.
Conclusion
National Volunteer Week 2022 is looking to step up the efforts from previous years and could use your help! With your charitable donations, willingness to volunteer, and voice to spread the word to others, we can all make an impact this year.
Are you looking for an organization to volunteer with this National Volunteer Week? We could use your help by building beds that will give children everywhere a place to sleep at night.