Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Volunteer

Before You Volunteer

It’s important that you enjoy the type of service you choose and that you have the time to stick with it. Ask yourself these questions before you commit to an organization.

• How much time do I have to commit?
  • Time to commit is essential to your success, the non-profit organization and the people who need you.
• Do I want an ongoing, regularly-scheduled assignment, a short-term assignment, or a one-time assignment?
  • Decide how you want to assist an organization. Most organizations are very flexible and have many options available for you.
• Am I willing to participate in a training course or do I want to start my volunteer work immediately?
  • Decide if you need or want training or would you like something simple to begin with.
• Which talents or skills do I offer?
  • Do a talent assessment of your skills and talents to better understand what you can offer.
• What would I most like to learn by volunteering?
  • Volunteering offers many new learning experiences that you can and will use throughout your lifetime. For example: saving lives, teaching others new skills or how to read, and many more learning experiences.
• What I  don’t want to do as a volunteer?
  • Do you have an idea of things that you don’t want to do. If you don’t, you might want to make a list of things you don’t want to do. Also, make a list of things that you would be willing to do. If the list of don’t want to do is greater than the list of would do maybe you might not want to volunteer.
• Do I want to work alone or with a group?
  • In many cases volunteering requires group participation. In a few cases working alone will be beneficial to the organization. Example: Being the only network engineer for a non-profit organization.
• With what kind of people do I want to work — both in terms of who is receiving my services and who my co-workers might be?
  • Decide if you can work with various personalities, (grouchy, jokers, etc.) prejudices are best left at home. Would you work to save someone’s life if they just bombed the twin towers?