Brought to you because I’m looking to increase my community profile and ability to market myself. I’m about to go through United Way board training to serve on the board of a nonprofit.
1) Do you volunteer? 2) Did you volunteer per-kids? 3) If you could volunteer, what types of causes would be worth your time and energy?
Yes, yes and for me, it’s project and organization and schedule based more than anything. My interests are wide - but the things I would most prefer are not always compatible with family life (tree, bird counts were way more common before kids).
We do a lot of basic beautification in waterways - trash collection. There are tons of Creeks near us and the city, school, Girl Scouts and friends organize clean ups.
Food based causes usually fit out schedule best - sandwiches, food bank, etc.
I don’t do as much Habitat type work as the ongoing commitment is impossible, but have shifted to some local versions when time allows. Most of my work here is driven by the kids.
1. Not really. I am on the PTA board, but I am stepping down. 2. Yes, all the time. I was on a Relay for Life board for a few years, volunteered marketing work to a theater company, participated in major fundraising initiatives for Dana Farber, and generally enjoyed doing charity and committee stuff. I just don't have the bandwidth now. 3. Dana Farber is a cause really near and dear to my heart because so much of my family has been impacted by cancer. I'd also like to do more to help with End 68 Hours of Hunger, which gives kids food for the weekends.
Our company is looking to adopt a park and I think that'll be fun. It'll make me feel like I'm giving back with no real leadership commitment coming out of it. I always end up suckered in to leading some piece of it and that's what kills my time and energy. I just want to go rake a park and then go home!
1. I don’t really volunteer but I do sometimes volunteer. I volunteer at the school and at charity events for Girl Scouts and cub scouts.
2. I don’t have a big history of volunteering. It’s always been through an organization like Scouts or my sorority in college. Life got poor and busy after college so I don’t think I did too much and with babies it is hard, but slowly easing back into it with the kids.
3. Since my volunteering is sporadic I tend to give money and support instead. Causes are poverty/ war torn areas, environmental and animals, anti violence, equality, women’s and children’s health (fetal health, heart, hearing loss). Those are harder to volunteer for so volunteering has been more local community based. Also my job is basically supporting the local community, so I get some if that volunteering aspect of giving back from paid work.
1. Right now, most of my volunteer work is focused on school stuff. They have a ton of fundraisers and activities, and they don’t hire lunch monitors, so they rely on parents for that. When I was working FT, I volunteered at a shelter across the street from my office twice a month for an hour during the work day. We would also do a full-day volunteer program every year. Improving a school, sorting food, etc.
2. Pre-kids, I tutored with an organization that helped disadvantaged kids get into prestigious private schools, and then arranged for tutoring throughout the school year. I loved it. But it was a big commitment.
3. Donations get funneled to Dana Farber in my cousin’s son’s name, and a hospice organization that DH’s family loves. I have been trying to get more involved with a local organization that helps provide clothes and furniture for emergency foster placements. I’m trying to convince them to let me do some marketing for them - build them a website, etc.
Post by traveltheworld on Feb 26, 2019 11:55:22 GMT -5
1. I just started volunteering again after almost a decade of hiatus. I'm on the Board for a foundation for financial literacy, and I'm also volunteering for law school moots.
2. I didn't pre-kids, but did pre-crazy work life (which would describe the past decade).
3. I have a wide range of interests and causes that I'd like to volunteer for, but I try to be strategic about finding volunteer opportunities that best utilize my skill set (law and finance), so that's what I'm doing now.
With the 3 little kids and both DH and me working full time outside the home and traveling, volunteering is something that has fallen through the cracks. Currently it’s limited to school-related, very short-term stuff like staffing the book fair or helping with the class party. I’m also on a parent advisory committee for our children’s hospital, and I volunteer with co-workers one day a year. But I need to do a lot more.
I think being on corporate boards would be an awesome retirement/late career gig, and that I could be useful with my investment background. So I really need to get more involved with some organizations and non-profit boards to get some experience.
1. I volunteer for STEM related activities for kids, i.e. judging a science fair, running a science competition. I also volunteer at DD's school for various parties, PTO events, and field trips. I like activities that are a one day thing.
2. I volunteered for the same STEM stuff pre-kids. I think my volunteering has increased with kids since I try to be involved with the school. I find that volunteering for school and community stuff is a great way to spend time with the kids while getting to know my community members.
3. I'd like to donate more money to some causes. Last year for DS2's 1st birthday, we asked family and friends to make a donation to their favorite charity that serves children instead of gifts. I'd like to make my kids more aware of those who are less fortunate and find ways to help. It's tough with DS1 and DS2 since they are young yet.
Post by sandandsea on Feb 26, 2019 12:30:28 GMT -5
I volunteer now at church and did before kids too. When my boys were babies I took a break. Before kids I taught in a Sunday school class for preschoolers. Just loving on them, listening to them, and playing with them. Now I do children’s check in and show new families the right classrooms.
I also volunteer at school and with extra curricular as much as I can. I like being involved and knowing what’s going on at school though I have very limited time for it. Ds loves when I’m there and wants to know why I can’t go every week like some other moms. For sports teams I’m usually the team mom and set up schedules/send emails/organize a coach gift. It’s in my wheelhouse.
The causes are values of mine (religion and education) and fun.
ETA. I also like that my volunteer positions are different from my work. They’re more creative and purely organizational. Not business and accounting.
Post by librarychica on Feb 26, 2019 12:37:29 GMT -5
1. Yes, but sporadically. I tend to focus on what I can do that DD1 (7) can also participate in. Right now that means meal packing, mostly. I’ll also work STEM events through work and at the schools. 2. I actually volunteered less. I had trouble hooking up with groups to volunteer with and I was less willing to just do stuff alone then. 3. I want to get involved with a group that cleans lakes in kayaks. I would also like to get involved more in environmental/sustainability but I’m unsure how.
Post by justcheckingin73 on Feb 26, 2019 12:38:16 GMT -5
I volunteer mostly through work causes. We get 2 volunteer days per year and sometimes they are group activities. I’ve done the food bank, wrapped Christmas presents for an organization, made blankets for animals, packed for Feed My Starving Children (mostly for church).
Pre-kids I did not volunteer. It’s something I’d like to do more of but have to be cognizant of how much of my time I want to give. I’d love to bake and donate but I don’t see a lot of organizations that accept those donations (for good reasons, I’m sure). I love cats but it would make me sad to volunteer with them and then leave.
Working at the food bank and FMSC have probably been the most fun and impactful for me so I’d look for something like that. Or even volunteering for fun runs.
Post by covergirl82 on Feb 26, 2019 12:45:17 GMT -5
1. I volunteer in the kids' classes at school a few times a year. I volunteer once a month at church by teaching in one of the Sunday school classes. I also participate in volunteer opportunities twice a year through work.
2. I taught a preschool class at my last church, before I had kids.
3. I would like to volunteer more with my kids. (It's actually been challenging to find places to volunteer with younger kids.) DH and I are hoping to be able to help out in August at a big shoe give away one of the local charities does. Kids who need a new pair of shoes for school come and get waited on similar to a real shoe store and then pick their favorite shoes to take home.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Feb 26, 2019 14:25:11 GMT -5
1) Do you volunteer? I was going to say not currently, but then I saw what people said about school and PTAs. I'm on our neighborhood's HOA and that's a volunteer position that takes up a ton of time. I also volunteer at my kid's schools. Last year I headed up the meal train group in our neighborhood for people who had babies or surgeries etc. I also did the women's club newsletter for a while. And like I said, now I'm on the HOA.
Oh and also after harvey I did a few volunteering things for people who had flooded as I was surrounded by them. Literally. And we volunteered by teaching my kid's sunday school class.
Currently I am not volunteering to do things for charities or churches, although when I think of volunteering, that's what I think of.
Also I got mad at our church so I don't really go much anymore
My sister works for a church and works with refugees and I give money and toys and clothes to the charities she supports.
2) Did you volunteer per-kids? Yes. I grew up volunteering a lot with our church and school. I did a lot of stuff with at risk kids: mentoring, reading, tutoring. I did it in high school, college and law school also. In law school I also interned with legal aide.
After I got married and before we had kids I volunteered with our church again, giving out food and clothes to homeless people in the street and trying to connect them with resources, adopting a family in need with our sunday school class. That's around the time I really realized that my husband did not grow up volunteering and is resistant to sign up for anything ever.
3) If you could volunteer, what types of causes would be worth your time and energy? Things that benefit my kid's school for sure. I'm continuing the HOA thing but I want to stop, people in my neighborhood are so ungrateful.
I'd like to switch over to helping at risk kids again or doing something where my kids can help families by preparing meals or something like that.
Post by greenmonkey1 on Feb 26, 2019 14:42:38 GMT -5
1. Not volunteering much right now other than a few times at school. I pretty much always have my toddler and cannot bring him to volunteer sites. We do adopt-a-family at Christmas and donate money/materials through the church when needed.
2. I volunteered for the American Red Cross pre-kids. I was in the first aid service corp that ran first aid station's at the major university's sporting events, community festivals, etc. Basically we provided triage for the paramedics/carried their stuff so they could handle the serious medical needs. I also did a lot of random one-off volunteer gigs - judging science fair, individual Habitat builds through church, packing at the food bank, etc.
3. I really look forward to being able to volunteer again. Mostly I'd probably do hunger or building related causes; food bank, Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity. I'd also like to get into working with people trying to get post-secondary education/training. My background is in education and I've worked a lot with low income and immigrant populations; there are a lot of people who have the desire, but who need help connecting to/using resources to move themselves out of their current situation.
1. Yes, currently PTA including many, many fundraisers, vball coach, and for our church activities.
2. I volunteered for church and community activities before kids and coached a year of softball.
3. I would really like to serve on some boards such as the homeless shelters, spouse abuse shelters, etc... when I can extricate myself from volleyball, PTA, and full time chauffer for the kids. As long as it is a useful board, not a rubber stamp board. I would also like to keep my hand in some of the fundraising in my community. I.e. enjoy helping with the picnic, fish fry, etc. fundraising for our school and will still volunteer on a event basis.
1. I do. Some school stuff at the school. I’m the de facto database administrator for my town’s education foundation (raising money for classroom grants). I’m a very occasional volunteer at events for my local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense.
2. I volunteer more now. I used to work much crazier hours when I was at small nonprofits and it wasn’t possible.
3. I wish I could do a little more. I have trouble following through on big volunteer projects though so I’m trying to be smart about what I say I can do.
I currently volunteer by being a PTA board member and even after I transition out of a board role this spring I will still try to stay involved with the events I enjoy and let someone else take on the stuff I don’t.
I used to volunteer about once a month giving tours at a historic house here in town, but faded out from my 1x month after the second kid, my Weekends just ended up being too full.
I’d like to volunteer at libraries or with the history museum in collections or more behind the scenes stuff. Maybe when my kids are too cool to need me anymore.
1. I volunteer at the school and through work. 2. A bit but not much 3. I want to identify something that is not school and work connected. What interests me most are organizations targeting underprivileged youth. Underprivileged either because of socioeconomic status or if they would be first gen college students. So things like Upward Bound, etc.. I came from a home where neither parent went past 8th grade and my education helped me break the cycle that my parents came from. I also want to consider foster parenting when I am less spread at work and home. Animal and environmental charities are also something that spark my interest.
Yes, yes and for me, it’s project and organization and schedule based more than anything. My interests are wide - but the things I would most prefer are not always compatible with family life (tree, bird counts were way more common before kids).
We do a lot of basic beautification in waterways - trash collection. There are tons of Creeks near us and the city, school, Girl Scouts and friends organize clean ups.
Food based causes usually fit out schedule best - sandwiches, food bank, etc.
I don’t do as much Habitat type work as the ongoing commitment is impossible, but have shifted to some local versions when time allows. Most of my work here is driven by the kids.
Omg. I went on my first bird count with DS last weekend. I had no idea what went into something like that!
Post by freezorburn on Feb 27, 2019 23:29:24 GMT -5
1) Yes 2) Yes 3) Causes right now need to be something that uses my skills, especially if they are skills that I would like to develop more in my career but for whatever reason I'm not getting those opportunities in my paid work. In other words, I'll volunteer if it's a resume-building kind of experience. Also, it helps if the organization knows how to use its volunteers well. I've had bad experiences, where the organization or cause doesn't have its stuff together, understaffs an event for example, lacks clarity and expectations of roles, etc. When that happens I feel like my time is not valued and that what I'm offering is taken for granted. If I'm going to work for free, I want to feel like I really contributed, and not that I stood around twiddling my thumbs while the volunteer coordinator tried to figure things out, or that I was left standing on a corner with no guidance, and the person who was supposed to take the shift after me bailed.
This past year my positive stuff has been: PTA committees that are serving functions that are related to my profession, that I'm looking to get back into. And, serving holiday lunch at a soup kitchen, because those coordinators really had their stuff together so that we could get the meal served efficiently without tripping over one another.
My negative experience had to do with tabling for a neighborhood group that was getting the word out about some proposed intersection improvements -- see mini-rant above.