Volunteer: A person who provides a service without pay.
How to Be a Volunteer
- Assess your interests skills, talents, and resources
- Identify organizations in your community that need volunteers. Volunteer center: An organization that matches people with volunteer jobs.
- Call or visit organizations or agencies for which you would like to volunteer.
- Make final preperations.
- Set high expectations for yourself.
- Create and organize your own projects if you need to.
- Keep a log of your volunteer experiences.
- Avoid volunteer burnout. Volunteer burnout: A loss of enthusiasm about volunteering. Volunteer burnout usually results from feeling overwhelmed.
Can Being a Volunteer Affect Your Health Status?
- Volunteering makes you feel good.
- Beta-endorphins: Substances produced in the brain that create a feeling of well-being.
- Healthy-helper syndrome: A state where someone feels increased energy, relaxation, and improved mood as a result of giving service to others. These effects seem to be greatest when the volunteer has face to face contact with those they help.
