Give of your skills, even if you don’t think you have any!

Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is to you.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

You definitely get more out of volunteering than you put in. Others can extol the virtues of how volunteer work improves our world (it does). But I want to remind you that every volunteer experience improves you as a person – For no charge!

Rafting for lunch on the water

Sample Benefits

Here is a quick list of immeasurable benefits I received for volunteering in the last six months:

I met wonderful people I do not encounter in my daily life

A wildlife researcher
An interpretive ranger
Specialists in animal vectors of disease
A naturalist and author
A wilderness land manager

I received training at no cost to me

Spiders
An endangered bird endemic to my area
Tick borne diseases
Scat identification
Adult/child/infant CPR-AED

I learned techniques to get children to pay attention when I’m speaking (no kidding!)

I was shown three trails in parks that the general public does not know exist

I visited a tidepool area that was completely new to me

I met six people who I may work with again in a professional setting

How much would you pay for experiences like these? I paid nothing. I donated my time and energy doing tasks that I enjoy and think are worthwhile. This was actually a slow six months! Usually I receive many, many more benefits.

Learning to hang a bear bag

Give yourself a Gift – Grow!

Each volunteer experience is an opportunity to grow as a person. It is a chance to expand our comfort zones and improve our knowledge and skills. Maybe more important, it helps us grow our social circles. We learn about the people in our community. This, in turn, fuels opportunities for future growth.

Try Everything Once

Not every volunteer experience is a pleasant one. But all are valuable. Force yourself to try things that are new. Use a skill you don’t think you possess. Try an activity you never pictured yourself doing. There are innumerable choices. So don’t be afraid to experiment. Find something you enjoy and that “fits” who you are.

Below are three ways I have volunteered my time in the last six months.

Getting Urban Youth Outoors

I grew up a city kid and did not get outdoors until my twenties. It was not in the culture to be outside. As a child, if I were ever lost in the wilderness, my instructions were to “walk north until you hit a McDonald’s and then call a cab!” 😀

So as an adult I have spent more than 12 years doing volunteer work to ensure that urban kids get the chance to explore the outdoors. I lead outdoor trips for a charity called Sierra Club Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO). We take children day-hiking, backpacking, sea kayaking, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, and car-camping. It is extremely fun and rewarding. I discover new places to go and meet many terrific people through the volunteer organization. I also benefit from the high level of training that the organization requires for anyone working with the children.

Making a lanyard. She ended up teaching me how to do it!

Help the Public Discover Nature

As a docent at a nearby state park, I lead day hikes and outdoor workshops for park visitors. It provides an avenue to do nature interpretation and “bushcraft” with the general public. I love that! Besides more training, it also connects me to the community of naturalists and local people who have amazing knowledge.

Learning to use a firesteel

Citizen Science

This is more of a short term project. I have been assisting a researcher studying anthropogenic (human caused) effects on small carnivores. It is not glamorous work. Basically, I collect scat. 🙄 But it is nice to do some animal tracking and get “dirt time” while assisting science for the public good.

Most volunteer work is not very glamorous (Bobcat scat)