The Circle of Service: What Motivates Volunteers

Henderson Hall Volunteer
Appreciation Banquet

During National Volunteer Week, I had the privilege of speaking to a group of retired and active Marines at the Henderson Hall volunteer appreciation breakfast in Arlington.  Barely two weeks into my job, I didn’t necessarily feel qualified to be representing my office, though as a fellow volunteer and volunteer leader, I could fully appreciate the value of both giving and receiving thanks.   

My presentation focused on what I called the “circle of service” and how each of us becomes part of the circle merely by getting involved and giving back.  The circle begins with each of us and our role as volunteers.  A number of things motivate us to continue our service – appreciation, the value we provide to our community, the value each of us receive as a result of volunteering, and the connections we make.  All of those things lead us to volunteer more, and the circle continues. 

With respect to appreciation, I must start by saying that members of the military deserve more thanks than I could possibly put into words here.   To all of you who are honorably serving our country, thank you for your service and thank you to the family members and friends who support you.  The same spirit that motivates and drives the members of our nations’ military is a similar spirit to what it takes to be a great volunteer.  The selflessness and concern for others, and a genuine interest in helping people, is what we see everyday. 

All volunteers, regarding of how they are serving, deserve gratitude for the time they give and the difference they make.  As I told the group I was speaking to, I hope you hear “thank you” every time you volunteer – not just during a formal ceremony or during National Volunteer Week.  You are appreciated all year long and it’s important that you are reminded of that!

As volunteers, the time we donate, the expertise we share, and everything we give is done with the expectation that we will receive nothing in return.  To do selfless acts, many of which are anonymous or behind the scenes, feels really good.  There’s a quote that says, “Volunteer don’t get paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.” But since people like numbers, I will tell you that volunteer service is highly valuable to the groups you serve.  There’s an organization that issues a report each year on the value of volunteer work and in 2010, an hour of volunteer work was valued at $20.85.  Your time is also valuable because it frees up the time of staff members to take care of other tasks.  Without your help, some of these tasks would never be completed or staff members would be spread very thin.  When someone shares their time, the organization saves time and money that can be invested in furthering their mission.

Ultimately, even though volunteering is a selfless act, we receive a ton in return.  For one, the more events you volunteer at, the more t-shirts you get!  (You know what I’m talking about…the collection of XL t-shirts that look like dresses on most women.)  But, all kidding aside, there are a number of benefits.  We make new friends.  How many of you have made a lasting relationship with someone you volunteered with?  We learn new skills, like painting, gardening, or leadership.  We get to share our passions and teach others.  And we get to practice a lot of things – like patience, compassion, time management, and even public speaking.  So the truth is that we’re giving so much, and we’re getting at least that much in return.

The final aspect in the “circle of service” is the value of making connections and creating partnerships with your fellow volunteers.  Partnerships come in several forms.  It can mean you working with a fellow volunteer on a project.  It can mean two groups getting together.  Or it can be a collaboration of a lot of groups and individuals who share a common goal.  The nice thing is that when you partner with people and make these connections, you can have a much greater impact.  Working together can be more efficient, you avoid the duplication of efforts, you have more brains working to look into problems and create lasting solutions, and you have more fun.  You can also bring together people or groups with different backgrounds.  For example, someone with computer experience, someone really good at event planning, another who is a successful fund raiser.  Working together, you accomplish more than you could have ever done alone.

The best way to form partnerships is to get out there and talk to people.  If you have an idea, ask your friends or colleagues for recommendations.  Stay in touch with volunteer managers (like me!) and reach out to us when you need help.  You can also attend meetings or events for groups to learn about their projects.  As volunteers, we share common goals to give back to the community and help each other.  Never hesitate to ask for help.

With that said, we’ve come full circle.  Appreciation, value given, value received, and partnerships are what motivate us as volunteers to keep giving, and to increase our involvement.  In closing, I’d like to thank all of you for continuing the important tradition of volunteerism in our society…and for reading this far.  As Helen Keller stated, “I am only one, but still I am one.  I cannot do everything but still I can do something and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”

Happy volunteering!