Volunteering

In 6 tips for being a better volunteer from Blue Skunk Blog, Doug Johnson shares,

“I try to be the volunteer I would want helping my own mother.”

Before I put my students in paid employment, they have to do an unpaid internship first. I see this as volunteering.

Even if you aren’t getting paid for the work, workplace rules should still apply.

Here are some of the rules I think are important when volunteering:

• Be on time. This is important when people are depending on you.
• Be there for the whole time that you agreed upon staying.
• Be responsible. If you are given a task, put 100% effort into it and do it right.
• Be dependable. If you say you are going to do something, do it.
• Make sure your body and your hair are clean. Nobody wants to be around someone who is dirty and smells.
• Brush your teeth! Bad breath is horrible!
• Wear clean clothes. Nobody wants to be around someone who is wearing dirty stinky clothes.
• Let your supervisor know when your assignment is complete so they can give you a new task.
• Take the initiative. If something needs to be done, do it (you might need to check with your supervisor first).
• Don’t gossip.
• Keep information confidential.
• Before leaving, ask if there is anything else that needs to be done before you leave. 

I think about the organization and the people that I’m serving when I volunteer. What would I expect from a volunteer? I want to be the volunteer that people are happy to see because they know I’m a hard worker and willing to do what needs to be done.

What advice would you give to a volunteer? Please share.

Photo by ray sangga kusuma on Unsplash