Volunteering

RetirementJobs.com Staff Writers

Congratulations! You have earned the opportunity to volunteer and you should definitely do so. Whether you work full time, work part time, or plan to retire now or in the near future, you should build volunteer activities into your life plan. You have developed skills, contacts, time and possibly financial resources, which you can devote to helping others.

If you are working full time, volunteering will serve a number of purposes. It will help enhance your skills, develop and expand your network, and add perspective to your knowledge of how organizations work. Employers also generally look for outside activities on a resume to demonstrate a well-rounded background and interests beyond work.

If you are planning a second career, volunteering will help you develop the skills and network to make an entry into the new field much easier. It will also give you a reality check to help determine if you are really interested in and suited to the activity. If you are planning to leave work, getting started on volunteer activities now will help you in your transition to retirement. advertisement

You have probably done some volunteer work before – at your local church, coaching Little League or helping industry/professional associations. It can be very rewarding and help build professional skills and contacts while broadening your life perspective and providing personal satisfaction.

There is a world of need out there. You can always find something to do. One web site (Network For Good www.networkforgood.org) allows you to search over one million non-profits in the United States alone. Guidestar (www.guidestar.org) lists thousands of volunteer opportunities. Whatever your situation, you can make a contribution, be it driving someone to church one hour per week to spending a year training teachers in Ghana.

Your first challenge is to narrow down the choices to the ones you are comfortable with. First, take a sheet of paper and sit down with your spouse and/or a couple of personal friends and trusted advisors and assess your situation:

• How much time do I want to devote to volunteer activities?
• How is my energy level, do I have any relevant health issues?
• What skills do I bring to the table or want to develop?
• Do I have financial resources to devote to my efforts?
• What past volunteer experience can I draw upon?
• Do I have other resources (extensive network, expertise, computers, office space, a vehicle, etc.)?