One of the biggest excuses people give for not volunteering is that they don’t have the time. That’s usually because people assume that committing to being a volunteer is going to be some huge, time consuming thing. It doesn’t have to be.
Many non-profit organizations – especially those with smaller staffs – tend to have a variety of small projects that need attention. Making yourself available to do something as simple as stuffing envelopes for a mass mailing could be one of the biggest things you could do to help an organization. There are even some projects that can be completed remotely.
Utilizing volunteers to complete small administrative projects often frees up staff members to focus on larger projects like programming and building relationships with board members, donors and those who receive services.
We sometimes get caught up in the notion that volunteering is only meaningful if we’re saving the whales or tutoring at-risk students. I know that I am the queen of thinking big, but sometimes, it’s okay to think small.