Lesson 1: Community Volunteerism

Volunteerism Definition
Volunteerism is voluntary, deliberate service to others over time and without
compensation. A key element of volunteer behavior is that the person freely chooses to help and
has no expectation of pay or other compensation. Mandatory public service required by courts or
schools would not meet the definition of volunteerism. The volunteer behavior must include
service work, not simply a donation of money or goods. This service is long-term, repeated
service, such as giving time weekly to help at a local hospital. The volunteer service is only a
service if it benefits others who want help. For example, the Boy Scout who helps the blind
person across the street when the blind person wants to move independently (and perhaps in
another direction) would not be a volunteer.
Who Are Volunteers?
People from youth to older adulthood engage in volunteering. The organization
Independent Sector estimates that about 44% of adults and 59% of teenagers volunteer, with the
largest group of volunteers being from 35 to 55 years old. Wealthier people volunteer more
because they have more spare time and more flexibility in their jobs. The wealthy may also have
a social obligation, called noblesse oblige, to engage in philanthropy and good works. Those who
volunteer are likely also to be the most generous givers. Women volunteer slightly more often
than men do, but men give more money to charities. Better-educated people also volunteer more
than less-educated people, because of the skills and resources they have to offer. Finally, those
people with more connections to the community, such as people living in smaller, rural
communities and people who have connections to religious and cultural group memberships,
volunteer more often.
What Motivates People to Volunteer?
Gil Clary, Leslie Orenstein, Mark Snyder, and others have examined motivations for
volunteering. A person is driven by value expressive motivation if his or her reasons for
volunteering derive from the values, he or she holds dear, such as a concern for the poor. When a
person’s primary goal is to learn about a particular problem or group of people or to have new
experiences, his or her primary motivation is understanding or knowledge. Those with a social
adjustive motive volunteer because friends, family, or social demands encourage them to do so.
Others are motivated by career aspirations. For example, college students may volunteer to
enhance their job skills or increase their probability of educational or career goals. Some people
volunteer to relieve their personal problems, such as the guilt of having too much time on their
own hands or needing a positive outlet for their insecurities. This is called ego-defensive or a
protective function. On the other hand, those with an ego-enhancing motivation volunteer to
increase their own self-esteem. In a volunteer job, a person can be valued by the staff and feel
competent at a minor job. Finally, some people volunteer out of community concern. They
demonstrate concern for a particular community as defined by geography (a neighborhood) or by
a particular condition or need (concern for those with cancer).
Allen M. Omoto and Mark Snyder have discovered that when motivation type matches recruiting
strategy, people are more likely to volunteer. For example, when a student is motivated to seek a
job, he or she would be more likely to volunteer in response to advertisements highlighting job
skills. When motivation is met in volunteering experience, people are likely to continue to
volunteer. For example, a person who wishes to build confidence will be more likely to continue
volunteering when a coordinator praises him or her for a job well done. Contrary to expectations,
researchers found that “mandatory volunteerism” as a college requirement made some students
less likely to freely volunteer in the future. This is one reason why volunteerism requires helping
to be freely chosen.
Benefits and Costs of Volunteering
Benefits to an organization that uses volunteers include the money saved from having to hire
staff to do the same job. A research report from Independent Sector puts the 2005 value of
volunteer time at $18.04 per hour, including wages and benefits, saved by an organization for
each hour a volunteer serves. The organization also benefits indirectly because volunteers
become representatives and advocates for the organization, sharing information and positive
views with the community. Costs to the organization include the costs of training the volunteers,
the staff time to coordinate volunteers, and the chance that volunteers may offer lower-quality
service than paid staff.
Benefits to the recipients of help from well-trained volunteers can be obvious: The homeless
mother gets served a meal, the immigrant learns to read and write, and so forth. Costs include not
getting expert help or receiving inconsistent help when volunteers are not available. Benefits to
the volunteers themselves include increases in their sense of self-esteem and self-confidence,
decreased loneliness, the making of friends, and more favorable attitudes toward clients served.
In older adults, the increased activity and social stimulation of volunteering has positive health
effects and increases life satisfaction. In youth, those who volunteer have a lower likelihood of
being arrested. Costs to the volunteer include any costs associated with volunteering itself, such
as transportation, and emotional costs of working with those in need, such as sadness when a
client dies. Conflicts between volunteer time and time spent with family and friends and the
potential stigma of associating with those who have less desirable traits in society are social costs
that volunteers incur. Benefits to society include the promotion of the common welfare of the
community, the ability to expand services, the defrayal of dollar costs, the increase of the skills
base in the community, and the instillation of norms of prosocial behavior.
References:
Clary, E. G., Snyder, M., Ridge, R. D., Copeland, J., Stukas, A. A., Haugen, J., et al. (1998). Understanding and assessing the motivations of
volunteers: A functional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1516-1530.
Independent Sector. (2001). Giving and volunteering in the United States: Key findings. Washington, DC: Author.
Snyder, M., Omoto, A. M., & Lindsay, J. J. (2004). Sacrificing time and effort for the good of others: The benefits and costs of volunteerism. In A.
G. Miller (Ed.), The social psychology of good and evil (pp. 444-468). New York: Guilford Press.
What Is Community Service?
 Community service is work done by a person or group of people that benefits others. It is
often done near the area where you live, so your own community reaps the benefits of your
work. You do not get paid to perform community service, though sometimes food and small
gifts, like a t-shirt, are given to volunteers.
Community service can help any group of people in need: children, senior citizens,
people with disabilities, English language learners, and more. It can also help animals, such as
those at a shelter, and it can be used to improve places, such as a local park, historic building, or
scenic area as well. Community service is often organized through a local group, such as a place
of worship, school, or non-profit organization. You can also start your own community service
projects.
Some students are required to complete community service as part of a class requirement
to graduate high school or become a member of certain organizations. Adults can also participate
in community service to help others or if they are ordered to do so by a judge.
What Are Examples of Community Service?
Here are hundreds of ways to participate in community service, depending on your skills
and interests. Some common community service examples include:
Working with schoolchildren: Tutoring children after school, collecting school supplies to
donate, planting a school garden.
Working with senior citizens: Visiting residents of a retirement center, delivering meals to senior
citizens, driving them to appointments.
Improving the environment: Holding a recycling contest, planting trees, creating a new trail at a
nature center.
Helping low-income people: Passing out food at a soup kitchen, collecting used clothes to be
donated, making first aid kits for homeless shelters.
What Are the Benefits of Community Service?
There are many benefits of participating in community service, and some of the most important
ones are listed below.
Have the opportunity to help others: This is often the most important benefit of community
service. Participating in it gives you the opportunity to know that you are improving someone's
life and making your community better, and you get to see the direct impact of your work.
Gain hands-on experience: You can learn a lot of skills while performing community service
such as construction, painting, customer service, and medical skills. You can also include your
community service work on your resume.
Learn about different careers: Sometimes you can focus your community service in a field you
may want to work in down the road. Some examples of this include volunteering at an animal
shelter if you are thinking about becoming a veterinarian, working at a hospital if you want to be
a doctor, or volunteering in a museum if you like history. The experience gained from
community service can help you get an internship or job in the future, and it also gives you the
opportunity to see how much you would really enjoy a particular career.
Personal growth: Doing community service has personal benefits as well. It often makes
participants more organized, responsible, and compassionate, which are all good qualities to
have, as well as qualities that both colleges and employers like to see in applicants.
Gain new friends: A final benefit is that you can meet a lot of great people while doing
community service. Community service is often done in groups, so it’s easy to make friends with
the people you are working with. You may also become friends with the people you are helping,
especially if you volunteer at the same place regularly.

Reference: https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-community-service