How Volunteering Benefits the Community

It’s pretty obvious that volunteering greatly impacts the volunteer themselves, but what often gets overlooked is the effect it has on the community. After all, it’s also called community service. This blog provides several reasons for why volunteering doesn't just benefit you, but the people and community around you. 

The most important thing a community gets for volunteering is a sense of stronger community. When on the job, volunteers make friends with other volunteers and with the people they volunteer for. This would mean making friends with people they usually won’t make friends with, such as people from different ethnicities, races, religions, and class. These are factors that otherwise divide communities. As they get to know each other better, neighbour’s and communities learn to rely on each other and help each other out when the time comes.

When a problem then arises in the area, the people know to solve it together and take it on as a community. 

Since volunteering is a selfless give back, the community stays clean and safe by volunteers without having to pay anybody. Sure, professionals come and do the hard work, but if volunteers were to go the extra mile and pick up trash, mow lawns, help at your local library or non profit, they would inspire many more community members to come out and volunteer. It’s all about the first generation to start things off, so you should be a great example for future community servicers. 

Photo by Dio Hasbi Saniskoro from Pexels