As a volunteer, you are contributing to the community but you can also benefit personally. Likely benefits include:
- increased personal satisfaction
- development of social networks
- learning new skills or maintaining existing ones
- gaining work experience.
The equivalent of about half of South Australia’s population or nearly 600,000 people each year contribute to their local communities as a volunteer. Nationally, this means that almost one quarter of Australia’s population or about five million people giving their time freely to help others.
Work skills
Volunteer-based organisations generally have specific skills or experience in mind when selecting people for volunteer roles. They will try to match these requirements with the skills and experience you can offer, or are prepared to learn, to suit the role.
Try writing down your skills and experience, strengths and weaknesses, as well as what you are passionate about, before contacting a volunteer organisation. For example, if you're truly passionate about health care you may consider volunteer work with a local hospital.
Making friends and meeting new people
Volunteering can be a great way to meet new people while contributing in a positive way to your community. It’s very likely that you will have at least one interest in common through the volunteer work that you do and from there it won’t be hard to discover other shared interests.
A good starting point to find out more about volunteering is by contacting your local
Volunteer Resource Centre.
Improving the community
Volunteering encourages interaction between people and can strengthen the bond with your community. When you volunteer you're proactively improving the life of others in your community.
That community may be at a very local level, for example improving a particular area of the suburban landscape, such as a park or maybe a community centre or could improve the day-activity options for people with a disability. What you contribute may seem small but volunteering activities can make a big difference.
Health and wellbeing
While volunteering helps others, it can also be good for your health. Research has shown that volunteering activities can improve your mood, strengthen your body and reduce stress. Volunteering has been known to improve outcomes for people coping with an illness.
Volunteers have also been found to recover more quickly from surgery, sleep better and generally have healthier immune systems compared to people who do not volunteer.
Employment opportunities through volunteering
Volunteering can benefit people seeking employment and those looking for a career change by providing new skills or reinforcing existing ones. Volunteering can also help to build confidence and self-esteem as well as introduce you to new people and networks.
Volunteering may be one of the options presented to meet mutual obligation requirements in relation to Centrelink payments. For more information, contact your Centrelink Community Work Coordinator or Job Network member or telephone 13 62 68.
More information
Other websites Volunteering for happiness and health - Australian Health Promotion Association
Health benefits of volunteering - Volunteering Tasmania
Report on the health benefits of volunteering - Corporation for National and Community Service, USA