Volunteers don’t make the world go ’round, but they supply the elbow grease to make the world go ’round better.
Volunteers are the backbone for many events and charities. Without Volunteers some organizations would not survive. Non-Profits rely on funds to serve the needs of their community for their organization. Whether it be a food pantry, an animal rescue or women shelter or other various nonprofits. Since they are focused on receiving donations, they cannot pay a staff for their events. Therefore, volunteers are needed, whether it is at their facility stocking food pantries, helping with animals or being there to support a race that benefits the charity. If the charity had to pay a staff to do these things, they would be taking away from the needs of their community. By volunteering you are helping serve your community. Volunteers are an essential part of many non-profit organizations. These non-profits cannot pay people to do the things they need to have a successful event. That is where Volunteers come in.
Some of the way’s volunteers help are, being there for support during their event, passing out water along the way. Making sure runners stay on course. It is also passing out those medals to them after they finish their race. Every volunteer is crucial to a successful event.
Volunteers can earn community service hours needed for graduation. Volunteering also looks good on resumes when applying for colleges or jobs. Volunteering is also a great way to network with others. Volunteering can help with leadership skills and teamwork. I know volunteers that have become volunteer coordinators just by doing what they do and being noticed by someone for their leadership.
Volunteers can expect a lot of High Fives and thank you’ s from the runners and staff for being there.
Volunteers get up early on weekends and are there during all types of weather. They still have a smile on their face even it is frozen on. I love meeting new people and hearing their reasons for volunteering. Some are just giving back to their community while others do it for personal reasons. People generally like to help others, so volunteering gives them the ability to help.
I have a great group of volunteers that come back for all our races. I have runners that also volunteer if they are not running or volunteer prior to the race.
I like to give back to my volunteers with a thank you swag bag that may contain items from previous races, this is always appreciated as most volunteers get a shirt if that and nothing else. I feel that volunteers need to be appreciated by the staff as well as the runners, so it is just a small Thank you to them. Volunteering should be fun while helping others. I think our volunteers have fun. Our volunteers come back year after year for our events.
Our volunteers come from all walks of life. Some are students, parents, lawyers, administrators, retirees, etc.… Anyone can volunteer. There are no boundaries to be a volunteer. The only skills you really need is to be friendly, smile and be able take directions on what is needed from you and have fun at what you are doing. If you are interested in volunteering for any of our events, we always welcome new individuals and groups.
When I ask volunteers why they volunteer there are many reasons. Some like the comradery with their friends and helping others. Some are there to support someone they know running in a race. Others just like giving of themselves for different events.
Volunteering can be very rewarding. It helps you be better as an individual, you feel good about yourself. It teaches you new skills and can give you a different perspective on people and organizations. It can help you build confidence in yourself. As a volunteer you can gain a sense of pride within yourself.
The qualities for a good volunteer can be any or all the following: Enthusiasm- being energetic and motivated. Being flexible to various duties and being asked to do something you may not be familiar with. Having good communication skills and organizational skills. Being able to work as a team.
Always have an open mind to new ideas. Seeing a situation and being able to resolve it in a manner that has a good outcome to all parties involved.