9 Reasons Why You Should Volunteer in a Startup Community

5 min readJan 12, 2016

Volunteers have a big impact on the growth of a community. They could help drive entrepreneurship in a society and have a ripple effect in their community. Here are 9 reasons why you should consider becoming a volunteer in a startup community.

The startup community in Iran is still pretty young, but thanks to the various events and initiatives taking place with the help of volunteers, it’s growing with a fast pace. Giving a volunteering chance to someone is a way of empowering them in order to form waves of change towards a good cause. Not to forget, the cause your company is working on is more important than just the profit you’re making.

I myself got introduced to Iran’s startup scene by doing volunteer work. Before, I had some experiences by working in startups, but the real act for me started when I thought that I should get more involved with the community of entrepreneurs in my city. The experience for me was phenomenon. I got to meet the people I’m working with right now and built a great network of amazing people who I’m still in touch with and help each other every day.

Becoming a volunteer is the best way to learn the new things. You can develop your self-confidence as you learn more through the journey. Here are 9 reasons why you should consider taking a volunteering opportunity in an startup community:

1. Gives You the Fulfillment of Being Part of a Good Cause

We all love to see positive changes in our society. And no progress will be made unless each and every one of us takes a responsibility towards that cause. The fulfillment you get after seeing the results is something that no money or power could bring. Set a good example for others around you and show them the impact of your team’s work.

2. Helps You Come Up With New Ideas

Some volunteering opportunities might lead you to entering a new world where you had never seen or worked at. There are many roles to choose from in any project. This helps you to try some tasks much different from your ordinary past/current job. Therefore helping you to see your surroundings in a different way, kindle new ideas and plans towards your way.

3. Teaches You Teamwork

The key difference that distinguishes a successful venture from an unsuccessful one is the team. Being able to collaborate with your teammates to resolve conflicts before it becomes a dilemma is essential. Learn to be a team player and deal with issues in unusual circumstances by joining a team of volunteers working towards the same cause.

4. Helps You Build a Great Network

You’ve got to work your way up in order to reach the top. The fact is that reaching some people to help you build your business would be difficult, especially when you’re a newcomer. By doing volunteer work you might get a chance to work with the stars of your community and learn one or two things from them. But the network you build is not just about the big players.

Never underestimate any person you meet in your journey, you never know how helpful the person you’re standing beside could be. And remember, always give back more than you receive.

5. Find the Right People to Start Your Business

Finding the right people to help you build an amazing venture could be hard. Volunteering is a great way to find the right people you need. You get to meet new friends and work side by side with them, day and night and find the strengths in each other. Nothing is as important as the right people who surround you.

6. Share Your Knowledge & Learn From Others

Not everyone is an expert in all fields, but to some extent we all know what we’re good at. Try implementing your knowledge in your volunteering job and see the feedback you get from the people in your team. Sharing your knowledge could be great way of strengthening your skills and learning from others.

7. Find Your Gift

In a volunteering work, don’t be afraid of doing tasks you had never done before. There are people who are going to be there and guide you through the job. Who knows, you might find your gift in something you had never thought of before and it might help you to shape the vision you have in your mind.

8. Learn to Solve Challenges

In every job (Read a startup), you face dozens of challenges everyday. Being able to handle them and coming up with solutions requires a great deal of experience, something that you could gain by doing volunteer work and working in a team. The tough times are the best practice to learn from and to try to avoid in the future.

9. Give Back to the Community

Helping the community grow means giving a chance to your business to prosper. You might already be running a startup, so why not help others to start theirs? A community could only thrive if everyone becomes active in it. Show your good intentions and become part of the movement.

For the Iranian readers, make sure to attend meet-up events such as Hamfekr, Startup Grind or Startup Spark in your city to get to know more about the startup community in Iran. Here are some of the initiatives that welcome the help of volunteers:

Become a Volunteer at TechRasa

If you know any other initiative in Iran that needs a team of volunteers please leave a comment.

Originally published on techrasa.com on January 12, 2016.