Volunteering can be intimidating. These 5 questions can help.
Some random evening, I stumbled out of an arcade bar on Market Street with a friend. We were talking about fundraising methods when a man approached.
“Can you spare a dollar?” he asked.
“I’m sorry,” I said, “I don’t have any change.” As I walked away, I felt quarters from the arcade bar bouncing around in my pockets, and I realized I had responded to the man without even thinking.
There are so many people in need of communities that will support them, it can feel daunting and be easier to turn a blind eye rather than offer help. Even acknowledging problems in front of us requires us to lift our veils of blissful ignorance – for those of us privileged enough to wear them.
It’s much easier to look away, or to talk about helping in theory, as my friend and I were doing when a man asked us for money. That’s why when I hear people say, “I need to start volunteering,” I’m not surprised the conversation often stops there.
But of course, remaining daunted or unaware doesn’t solve anything.
And in a city like San Francisco, where so many resources exist to benefit people with tech skills, I can’t help but wonder how my resources can benefit the city, beyond just giving money when I have it.
That thought is ultimately what pushed me to start volunteering.
Things I consider before volunteering
One group I recently volunteered for is Out in Tech. Through the organization’s Digital Corps program, I spent a day with a team of four others building a website for the African Queer Youth Initiative.
With our different skillsets, we designed and built the site, wrote and edited copy, created a new visual identity for the non-profit, and made a technical guide explaining how to edit or update the site.
It was an awesome experience. It was actually so awesome that I began to reflect on why. What made this event great?
I have a list of questions I consider when volunteering, and it occurred to me that Out in Tech addressed each of them.
These five questions differ in weight to me, and that weight will likely vary from person to person. Regardless of the varying importance of the answer, though, the questions remain the same.
Do I personally feel passionate about this cause?
By exposing myself to a lot of different causes, I’ve learned I’m most enthusiastic about those with LGBTQIA focuses. As a gay man, it feels easier for me to connect with queer missions, and the empathy and passion that this connection evokes makes me more excited when I wake up on the mornings of volunteer days.
The Digital Corps was easy to feel passionate about. I care a lot about using the internet for activism, and a strong digital strategy is critical for an organization such as the AQYI, where networking and communication are core to their mission.
Beyond that, a member of the AQYI partnered with us despite a 12-hour time difference, staying up until 5am to answer questions. Not only was he a real person and thus easy to connect with, but he was willing to lose sleep over the work we were doing. How could I not feel passionate?
Is this asking for a skill I’m willing to share?
You don’t do your best work when you feel burnt out or worn.
In college, I was designing for classes, for work, and for a freelance gig. I then tried to volunteer my design services to a local halfway home. Ultimately, I failed, and had to back away from the organization. This isn’t because I didn’t care, it’s because I was burnt out.
After spending entire days designing or thinking about design, it was a serious challenge to feel excited about designing as a volunteer. Had I offered to help in a different way, I likely would’ve been able to follow through.
I’ve also committed to volunteering a skill I consider a hobby. I was successful in those instances, but sometimes at a price. Feeling obligated to use my hobbies made them feel more like work, and I grew tired of them.
But, this point has a sibling …
Is the scope something I’m willing to commit to?
Sometimes you can commit to using certain skills when you know a volunteer event is timeboxed.
For instance, with Out in Tech, I knew I wouldn’t have to balance my professional design obligations and my volunteer ones, because my volunteer obligations wouldn’t last longer than a day.
That said, I am able to serve at a local meal service every weekend through Project Open Hand because it uses a skillset I feel capable of sharing at that scale.
The skills I’m willing to share and the scope I’m willing to commit to are totally related.
Does the community empower me?
I once found myself committing time to an organization that left me emotionally drained.
Dedicated volunteers tend to be passionate, and this can sometimes lead to heated discussions among people with strong opinions. That’s not a bad thing! But in this instance, it distracted me from the reason I was volunteering, and it took a lot of energy to remain focused.
I ultimately decided it was best for me to stop volunteering with the group.
My experience with Out in Tech was the opposite. My teammates and I connected immediately and worked together thoughtfully, treating each other with respect and valuing each other’s expertise. The Digital Corps isn’t set up as a competition, so I didn’t feel as though folks on other teams were rivals.
Will the organization set me up for success?
One of the largest hurdles that previously kept me from volunteering was finding a place where I could be truly helpful. The last thing I wanted was to feel as though I’d thrust myself into the middle of a problem, only to be an obstacle.
So it’s important to me that organizations I work with take time to explain processes or to teach skills I need to perform well.
Out in Tech did just that.
WordPress was a sponsor of the Digital Corps, so we were able to receive their professional tools for free. But there was a problem: no one on my team was very familiar with WordPress.
Fortunately, Out in Tech went through the basics of how to create a site and made sure WordPress representatives were available if we had questions. People who had participated in Digital Corps events before were also able to offer support.
Thinking in Groups: How I apply these questions at Group Nine
At Group Nine, we’re working on engaging more with the communities around us as we grow.
We’re doing this in a number of ways. For instance, people who volunteer during elections are excused from work for the day. The San Francisco office often participates in things like beach cleanup days. Our queer and women’s employee resource groups coordinated a donation drive at our offices across the country to benefit homeless and at-risk women around the holidays.
Each of our brands — NowThis, The Dodo, Seeker and Thrillist — are also mission driven, and often find service opportunities aligned with their values. The Dodo is a great example of this, having recently worked with the product and tech teams to create a chatbot that helps people find adoptable pets.
And as a member of our queer ERG, I often have the opportunity to organize volunteer events. While doing so I ask:
Does the company feel passionate about this cause?
What do my co-workers care about? To gauge interests, I sent out a short survey to my peers in the San Francisco office and learned people here care a lot about the environment, hunger and homelessness.
Is this asking for a skill people are willing to share?
Through the survey, I was also able to learn people enjoy outdoor activities and serving or preparing meals.
Is the scope something people are willing to commit to?
I tend to consider publishing schedules or product launches when planning volunteer events, so I know whether people will be able to volunteer. I also look for events that take place during reasonable hours and give preference to those with easy access to public transportation, since our employees are scattered all over the Bay Area.
Does the community empower volunteers?
I generally look for events that will bring co-workers together and encourage folks from different teams to interact.
Will the organization set volunteers up for success?
Especially when coordinating for a large group, it’s important to be sure organizations offer adequate training. Generally speaking, I’ve found organizations that accept volunteer groups know this.
Enjoy What You Do
Volunteering will always be better when done out of passion instead of guilt. These questions ensure just that, and help me to give only what I have for the sake of avoiding burnout.
Of course, there are obvious situations where these questions don’t fit — for instance, after a natural disaster, or in situations where the need for help is particularly high. They’re not meant to dictate where I volunteer so much as empower me to fit volunteering into my routine.
I’d love to hear about your volunteer efforts. What motivates you? What organizations do you care about, and what skills do you enjoy sharing? What have you done in groups, or what volunteer functions has your company coordinated?
Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Huge thanks to Chao Li, Brandon Smith, and Khalid Richards for help editing.
Group Nine is hiring! You can see all our open positions on our jobs page. To read more about our work and to learn what our tech and product team is like, see our other blog posts.
