Why People Don’t Volunteer (Again)
Volunteering can be rewarding and draining at the same time. Much of the work is under-appreciated. Dealing with office politics when donating precious time to an organization is off-putting.
I volunteered on many occasions in various capacities, and almost always felt disappointed.
My first volunteer experience was at a local hospital in high school. The staff had nothing for me to do. I sat in a room all day and did nothing. Most of my Saturdays were spent this way when I was 16. I swore off from volunteering at a hospital again.
After that, I volunteered at different places — libraries, non-profit events, conventions, marathons, corporate events. I also did pro-bono skills-based volunteering, to name a few.
According to the Corporation for National & Community Service about 25% of the adult population volunteered in 2013. This is the lowest ever reordered.
Here are some reasons why many Americans sign-up to volunteer for a cause and don’t come back again:
Volunteers are overbooked
At some events, the organizers sign-on 50 volunteers, but only need a fraction of them. Extra people are standing around and feeling useless.
