A volunteer is a person that has a spirit of service, creativity, sensitivity for human pain, strong moral values, the ability to work in a team, and a social conscience. They practice solidarity, leadership, good interpersonal relationships, discipline, communication skills, and care for themselves and for others.

What is volunteer work?

Formally, volunteer work is work done not for profit. It contributes to a greater cause that is for the good of your fellow man and society in general.

What motivates a person to do volunteer work?

 Volunteers do work for two reasons:

• For reasons that are ideological, ethical, and moral; that give them a sense of the needs and problems of other. They want to do something that will better society, change situations, and transform the world.

• For personal reasons: to feel useful, to know and live new experiences, to develop as a person, to build relationships, and to work with others.

A volunteer has many motivations:

• To be and feel useful

• For the satisfaction to do good and to do it well

• For fun and to break routine

• To learn, in the biggest sense of the word

• To give back to the society and humanity for which we have been given

• To meet people with interests like yours

• For the knowledge that you served as a volunteer

• To be able to help and share some knowledge or a talent

One can be a volunteer in many diverse ways. There are many towns that contribute to our cause and our volunteers help in many ways while they serve. Each one of us has something to offer. It simply depends on each volunteer’s creativity and what they want to do.

Four Keys to Being an Effective Volunteer:

• Voluntary. The action of volunteering is the result of free choice. It is a personal option to not receive compensation for the work you do. Your personal motivations give you the greatest satisfaction.

• Solidarity. Volunteer action only functions when it is in agreement with others; where the interest is collective. Volunteering is a way to give an answer to the needs, problems, and social interests we see every day. Volunteer action is a promise of solidarity to create a better life for all.

• Action. Volunteering is not only a moral value. It does. It’s action. If we sit as a good person and citizen but we do not make a move, we will be left empty. The one thing that creates change in this world is action.

• Organization. The goal of each volunteer is to improve reality, transform the world, and be effective.  A volunteer requires organized action, uniting forces to make a difference.  For that reason, volunteer work should be organized, systematic, and collective. It requires organization from its associations and foundations.