The Power of Volunteering
Volunteering is freely giving our time, effort, and abilities to make a difference in people’s lives. It’s one of the most altruistic ways we can serve our community. Volunteers are essential for nonprofits to do their work and generate an impact in the world. For South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity, our volunteers inform and infuse our work, they are the lifeblood that’s so vital for us to carry out our mission of bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope.
There is no small work when it comes to helping South Puget Sound Habitat; volunteers are the backbone of everything we do. Being without your helping hands during the pandemic amplifies the appreciation we have for the important influence you have on the organization. If it weren’t for your desire to give back to our community, the labor costs associated with our Critical Home Repair program and the building of new affordable homes would otherwise be cost-prohibitive. Your time and effort are critical at the Habitat Stores by staffing essential roles that allow us to keep overhead down so proceeds can directly funnel back into housing and home repair. Or working in our office and serving on the board of directors.
Along with being the engine that powers Habitat, there are many other benefits to volunteering. People join our work for many reasons: to give back to the community they love; to build a stronger team; to learn new skills; gain work experience; or just to spend a little more time outdoors. There are personal health advantages too. It’s been said that “Compassionate actions that relieve someone else’s pain can help to reduce your own pain and discomfort.” Helping others can have a direct effect on your mental and physical wellbeing. A study in 2016 found that people who are happy and engaged in social activities like volunteering have better physiological functioning, better blood pressure, and lower heart rates. Further, those folks with a higher sense of purpose that comes from such work were less likely to die in the short term. Successfully working to help others can boost your self-confidence and thwart feelings of stress and anxiety, not to mention raising all of our spirits at Habitat too!
Volunteering can also help you develop new skills. When you volunteer to help build affordable housing or assist with critical home repairs, having construction experience isn’t really necessary. A desire to help your community goes a long way. It helps to be comfy up high or on ladders, but if you have the enthusiasm to do whatever’s needed and are willing to work hard, listen to and follow directions, we’ll teach you everything you need to know. There are opportunities to learn concrete skills like how to use power tools and be safe on a worksite. Carly Colgan, SPSHFH CEO, started as a Habitat volunteer 14 years ago knowing nothing about construction work. On her first day, she was taught how to hold a hammer correctly. By day 30, she was teaching others how to install windows and doors. For Carly, “It was an intimidating process but a great opportunity” that taught her to attend to detail and learn quickly, developing skills as a leader.
Along with learning the practical, physical ins and outs of home building and repair, working together can teach other soft skills. Volunteering with Habitat as a faith group or part of a business can promote leadership and team building. It’s a good way for people to step into roles they might not be in otherwise. For employers, research done by Deloitte shows that businesses that encourage their employees to participate in volunteer activities in their communities report better workplace morale and boosts the public perception of their brand. The study also found that younger workers, especially those who participated in volunteer programs, were more often loyal and satisfied with their jobs than those who didn’t. Younger generations of employees express a desire to work for companies that have a positive social impact in their communities. Giving back has many greater returns.
The reformer and organizer Elizabeth Andrews said, “volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart.” How and where you choose to spend your time and energy is precious. There are many ways you can help out in our community, but with SPSHFH the opportunity to work alongside homeowners is very different than with other nonprofits. There’s a powerful connection created when you work with and are able to get to personally know the individual or family you’re assisting. You’re not doing it for just a name or idea, but a person you know. Building with, not for. Everybody who volunteers with SPSHFH has a Habitat story, a very special, personal experience. An experience that connects you with not only our community but with a global mission and ministry — all across the country and world people are volunteering alongside homeowners and bettering the places they live. We are so grateful for all of you who choose to give to SPSHFH, we work because you work hand in hand with us.