Volunteers needed

Volunteer [ vol-uhnteer ];

noun

a person who voluntarily offers himself or herself for a service or undertaking.

a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.

adjective

of, relating to, or being a volunteer or volunteers:a volunteer fireman.

verb (used without object)

to offer oneself for some service or undertaking.

to enter service or enlist as a volunteer.

(The above definitions of “volunteer” are from Dictionary.com.)

Why is it that no one seems to volunteer anymore? It seems that getting someone to help with anything now days is like pulling teeth, especially when they find out they won’t get paid. What has happened? Why has volunteering become such a bad thing?

During World War II, volunteers were an integral part of the everyday life, as approximately three million women volunteered with the Red Cross, according to the National world War II Museum. Even as a child growing up, I can remember my parents volunteering. Whether it was coaching a ball team, helping in a concession stand, or taking part in a community or civic group, my parents were involved in almost everything, with much of it on a volunteer basis.

As I have gotten older, I have come across many opportunities where I could volunteer. From church Vacation Bible Schools to little league ball teams, it seems every time I turn around, there is an opportunity to do something for others without compensation. What strikes me is that, especially when the opportunities seem so abounding, the volunteers seems to be growing smaller and smaller.

My generation grew up watching our parents volunteer for seemingly everything under the sun, yet it seems my generation seems to be the hardest to get to step up when needed most. Until recently, I personally would have blamed the lack of volunteers on the fact that volunteering brings no paycheck. However, with recent events and extra funding for unemployment (which seems to be keeping people from even taking a paying job) I would have to argue against that idea now. So, I really still don’t have an answer why people will not step up to help, especially when it comes to things for kids.

As my daughters have been playing league softball this year for the first time, it has really struck me how few volunteers are really out there. There is an old adage that says “20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work.” Though this is usually used in regards to work done in churches, it sure seems like it can apply to volunteering in general.

According to www.letsgrowleaders.com, there are some ways to break the 80/20 rule. Those include creating a passionate rally cry, understanding what works, spending time with the outliers, and developing skills and confidence. But, before you can begin taking most of those steps, you still have to get the outliers to start volunteering. So, it seems to be a cycle that is never-ending. The only true way to break that cycle, from my perspective, is to make volunteering important again. Maybe we should go back to showing appreciation for our volunteers somehow?

If you hear of a volunteer opportunity, I urge you to look into it. An hour in a little league concession stand, slinging French fries and snow cones, is a relatively short amount of time, and it could mean the difference between a parent getting the opportunity to watch their child play or not. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go get the concession ready for another night of ballgames.