Volunteering helps both the community and the volunteer

As a kid, I would go to work with my stepmom, who worked at the Museum of Natural History. I volunteered wherever anyone needed me. I assisted with children's programming, answered the phone and even got to hold the resident rainbow boa constrictor for visitors to see. It was fun, I made friends and it also gave me confidence, new skills and a sense of purpose before I was old enough to be gainfully employed.

Volunteering sounds purely altruistic, but it also provides benefits for the person who is volunteering. As an adult, I serve on boards and help with events and workshops in my community. I also require that my children volunteer. My children have done everything from mucking stalls at an equestrian therapy stable and reshelving books at the library to taking leadership roles in student ambassador programs and managing the school's spirit wear and supplies store. And yes, they've tagged along with me to work and helped me when needed as well.

It turns out this family example of valuing volunteerism is common. Mark Snyder, Ph.D., a McKnight Presidential Chair in Psychology and Director of the Center for the Study of the Individual and Society in Minnesota studies volunteering. People who volunteer tend to come from households that value helping others. Snyder says, "Generational volunteering is the key and leading by example is important." Around 60 million people in America volunteer in some capacity each year.

In this time of COVID-19 you'd think that volunteering would lag due to access restrictions and lockdowns. But Snyder says that hasn't been the case, "Even in communities where people must stay at home, people are finding ways to volunteer online.".

I wanted my kids to help their community, but I also wanted them to volunteer for practical reasons. I thought if they started as good volunteers, then they'd not only be good humans but also good employees. There's also some science to the idea of helping oneself by helping others. Snyder's research showed that those who volunteer long-term don't stay for altruistic reasons alone; they keep going back because they see the benefits in their own lives.

Volunteering contributes to a sense of well-being; it helps alleviate stress and it adds confidence to know you're able to help. "It's a win-win," says Snyder, "The world is better off and so is the individual."

Snyder's research showed that lifelong volunteers stick with it because of the community bonds that volunteering creates both for the volunteer and because of them. Social scientists see an uptick in volunteering when a crisis happens, but many stay with it once the crisis is over because they see that volunteering makes society a better place. It solidifies the bonds of concern, and their communities grow stronger because of it.

"It appears that volunteering builds community ties and, in turn, community ties promote volunteering," Snyder says. Even better, Snyder says new data is emerging that shows that older volunteers' health actually improves. Volunteers are survivors, they help in the face of adversity, and they know how to persevere.

Volunteering makes us stronger both individually and as a society, and there's no better time to get involved in your community than right now.