The Dividends of Volunteering
The Dividends of Volunteering
Volunteering is one of those things that people always hear about other people doing, but often don’t do themselves. In the material world we live in, it’s unfortunate that we have come to the point where unless there’s a monetary reward attached to something, we are less inclined to do it. The awesome thing about living below your means and striving for financial independence, is that it has the side effect of reducing your materialistic mindset. In turn, you develop a different perspective on the world that can be far more full-filling than anything money can buy. Volunteering is one of the great ways to take money out of the picture and earn dividends of a different variety.
Recently, I volunteered at a local bike swap and put in a solid 11 hour day. Though it was a long day involving a fair bit of manual labour, it was a blast! I had so much fun meeting other people that are as passionate (and nerdy!) about bikes as I am. Immersing yourself in an environment without money can be incredibly liberating and fruitful. So many people go to a job they dislike just so they can earn a pay-cheque, which they promptly blow on a lot of unnecessary crap. On the flip-side (most) people that volunteer, genuinely want to be there and the atmosphere is totally different, if not downright energizing! There has been very few times where I’ve walked into a workplace and the majority of people are happy to be there. As the song goes, “everybody’s working for the weekend” which is a terrible way to live! By extension, everybody’s also working for retirement, assuming they live that long and are able to pull together enough of a stash to actually do something during retirement.
Even less glamorous tasks, such as moving around large steel bike racks, suddenly become less of a nuisance. When people willingly come together for a common cause, there’s a great vibe that just puts everyone in a good mood. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when everyone is in a good mood and actually wants to be there. It’s also fun to attend events run by volunteers because people tend to be a lot more genuine and willing to help. For example, part of my duties at the bike swap was to help people pick out bikes to buy. In a typical sales environment, there’s a lot of extraneous noise like commissions, margins, sales targets and profits, that can really cloud the experience for the seller and buyer. But as a volunteer, I had nothing to gain or loose from helping someone buy a cheap or expensive bike. In fact, I talked a few people down from buying something that was much more expensive, simply because it didn’t fit their needs. I just did my best to give people an honest opinion about what bike they should consider purely because I love biking and want them to be happy with their purchase. Normally, I hate sales work! I hate the pressure, the schemes, and the questionable ethics, but in this case I was just having fun.
I especially admire the volunteers that respond to natural disasters. That’s incredibly hard work that can last days, weeks, or even months! There’s just so much raw emotion, compassion, and a willingness to help. The circumstances are usually quite tragic, and it’s unfortunate that it often takes a traumatic event for people to put aside their differences and come together for a common cause. A few years ago, I couldn’t get over the immense generosity of people in my city. There was a major flood and they literally had to TURN PEOPLE AWAY because there were TOO MANY volunteers! It was incredible to watch a city bounce back with such grace.
As an added bonus, many volunteering opportunities come with more tangible perks. In the case of the bike swap, volunteers that were selling a bike got part of the consignment fee waived, and volunteers that were buying a bike got first pick of the selection before the public. So that meant more money in your pocket and the best selection! At another event I’m volunteering for in the future I’m getting 75% off of the normal admission and I get to experience most of the event while I volunteer (not to mention the free t-shirt, haha)!
One of the great things about being financially independent (not their yet, but I will eventually!) is you suddenly have so much more free time to do the things you’re actually interested in. You become free from the shackles of a day-job and you can do things that are genuinely meaningful and far more rewarding than any amount of money could be. My plan is to continue volunteering when I’m able to do so, but especially so when I reach financial independence.
So get out there and volunteer, even if it’s just for a few hours! It’s especially refreshing if you’ve never done it before or it’s simply been a while. It can be mutually rewarding for yourself as well as the organization your’e helping. Who knows, you may even be able to directly benefit from your efforts through monetary or other tangible perks. For example, this year I’m hoping to help out with a couple trail-building days in my area, which means not only do I get to hang out with other cool biking people but afterwards I can enjoy my labour of love and do more awesome riding! If you volunteer for more formal events, you can make new connections that could help you land your dream job or advance your career. The possibilities are endless.
What are some of your great volunteering experiences? What did you get out of volunteering?