Taking Action on Your Own: Volunteering Without Organizations

Many think that when volunteering one needs to be part of an organization or at least associated with one. But volunteering is about being part of an effort to effect change and doing one’s best. It is certainly true that being part of an organization could create a structure that will make your efforts simpler and more effective. But when it comes to organizations, your time and actions are under their goals. If you are new to volunteering I suggest that you try organizations out, or if you do not intend to do this regularly, become a freelance volunteer in order to be able to help causes that are shorthanded without being tied down to a few.

Volunteering Freelance

Unless you are passionate about a particular cause, it might be more effective and fun for you to volunteer without officially joining an organization. This allows you to help out with causes that you think might need you most, where your talents and capabilities would be the most effective. Becoming part of an organization, though not really restrictive, will give you a sense of loyalty to follow and volunteer even if you find others that may need your help more. Having the freedom to help causes without any commitment to a particular one fits most people.

Perks Of Organizations

When you are an official part of an organization you are able to know more than a regular freelance volunteer on your cause and current mission. Being organized and deployed where your skills fit the needs is another perk of being part of an organization. But your actions are somewhat restricted to them for the sake of effectively, while this is good in its own way, it may affect your morale and overall performance in the long term.

The Problem With Too Much Structure

Even if you love your job, the monotony of doing things in a specific way every time will create a sense of complacency in your task. Structure is good, but too much structure could take away the heart of doing the task. Just as artists who love what they do suffer a burn-out, you may become susceptible to burnouts as well. It is a terrible thing to experience; losing the joy of doing something you are supposedly passionate about. While volunteering isn’t about passion, it is essential to love what you do for the sake of your fellow volunteers’ morale and overall feel of what you are doing.

Finding The One

It would be easy to mistaken what I am saying as anti-organization, but it is far from that. Most first time volunteers and youth tend to push for a cause that they feel passionate about at the time and join a structured organization only to feel like what they are doing is very detached from what they expected to. When you truly know what causes you want to support and mainly volunteer for, achieved only by experience, you may be able to find the best organization and do the task without feeling this.