Best Days to Volunteer!
What is an NGO?
An NGO or Non-government organization is a non-profit entity with its mission, vision and core values aligned to a social cause. NGOs work with different social causes such as poverty alleviation, girl child education, employment generation for persons with disabilities, youth development, animal welfare etc.
Who is a Volunteer?
A volunteer is an individual who gives his/her time and skills towards a social cause. Volunteers offer their support to the NGOs without any expectation of being paid and can be of any age, gender and occupation.
Why do people volunteer?
People volunteer for various reasons such as personal motivation to contribute towards social causes; availability of time; for bettering their employment opportunities; skill enhancement etc. Volunteering can also offer emotional and psychological benefits such as lowering stress levels; increasing positive feelings of confidence and happiness.
What are the best days to volunteer?
When we can volunteer might depend on the social causes and volunteering opportunities that are of our interest. For example, individuals interested in environmental causes are likely to participate in tree plantation drives during the rainy season. During non-rainy seasons, maintenance of trees might become a more common volunteering activity.
The pandemic has given impetus to virtual volunteering wherein the individuals can volunteer their time, skills and resources via virtual platforms. Some of the virtual volunteering activities undertaken by individual and corporate volunteer teams include:
Online donation drives
Awareness sessions on social issues
Online tutoring of underprivileged children
Audio-recording of lessons for students with visual impairment
Designing communication collateral for NGOs
Some of the best days when you can engage in volunteering activities include:
● Weekends - You can sign up for virtual or offline volunteering opportunities that NGOs and volunteer groups might organize during weekends. Such volunteering initiatives may include spending time with community members - senior citizens, orphaned children, or, conducting an online training session for underprivileged youth/children.
We have been spending more time indoors owing to the pandemic. Volunteering during weekends can also be a great bonding exercise with our family and friends.
● Summer break - For students, spending their summer holidays through volunteering activities can boost their skills development. Students can sign up for volunteering opportunities such as setting up social media profiles for NGOs, engaging underprivileged children in summer camps, fundraising for social projects etc.
● Daan Utsav - Daan Utsav or joy of giving week is celebrated from October 2 to October 8 every year by NGOs and volunteer groups across India. During the Daan Utsav, NGOs/ volunteer groups often organize volunteering activities such as fundraising events; awareness around lesser-known social issues etc. Interested individuals can browse through available opportunities by a Google search or sign up on online volunteering platforms such as ConnectFor.
● Other Events (such as World Cancer Day etc.)
World Cancer Day, World Mental Health Day, World Alzheimer's Day are some of the social themes celebrated by the NGOs and volunteer groups. Such celebrations help to raise awareness of lesser-known social issues. Depending on your interest and motivation towards the social cause, you can sign up for volunteering opportunities organized around such event days.
How to find the best days to volunteer?
What you just read above is a tentative list of the best days when you can choose to volunteer. Any day can be the best day to volunteer. You need to make sure that you have the time and skills to undertake a volunteering opportunity - be it virtual or physical.
Why not make today, your best day to begin your volunteering journey?
Visit our website: https://www.connectfor.org/ and sign up for available volunteering opportunities! There are many social causes and projects from which you can select and begin volunteering.
Happy Volunteering!
