by Cherie Camins

Created on: August 17, 2009

In one way or another, donating your time to volunteer will eventually pay off through building a network for yourself, using the volunteer experience as part of your resume for a job application, or getting hired at the place you volunteer. Who knows, you may even have a little fun while volunteering and having fun is always a good thing.

Finding a place to volunteer

The first step (after deciding to volunteer in the first place) is to choose a location in which to volunteer at. There are many options out there in your community, whether it's the type of volunteering you would be doing to whether the position would be something temporary or more on a permanent basis. If you are more partial to office work, then look for volunteering that is suited towards that. If you prefer doing manual labor and working in the outdoors, then there are volunteering positions just like that too.

A good place to look for volunteering positions is the website (http://www.volunteermatch.org). This website was endorsed by President Obama who urged Americans to volunteer more to help their communities. Whether you agree with Obama or not, (http://www.volunteermatch.org) is worth checking out for opportunities in your area.

Do not forget to check out the local hospitals, libraries, or nonprofits in your area. These places look for people to volunteer their time and are easy ways to get involved. For these places, you will have to go to the location in person to fill out the volunteering application.

Think outside the box. If there is a field you are interested in or want to get your foot in the door, head over to that organization and ask if you can volunteer. They might say yes or they might say no, but you do not lose anything for asking. If they say yes, it is a good way to get a feel for the field without too much effort on your end. It also gives you experience to use later on and to start networking with people you can call back on when you decide to take more than a step through the door.

Finding something to match your needs

Not everyone has needs that match up exactly the same, and that is okay! Like I mentioned early, there are various different types of volunteering positions and it is up to you to take a closer look to see what fits your needs the most. It may be that what suits you is a volunteering position that you can do every Saturday while you work in a garden. Or maybe you would prefer volunteering in an office type of environment that you can do from Monday to Friday

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