We know: You’re busy, money-crunched and probably working more than ever. How can you possibly volunteer now? Because the payoff for you is huge. Consider: 63 percent of volunteers say giving back has positively affected their careers, one survey found. And another survey showed that more than 78 percent of professional women who volunteer say the experience helped them develop leadership and communication skills.
Volunteering may also make you healthier: Studies show that those who donate their time (less than an hour a week!) have lower incidences of heart disease and depression, plus longer life expectancies. And with this historic recession driving up rates of unemployment, hunger and homelessness, let’s face it: There’s more need now than ever for volunteers.
OK, you’re convinced. So how to find the time? Input your zip code and interests at volunteermatch.org for opportunities in your area. For the very busy check the “Virtual
Opportunities” box for ways to help from the comfort of your couch. “This offers the most flexible schedule and let’s you donate skills like building non-profit’s website or writing a business plan,” explains Robert Rosenthal, spokesman for volunteermatch.org.
“You gain experience, and they gain critical services they couldn’t otherwise afford.”
And it doesn’t have to be a multiyear commitment. Glamour features director Veronica Chambers took one hour to read poems to fifth graders at a school near her house during National Poetry Month. “You think, Oh, volunteering, I’m way to busy right now,’ she says. “But I loved feeling like I was part of my neighborhood.” Encouraged, she volunteered again with a teen journalism program. That time, “I met an editor who gave me one of the best jobs of my career.” Inspiring a future poet or community leader while getting ahead yourself? Not bad for less time than it takes to get your cut and color.
Find more ways to give back at glamour.com/about/glamourgives.
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