 | Why do I want to volunteer?
There is no one "right" reason to volunteer, and many people have
complex, multi-leveled motivations. Find a quiet place and take a
significant amount of time to list and explain
why you are considering volunteer service.
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| What will volunteering do for my future career plans and
goals?
What do I hope to gain from a volunteer experience? What would be some
of the benefits and losses of a volunteer experience on my future
educational and/or career plans?
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How will this affect my relationships?
 With my family? With my friends? Will they accept the choice? How
difficult will it be to possibly be far from home? With any "significant other"?
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| How do I see my relationship with God?
For many, one's understanding and image of God is a core part of one's
belief system and an important motivation and sustainer during volunteer
service. How does this relationship connect me with others in my life
and with those I hope to serve? What do I hope to gain spiritually from
volunteering?
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| How might volunteering affect my faith life?
Do I seek an experience with a spiritual component? What are my
spiritual hopes and expectations?
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| Can I live on a budget? Do I have outstanding debts
for which repayment cannot be delayed?
Volunteering requires some financial sacrifices. Am I willing to
make those sacrifices? For many, volunteer service helps foster a
simple life-style they maintain long after their volunteer experience.
For others it is a difficult struggle to forego luxuries a job would afford
them. See section on financial
considerations.
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| Are there any other questions or issues that I need to
consider?
Any physical or emotional health questions or factors? Other
factors unique to me?
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What are my other options?
Internships, short term and summer placements, working for a nonprofit
or social service agency, working for a for-profit business, pursuing
further education, religious life... the world is full of
opportunities! We at the Pallotti Center believe strongly in the
benefits of volunteer service, both for the communities that volunteers
serve in and for the volunteers themselves. But prospective volunteers
should fully consider other options in their discernment process.
As with any decision, there is ambiguity, and a temptation to make a
decision quickly, if only to end the uncertainty. We hope you will take your time with your decision
and make a fully-informed one. |
