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Volunteering with DDKF
There are many ways to make a difference through service at DDKF. People choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. Volunteering provides the chance to give something back to the community. Over the past 112 years, DDKF has contributed to the success of thousands of students. By volunteering, you have the opportunity to support DDKF’s ability continue fulfilling our vision of empowering KVO youth to live empowered lives.
The essential characteristic of practising seva is that it goes beyond contributing money to a worthwhile cause or organization. Practising seva requires putting your energy, knowledge, and experience to work for others. One great way to do this is to volunteer some time each week for a worthwhile cause or organization. Maybe you are already someone who is quick to lend a helping hand to others through volunteering for a social agency or other organization. But if you are slow to volunteer or feel your efforts in this direction could be improved, and especially if you are not already aware of some volunteer activity that might match your abilities and schedule, this exercise is for you
Six steps to volunteering for a worthy cause:
Step 1: Using the internet, newspaper, friends, and whatever other resources you can access, learn which social agencies and organizations in your area may have needs for volunteer support. Make a list of these organizations, their missions and responsibilities, and the location of their local headquarters.
Step 2: Now make a list of whatever talents, skills, interests, education, attitude, and experience you have that might be valuable to one or more of these organizations. You don’t have to uncover some esoteric skills or knowledge that no one else has. Just list the things you know how to do. Do you drive? That’s a skill. Do you read? That’s a skill too. And there are organizations that can make good use of one or both of them. Here are some other skills and qualities that come to mind: good with children, patient, know a foreign language, strong, good with numbers, cheerful, proficient cook, own a pickup. Any of these abilities could be valuable to the right organizations. No doubt you can add more.
Step 3: Crosscheck your two lists. Which organizations’mission statements and responsibilities seem to fit best with your list of interests, skills, and abilities? Narrow down your list of organizations to the two or three that fit you the best.
Step 4: Learn more about the organizations on this new short list. If possible, make personal visits. At least call and speak with the volunteer coordinator. What are the organization’s precise needs that you might be able to help with, and how many hours a week of your time would be needed?
Step 5: Next, decide just what functions you could perform for each organization and determine how much time you could provide each week on a consistent basis. It might be three times a week for a few hours each day or evening, or once a week for a couple of hours, but the important thing is to choose some substantial contribution that is not too much to handle and is sustainable over time.
Step 6: Finally, after considering the various possibilities, commit yourself to the organization and the volunteer work that you feel would best fit what you can offer in terms of skills, effort, and time.