By Vanessa • 15 years ago

Thank You Friday: Volunteers


Since we didn’t have a Thank You Thursday this week, I thought I’d take today to give some special Friday props for what happens to be National Volunteer Week.
It’s hard just being employed in the nonprofit sector; I remember oftentimes while working at organizations, I would get so frustrated and depressed for dedicating my life to such important work and, well, getting paid so little for it. After all, so many of my friends had jobs that paid them three times as much for simply helping CEOs get richer. But that frustration and anger seemed to just float away whenever I encountered our volunteers.
So many grassroots nonprofit organizations doing real groundwork towards social justice are largely volunteer-run. Let me repeat that: they are literally run by volunteers. Meaning they simply wouldn’t exist without them, meaning the hundreds or thousands of people that organization serve wouldn’t be the same without the individuals who willingly commit their time and energy – and for free.
I feel like the very word “volunteer” is often generalized as an altruism of the economically privileged – for folks who have the time and resources to “give back.” But I’ll say that at least in my experience, nearly every volunteer I’ve met were hardly raking in the dough or with crazy free time to spare. They had jobs, they struggled, and they volunteered. That still amazes me.
So on this beautiful Friday morning, here’s a huge thank you to the volunteers out there making the world a brighter place to exist. Share your stories of volunteering in comments.
*picture courtesy of Girls for Gender Equity

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