Six ways to give back when not volunteering
Ever wonder what you could be doing to help The Salvation Army even when you’re not volunteering? There are plenty of actions you can take that don’t involve giving a donation that will still strengthen your community.
To help get you started, we’ve thought through six actions you can take to easily help The Salvation Army all summer long. We encourage you to take a look, choose a few and start doing the most good. You’ll be on your way in no time.
- Get social.
Following us on social media and sharing our posts requires little effort but can make a big impact. By doing so, your friends and family will understand how we are helping others and discover how they can come alongside The Salvation Army to meet the greatest needs in our community. - Start a collection. A great way to help The Salvation Army when you’re not volunteering is by starting a collection at any time of the year. Currently, our food shelves could use a helping hand. When summer begins, families with children who normally receive several free meals at school can find themselves relying on our food shelves to make up the difference. For us, that means more donations of nonperishables and fresh produce are in higher demand. When donations are low, our food shelves struggle to meet the need. You can consider starting a collection or simply giving a donation. Both are appreciated.
- Share your experience. You’ve likely heard about “paying it forward,” right? Well, we’d like to introduce you to the phrase “inspire forward.” Believe it or not, all volunteering experiences can be inspiring. There is a reason you chose to generously give your time to help make your community a better place for everyone. Did you make a meaningful connection with someone you were serving during your shift? How did you feel afterwards? What did it mean for you to volunteer your time? By telling others about your experience, you can inspire them to donate their time to a group or organization they care about. The best part is, when more people start caring about the health of their community, everyone benefits.
- Encourage others to join you. You already know how rewarding it is to volunteer, so why not invite others to join you? Encourage a friend or family member to sign up for a shift with you. For someone who’s never volunteered before, we find that it’s easier to convince others to lend a hand if someone they know will be there. The more people lending a helping hand in our community, the stronger it will become. Talk to them about the most rewarding aspects of volunteerism that you love. You’ll find that your passion can be quite infectious!
- Be kind. Just a
little bit of kindness makes a bigger impact on our surroundings that many realize. Lucky for us, it doesn’t take much to commit an act of kindness. It can be as simple as waving to your neighbor, holding a door open for someone who has their hands full, or offering to buy a coffee for the person waiting in line behind you. In this way, you are connecting with those people you pass daily. We challenge you to find time this week to genuinely connect with another person. You won’t regret it. - Tell us about your ideas. At the end of the day, your insight matters. Volunteers bring a different perspective to our organization than do our employees or those we serve. You may see a need that remains unmet or find ways to make our volunteer experience easier for newer volunteers. At The Salvation Army, we’re always here to listen to what you have to say.
Please join The Salvation Army by volunteering or making a donation to support your local community.