Volunteering

The number of seniors, as I have talked about, volunteering is in decline. I am sad about that because I believe that volunteering can add so much joy and meaning to your life, that everyone should do it. However, finding work with a nonprofit or a volunteer opportunity can be challenging. You want to get the right fit.  There are hundreds of ways to help in your own community — try contacting schools or hospitals, for example.  You can also go farther — much farther — afield for a volunteer adventure.

In British Columbia here are a few organizations that can help you find a rewarding volunteer in retirement gig near home or somewhere far away:

https://volunteerbc.bc.ca/

Volunteer BC is the voice of volunteerism with the goal of promoting the value of volunteerism and building healthy BC Communities.

Our programs help British Columbians mobilize their talents as volunteers, offer education opportunities, provide useful tools and ways to address critical community needs.

https://www.govolunteer.ca/

Since launching in 2003, over 1.8 million individuals looking to volunteer their time and talents have used Govolunteer.ca to connect with not-for-profits and charities across BC.

Did you know? Every year more than 300 thousand people visit GoVolunteer.ca to seek out meaningful volunteer opportunities where they can build stronger and more connected communities.

Govolunteer.ca provides volunteers with a wide selection of opportunities that connects them directly with not-for-profit and charitable organizations.

https://www.volunteermatch.org/

VolunteerMatch is the largest network in the nonprofit world, with the most volunteers, nonprofits and opportunities to make a difference.

Do a search on Google or your own search engine, “Volunteer opportunities, (name of your city)

Plan in Advance

Don’t just jump into the nonprofit world; start planning especially if you think that you might want to turn your volunteer work into a career and get paid for your good work.

Some popular nonprofit fields for 50+ workers include finance (accountants, bookkeepers), marketing, sales, fundraising, event planning and public relations, Hannon says. Whatever the field — or organization — seek out positions that can benefit from your lifetime of knowledge and experience.

If you’re not yet retired, spend some time volunteering on the weekends or in the evenings to get your feet wet in the nonprofit world, while adding some helpful skills and experience to your portfolio.

Sharpen Your Skill Set

Many volunteer organizations will offer you training but getting started on your own can be a good idea. Learning new skills or taking a few extra college courses will help prep you for an encore career or exciting adventures.

Market Yourself

When launching into a volunteer position, it is not just about the skill set you have or will learn, but it is also about the people and the opportunities that will come your way. If you are interested in building a second career, volunteer work is especially important, because “often, that volunteer work leads to a position at a nonprofit. I know a few people who started by volunteering and then grew the work into a full-time position.