Volunteering is undoubtedly a great way to serve communities and transform people’s lives. However, besides helping others, you also help yourself while volunteering for community service activities. Volunteering has several advantages for individuals participating in such activities, including health benefits. Volunteering for a non-profit organization like Dorchester Habitat can significantly boost your physical and mental health.

What Do You Gain From Volunteering?

There are multiple ways in which volunteering can benefit an individual. Volunteering is essentially a win-win activity. The key benefits of volunteering include:

1. Having a Sense of Purpose
Lacking a proper sense of purpose can harm one’s mental health. Many individuals face dilemmas regarding whether they are giving anything back to the world. Feeling that you are a selfish person, even if you are not, can add psychological stress. However, when you volunteer to help others, you find a purpose. It would act as a means to identify yourself and motivate you to continue.

2. Building Up Self-esteem
Your self-esteem directly affects your happiness and psychological health. A person with higher self-esteem also performs better in various spheres of life. When you volunteer to take part in community service activities, it helps to build up your self-esteem. You get to work as a team with others and master different skills during the process. This development of self-esteem would enable you to take on various challenges in life more confidently.

3. Better Cardiovascular Health
Studies show that volunteers help the community enjoy much better cardiovascular health. Adults above fifty years of age participating in such activities show much lower signs of hypertension. Moreover, depending on the nature of the work, you may also undergo higher physical activity. This, together with lower stress and hypertension, helps avoid various cardiovascular disorders.

4. Lower Mortality
Volunteerism could even extend one’s lifespan. Research has shown that individuals offering social support to the community have lower mortality rates than others. It could add up to five years to your lifeline through the various health benefits. This is essentially a key advantage of being a volunteer who helps the community.

5. Understanding Others’ Ways of Life
Volunteering would bring you in touch with plenty of people from communities that you aren’t accustomed to. This would help you understand and learn about others’ ways of life. This proves to be highly beneficial in the long run by enhancing your social flexibility. You would be able to see things from others’ points of view. Most importantly, volunteers develop the skills necessary for socializing correctly.

Besides ensuring various physical and mental health benefits and helping you develop your social skills, volunteering can also benefit your career.

What are the Five Benefits of Volunteer Work as it Relates to Careers?

Volunteering can help you progress in your career by making it easier to secure various jobs. It gives the employer a good impression of your passion, determination, and character. Some of the most prominent benefits that volunteerism can add to your career are:

1. Building Connections
As mentioned previously, volunteering can bring you in touch with people from various walks of life. You may unexpectedly develop connections that would open up new career options or help you strengthen your career. Moreover, volunteerism enables individuals to interact with others in a friendly and informal manner. This makes it possible to develop genuine relationships and connections that are valuable in the long run.

2. A Better Resume
A record of volunteer activities on your resume can also make it look better. Any company would like to employ a helpful individual, and the ability to work in collaboration with others is a virtue that every employer values. When your resume shows that you have volunteered to help communities even though you would not gain anything from doing so, it proves your determination and hard work.

3. Development of Skills
As a volunteer, you may try out various activities in different fields. This helps to refine your existing skills in such activities or develop new ones. Building up other skills is always helpful in making the person a deserving candidate for various jobs. Employers value skilled employees, and additional skills in a relevant field would undoubtedly give you an edge over other applicants. It would also help you progress through your career faster by securing promotions.

4. Determining Your Career Goals
It isn’t uncommon for individuals to face dilemmas regarding what job role to pursue. While experimenting with your career might sometimes be risky, volunteering would allow you to try your hand at different types of work. You can then get an idea of what you excel at, eventually focusing on building your career.

5. Building Confidence
The improved skills, network, and knowledge you would develop through volunteering would make you more confident. While applying for a job, you would feel more confident, knowing that you are a competent candidate for it. Taking part in volunteer activities is also a great way to develop your leadership and entrepreneurial skills. These skills can be precious in the long run.

Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity

If you are looking for a way to help those around you, you may volunteer with your local Habitat for Humanity. A non-profit organization with an extensive network, we help transform people’s lives by assisting them to meet one of the necessities of life: Shelter. You may join us to help build or repair homes for needy families or work with your local Habitat ReStore.

Our goal is to help build a world where everyone has a proper place to live. This helps to build thriving communities, allowing people to prosper and grow. You may even help us by donating money, old furniture, or other things that would help us build affordable homes. At Habitat ReStore, we recycle various used materials to create sustainable homes. We sell away different donated items to generate funds for the work we carry out.

You may enter your ZIP code to find opportunities to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity at locations around you. You may check out our list of national volunteer opportunities or see what opportunities are available at the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate in your area. You may choose from a wide range of volunteer activities and gain valuable experience while working with us to make the world a better place.