Be Careful Volunteering Time & Talents

So you want to volunteer for something, for some organization. It is a cause you are passionate about. You live it, you breathe it and you have tons of experience in an area that they can use. Before you jump in with both feet, all bright and shiny... stop and think.

Volunteering is a lot like the office - there are politics. If you think for one minute that everyone is going to get along, that everything will be all sunshine and togetherness for the cause that's really nice Pollyanna but you're kidding yourself.

People who are passionate about things are also very protective. Of their turf, their contributions, their ... whatever. It should be all about the cause (fighting cancer, saving whales/puppies/seals, etc.) but many times it isn't. If you're competent and you make something look easy and it is a something that gets attention in some way - someone will want to take that away from you because you seem to be having fun and getting all the attention. 

Now I am not saying to never volunteer. You should! It is good for the soul, a great way to teach kids about social responsibility but be aware of what you're getting into. People who are completely passionate about something aren't very logical. Some causes tends to attract folks willing to bend/break every rule or law out there to forward the cause and save the whatever. To be frank - some causes attract what is commonly known as well, nuts.

Let's say you give years to something, you work hard, you have a day job and yet every night you're working for the cause, you give up weekends and having a personal life... you make a real difference. And then one day, out of the blue your services are no longer needed because someone decided they want to do what you've been doing. Maybe it is about power, about getting attention... whatever it is you find yourself on the outside wondering what the hell happened. 

What happened is simple: you believed. You gave your heart and soul to something. And you did it well. Maybe it was even the one good, true thing in your life. And you got slapped/kicked/shunned as a result. 

We all know we are not irreplaceable. But sometimes we forget that people are simply people and have motives and issues that we don't share. Sometimes for others it isn't all about the cause, sometimes it is all about the attention and the ego. 

If that happens and it probably will to everyone who has ever volunteered at one point or another know that it isn't anything you did wrong. It is about you, but it is about someone else's perception of you and whatever that may be it lives in their head and isn't a true reflection of you, the time you've given, the talents you have shared or the love you have expressed. 

So be careful when you go to volunteer your time and your talents. Steel yourself against the politics and go out there and make a difference. It will be worth it in the long run.