Being the old cynic that I am, there is no way you would get me to give a substantial amount of money or regular donations to a charity. Most of the time there is no clear definition given as to where donations actually go, and chances are that it's paying someone's wages for doing charitable administration or direction. I have much better things to do with my time.
Such as, volunteering. This way, you see the direct results of your time and energy, and provide a more practical and sustainable source of 'giving' than throwing money at a branded charity. It can be as much or as little as you want and has many more plus sides to donating in other ways. That's what I do and you should too. Why? Because:
It's rewarding
As in, you don't just get a minor glow or whatever you feel when you donate money, you can see the physical difference you and other volunteers have made. On building projects there is a chance to provide something that will help generations to come, and a week or two's labour stands in stone for decades to come. E.g. Project Gateway in Mali – a team from a local church went to stay with missionaries in the West African country of Mali and helped to build a college for the local community. I didn't go, but my friend Matt did!
New friends
Generally, volunteering teams work in pairs or broken down groups to carry out duties. Whether this means spending time with one or several people on a 24hour basis, you basically can't go volunteering and not make friends. Also, because everyone on the team is there for the same reason, it's easy to get talking and everyone is nice! Volunteers are almost always nice. E.g. Youth council – seeing as the old one had been dead and buried for a few years I decided to start it up again and had a great team of officers voted in for my year as chair. The end of that year was an end of an era, because we'd become such good friends.
Experiences
Signing up to go off somewhere exotic, you really have no idea what might be in store for you. It's exciting trying new things and meeting people that you might never have bumped into before, especially when it's an experience all in it's self. It could be being backstage at an event, rather than being a punter, or meeting the people you are providing a service for face to face; whatever the case, it makes it extra special and not something to forget quickly. E.g. Carroty Wood – my sister Abi went to a Christian camping holiday at Carroty Wood as a group leader this year. She was on the phone last night telling me how she ate octopus (a whole one!), ants, scorpion and other nasty things to earn points for her team. Dedication!
A challenge
There are lots of things that make volunteering experiences exceptional. However, the challenges faced are one of the aspects that help volunteers to grow as a person and in their understanding of people and the world during their time of serving. People with disabilities, working in blistering heat, evacuating huge venues and coping with intense hours of work can all play a key part in a volunteering experience, and provide physical and mental challenges. Overcoming these challenges and learning about new situations leaves you tired, but satisfied that you and your team managed to get through. E.g. Urban Saints – last summer I was a leader on an Urban Saints holiday in the New Forest. There was a camper with cerebral palsy. Although sometimes it was hard to know what he was saying, he was lovely to have on the holiday and taught the leaders and campers alike, more about the disability and how to communicate with a sufferer.
Holiday/festival for free!
Volunteering is not all hard work, for start stewarding or volunteering as a team leader often gets you free access to festivals, conferences and activity holidays. Although your experience of the event as a volunteer will obviously be different to the average punter, you'll find that you get the chance to see a lot of acts, talks and play loads of games and do activities that are great fun and perhaps widen your horizons, as there is less choice involved. Being part of the organising team is an excellent way to go to an event after you're too old to be a camper, or if you don't have enough cash for a ticket. E.g. Spring Harvest – Stewarding allows you to go free to Spring Harvest, but be warned; the hours are long, the work is hard and you don't get a great say in which venues you are working on and therefore what or who you see. However, with accommodation, food and travel expenses paid for, and a fun experience all round, I would definitely do it again.
Get fit
Yes, the name of this game is get your hands dirty. It's bloody hard work, running around with the same energy as pre-teens and adolescent boys and girls, stacking and unstacking chairs, being up early I.e. team meeting at 7am, going to bed late I.e. after everyone else that's not on the team is asleep, keeping everyone motivated and generally running around like a headless chicken. E.g. Cleaning the sea in Honduras – my Aunt went out to Honduras for a couple of months, diving off a boat every day to help clean much off the sea bed. Apart from doing all kinds of cool things like swimming with dolphins and sharks, she was scuba diving every day and was using those arm muscles scrubbing away underwater.
Appreciate the work other volunteers do
When you've been on a regular team for a season or event, you realise just how much it takes to organise an event or holiday. You will never take stewards or leaders for granted again, oh no! Up ridiculously early for meetings before the punters get going, setting up and cleaning venues, keeping everyone safe and preparing material, there is not much that the volunteers don't do. If you've never thought about it, chances are you won't have realised nearly how much they do, so next time you see someone in a yellow tabbard, give them a big thumbs up! E.g. Shoebox Appeal – it's all very well making up your shoebox with nice things to send to children in Eastern Europe, but someone's got to take them out there. Someone I know was part of a crew that delivered the shoe boxes to orphaned children in Romania, and filmed them receiving the gifts. You just don't think about the work that is put into these projects after you've done the easy bit – donating. The resulting video was immensely touching, as small, simple presents meant the world to children who had nothing.
Hear first hand how you've made a difference
Unlike the money game, by volunteering, you meet the people you are helping and are able to hear first hand how your time has made their lives a bit nicer. Abroad, it is touching to hear and see the children they always go on about in TV, and the way they react to having visitors come and provide them with some new stuff. At home, the stories and lives of people living in poverty is just as moving, as they really appreciate someone taking the time to help them out. That's something money can't buy. E.g. Soul in the City – project where a huge team of volunteers go into deprived areas of cities and do a spot of tidying up, in communities and individual households. I was too young to help out last time it ran, but have heard first hand that it makes a big difference and the people it helps were hugely thankful.
Have fun!
If you don't have fun while you are volunteering, you've missed the point somewhere. It's not a call for slave labour, it's a chance for people to offer a service while enjoying themselves. Team leaders more often than not are expected to ridicule themselves for the purpose of entertaining the participating children, so watch out! E.g. Kidz Klub – for a couple of years I was a team leader at an after school and Saturday club for junior school children. The best moment for me was getting pied in the face, definitely.
Basically, volunteer rather than write a cheque, or at least donate money to a local or personally known charity or project where the cash will go directly to the people that need it most. A little time and effort can go a long way and there are projects ranging from unpaid administration to raising money by climbing the Andes. Finding something to suit you is easy and in the end, it's an experience you won't forget for the journey you've made and the many to come from your service.
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