Why I (Regularly) Volunteer
When I was younger, the idea of “giving back” was always present. My sister and I were encouraged to regularly donate toys, clothes, and books, and even money when we started our first paid jobs. Our schools organized volunteer trips, and part of our graduation requirements was to join a community outreach program. All throughout my childhood, my grandfather took my sister and I out to collect litter from forest roads near our family cabin. (Even now, I find myself gathering litter when I go on a hike or a walk.)
As I entered the world of full-time employment, it felt harder to give back the way I wanted to. I found ways to be useful to local non-profits at volunteer events or as a designer. Years later, when I decided to move abroad, many of my things went into donation bins rather than storage. Yet as an expat living in China, I found volunteering even more difficult. The language barrier seemed steep and intimidating. Despite my Mandarin Chinese skills improving each year, was I fluent enough to be of use to local organizations? Would I be able to find reputable groups to give my time to in the first place? I settled for sporadic donations to animal rescue efforts I could verify were legitimate and left it at that.
Then we moved to Türkiye.
Now, I can assure you, my Turkish language skills leave a lot to be desired. They are, in no way shape or form, good enough to make me useful to any non-profit seeking help. It was around the time we moved, though, that I sought out online resources for volunteers in my position. And that’s when I found Catchafire.
(In their own words:)
Catchafire’s platform sits at the intersection of philanthropy and employee engagement. Easily create and track volunteer opportunities with immediate impact - and simultaneously support nonprofits.
Essentially, it is a platform that connects non-profits to volunteers hoping to help in a remote capacity. And I can say, from the position of a volunteer, it has been a wonderful platform to operate from.
NOTE: I know this may end up seeming a bit like an advertisement or paid promotion. It is not, I assure you. It just happens to be the website I have used to volunteer.
As a freelance graphic designer, I’ve sought out opportunities to help organizations create logos, print material designs, infographics, and impact reports (aka: things that I felt my background and experience would be suitable for). (See the end of this piece for a breakdown of my volunteer statistics, if you’re interested.)
While I couldn’t say I had done some of those things before, I can say I have now. I’ve learned a lot while volunteering, which brings me to the first reason I would recommend volunteering (especially as a working adult):
1: You gain practical experience while also giving back.
I do consider myself a graphic designer, but that title still feels new and a bit un-earned. Most of my design experience came working as a publication designer (ie: newspapers and magazines), book formatter, and educational material designer. The transition to “graphic design” required me to adapt my design skills to projects like logo creation, marketing material creation, infographics, social media assets, etc. And while I humbly believe I have been able to make that transition, it’s hard to prove it. Strangely, companies looking to pay people for their graphic design services seem to want to “see what you can do”. Odd, right? (Sarcasm alert) And if I have nothing to show them, they won’t hire me, thus leaving me without any way of gaining said provable experience!
Quite a conundrum.
Yet via Catchafire, organizations are willing to work with a more novice designer. They give me a chance to flex my creativity muscles and offer tangible proof that I can, indeed, do graphic design work. In doing so, they receive the materials they need to do their awesome work.
It actually brings to mind a scene from the TV show “Friends”, when Joey and Phoebe debate whether there is such a thing as a selfless good deed. Well, I would argue it’s not necessarily important whether the good deed is selfless or not, as long as it is completed honestly and well. I find both exist in my experience volunteering on Catchafire.
The non-profit receives well-done materials that help them continue their own important work;
I gain experience creating a new sort of material, be it an impact report, infographic, logo, etc.
Lovely!
This also leads to a second benefit from this practice:
2: You can build a more well-rounded portfolio, especially when it comes to things you want to be hired to do.
Let me explain:
Do you remember how companies have that pesky requirement of “proof of your ability” before paying you to do that work? Well, for creatives like artists, graphic designers, etc., the proof comes in the portfolio. More than a resume, a portfolio is what helps sell you as a great hire. Without it, you’ll find it hard to compete in an already rather saturated arena.
That’s where I was when I first transitioned into the world of freelance. (Honestly, I’m still there.)
The work I had done in the past wasn’t going to persuade anyone of my ability. Sure, I could create a beautiful front page news page under the pressure of a late-night deadline, but could I design a promotional flier that would draw attention to an organization’s upcoming event? My portfolio had nothing to substantiate my claims that I could, in fact, do that.
Yet after a year of volunteering via Catchafire, I now have more proof. I can showcase work I’ve done for actual organizations that do all sorts of work. That diversity of project type and organization focus has broadened my rather limited portfolio range. (You can see a lot of it showcased in my Design Portfolio on this site.) And while I continue my search for new (paid) opportunities, Catchafire is there to help me try new things, add to my portfolio, and gain new experiences, all while helping some great people.
In fact, it’s those people that lead me to my third benefit:
3: You meet some really amazing people (and maybe even create meaningful connections).
It is no exaggeration to say that nearly everyone I have met on Catchafire has been wonderful. I’ve especially met some incredible women throughout this process. Women who are intently focused on helping their community, working tirelessly to achieve the goals they set. You can feel it in every call, how passionate they are about their work and what impact it has on the world. It’s motivating to me, personally, to know I’m contributing in some small way to larger efforts that make the world that much more beautiful.
What’s more, the connections you make by volunteering can lead to other opportunities in the future.
In fact, I myself had such a great experience working with one organization that now, I continue to do both volunteer and paid work for them now. A year in, we have built up a great rapport, and I’m all the better for knowing her and working with her. Another organization recently celebrated its volunteers via LinkedIn. When she reached out to me about this, we reconnected and discussed possible future collaborations.
Indeed, volunteering is one of those things that never ceases to amaze me. Whether I’m donating my time, my money, or my things, I’m grateful I’m able to do so. With amazing people doing amazing work, the hours I spend making a pretty little poster or logo or flier feels small by comparison. But if it helps them do what they need to, I’m thrilled to be a part of the process.
I would love to hear about your own experiences volunteering, in whatever capacity you do so! (I can tell you that, once I am able to volunteer in person again, I will be eager to do so.)
My Catchafire Statistics
(as of this article’s date)
My total impact: $34,307
Number of Organizations: 9
Types of Projects:
Logo Design
Print Material Design
Infographic Design
Impact Report Design