Volunteers do volunteer works without expecting anything in return. is this still true? to what extent?

Question

Volunteers do volunteer works without expecting anything in return. is this still true? to what extent?

Answer 1

volunteers do volunteer works because the chose to make a difference in the world. Everyone expects something in return, some people just expect to make a difference.

Answer 2

um, yes....true altruism isn't possible, as we all receive a reward for work we do, but with volunteerism the reward is often in the faces of the people you help....which is reward enough.

Answer 3

I volunteer because I love to volunteer, I love to help others, I feel like I'm wasting my life if I'm not doing something.  I look forward to the day I can retire from work and be able to volunteer full time.

The benefits from volunteering are amazing.  You meet new friends with the same passions as you or you could be serving food to the homeless next to a bank executive or a plumber.  You make contacts with people you wouldn't normally have access to, you get to know people that wouldn't necessarily run in the same social class as you but getting satisfaction from a job well done, it's the best!

When someone sends you a thank you note about what it means to have received help, it makes your day!

QUICK STORY:  We were delivering Christmas gifts to a spanish family in an apartment complex but they were never home when we stopped by.  So I knocked on the neighbors door and explained what we were doing, and could they please give some gifts to the people next door.  The man agreed and opened his door.

As we were bringing in stacks of gifts, 6 kids were jumping for joy about all the presents.  As I looked around the room, there was a couch with a TV on a crate with 8 adults and 6 kids in 1 apartment.  The dad had to explain that the gifts weren't for them, they were for the neighbors.  It broke our hearts to see their faces of joy turn to sadness.

At that moment we knew we would be back to bring the "neighbor" family gifts.  The next night we went back and knocked on the neighbor's door, he came out and said he can give his word, he delivered all the gifts to his neighbor--that we didn't need to check up on him.

We explained that we weren't there to check up on him but to bless his family with gifts and food.  The kids were jumping for joy again.  The dad was so grateful, with tears in his eyes he thanked us for trusting him and blessing his family with food.

That made my year, those are the kind of situations that make life worth living, that's why I volunteer and encourage everyone I know to volunteer--it makes you feel good.

Answer 4

I have been an active volunteer for yrs.   Yes most volunteers work without expecting material rewards.  But there are rewards.  For some it is feeling good about yourself bec you have helped make a difference.  For some rewards are ranks and being noticed.  For others it may be the smile that slowly comes across an older person's face as they whisper "you really did come back to see me" or the joy in a child's shout of "I can read now".   There is an absolutely wonderful feeling in knowing that you don't just have to feel bad about the hurts and problems in the world you can really make a difference.  

"There is no end to the good you can do and the difference you can make if you don't care if anyone knows you are the one who did it"    Kaitlyn an expeienced vounteer already at age 11 adding her own slant to a somewhat famous quote

Answer 5

Yes, I work very hard for Anonymous and another group. I will do anything except for illegal activities.  I do get something in return though.  Pride in the progress we are making.

Answer 6

volunteers do get something in return,a smile,appreciation,cheaper goods for those in op shops, paid jobs for those in aged residential care,sometimes petrol money.etc...none of this takes away anything from those who volunteer,they play  a very impotant role in the community and their credentials are virtually the same as paid workers  .three cheers for volunteers !!!god bless them.

(ps i am not a volunteer )

Answer 7

This makes a good point many programs offer trips after wards and such other reward for helping but most people still vollunteer just for helping the world

Answer 8

Volunteers do work without expecting PAY in return. But if there was absolutely nothing to gain, no one would waste their time and effort volunteering...

Instead of money, one may get a warm and fuzzy feeling...

a sense of accomplishment, that their life had a purpose...

experience in a field/career they want to enter, but needed more experience in...

the opportunity to boast in front of friends, on resume...

entertainment (to an extent), there's got to be more to life than TV...

There are millions of reasons why people volunteer.

Answer 9

No, not all volunteers -- maybe not even most volunteers -- provide service without an expectation of something in return. Most volunteers expect *at least* to be thanked and to hear how their volunteering made some kind of difference. Other volunteers engage in service to build up their resumes, to meet other people, to feel like they are making a difference in a cause they believe in, and to explore possible careers. Some volunteers engage in service because they are suspicious of an organization and want to make sure they are operating properly (a lot of animal shelter volunteers, for instance, volunteer for this reason).

Answer 10

Yes, in my country there is still volunteer work available. (Working for no financial gain etc.)

However, I know some people who have applied to do this volunteer work and are often turned away as they didn't have the right credentials.

So it's almost like applying for a job, not anyone can walk in off the street and do it, in my country at least.