Why should you be making time for charity work? Besides the undeniable answer that charity work benefits the community and the people in it, there are a multitude of other positive reasons you need to make time for charity work. By donating your time to charity work even once a month, you afford yourself the opportunity to help others learn, find a new interest, form friendships and even keep your health up!

Chance to Help Others Learn

Charity work for volunteers who can teach teenagers and adults new career skills is always in demand. You may take your technical savvy for granted, but when you start to show someone how to use a spreadsheet to do a family budget, or how to improve typing abilities, you are giving another the very skills necessary to land and maintain a job. You are now helping more than just an individual, you are investing in your own community.

Chance to Find a New Interest

If you work with a few different charities chances are you will find something you love, like a potential new hobby or interest. There is a huge variety of charity work, and perhaps you will find that gardening, working with the elderly, or chasing donations is your passion. There is no rule that says you cannot have fun while giving back, in fact, the more you find a niche for you, the more valuable you will be in your charity work there because you will enjoy what you are doing.

Chance to Form Friendships

The United Way states that when like-minded people get together, friendships are formed. After working on a volunteer project for a few weeks, it’s not uncommon for volunteers to exchange phone numbers or social media information. By giving just a few hours a week, lifetime friendships may be established.

Chance to Improve your Health

Volunteering helps counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. The social contact aspect of helping and working with others can have a profound effect on your overall psychological well-being. Nothing relieves stress better than a meaningful connection to another person. Working with pets and other animals in the charity arena has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety.

While it is easy to convince yourself that you do not have the time for charity work, do not fall into this trap. Charity work provides you the opportunity to help others learn, find a new interest, form friendships and even improve your health, so what are you waiting for?