Poll:Volunteering

[Live And Learn]

I was wondering how much time we spend volunteering after retirement. I've gone from 0 hours my first 6 months of retirement to more than 20 (which started to feel like I had a j*b again - YUCK). I'm now settled on 9 - 10 hours a week at 4 different things that I love.

 

[nativenewenglander]

I did a stint as president of a small historical society that was in trouble from 2008 through the end of 2011. I did on average 20 hours a week, but in the end it became a great group. The board was professionalized, it became the board everyone wanted to be part of. I wrote a strategic plan for a local historical society where we now live, but after spending 200 hours on that it's gone nowhere as poor leadership exists with the group. Currently I am half way through a three year term as membership chair person of an organization. My plan is to give nonprofit work a break when my time is up. It's easy to over commit to volunteering, no doubt a weak spot with me.

 

[FIREd]

I do spend several hours a week helping elderly relatives (carrying groceries, mowing lawns, making small repairs, solving computer/smartphone issues, etc...).

 

[atmsmshr]

HOA board - only due to the desire to bring in structure, improve common areas, and get neighbors to stop suing / yelling at each other. First year sucked - old habits die hard. Second year has been blessed normalcy.

Thinking of taking a shot at the holy land next. (DW is a minister - upon reading this post she would crucify me for being so flippant .)

 

[Badger]

For awhile it was 3 different volunteer gigs doing food prep for the zoo animals, a Saturday Radio Reading Service program for the visually impaired, and feeding and cleaning at a no-kill shelter for cats. Unfortunately I had to cut back on some of those due to health concerns. They were all great places to meet nice people of similar interests. It also helped to balance out from those people with more negative attitudes and behaviors that tend to fill a BS bucket.


Cheers!

 

[ckelly78z]

0 for me, I still have 10 years of work ahead of me, and a new college graduate still at home on the farm...mo time for doing anything for myself, let alone others.

 

[footenote]

Five hours per week at Habitat (mostly cashiering in ReStore, plus I'll be creating a disaster recovery plan for them this coming winter).
Five hours per week at a reproductive health clinic.

Have made new friends and love contributing time locally.

 

[frayne]

Worked for VITA for a couple of years as a site coordinator and probably did 20+ hours a week. Enjoyed it but it turned out almost being a job, so no more.

 

[Richard4444]

After I FIREd from practicing Dentistry, I returned to school - MSW became LCSW. I have volunteered at Hospice for 2 years, now at a local low cost counseling and training facility for grad students, and one day at a workplace for developmentally delayed adults. All extremely rewarding and zero stress, just structure !

Rich

 

[Philliefan33]

I volunteer at three places: on the Board of the HOA, as fire police with the local FD, and tax prep for AARP. It probably averages twenty hours a month, except during tax season when I do about twelve hours per week.

I have two years left in my (second) term on the HOA BOD, and I won’t run again. I’d rather devote my time to the other two organizations.

 

[VanWinkle]

I volunteer at church mowing 4 hrs per month, tax prep for AARP, and presentations on Medicare, Social Security, and Retirement for AARP. The presentations are just starting, so I am not sure how much time that will involve. I also give blood every 8 weeks. I only do it for the enjoyment.

 

[Souschef]

I volunteer at a local hospice repairing wheelchairs and walkers. I also volunteer at a RR society restoring a 23 ton switcher.
Up until recently, I flew for Angel Flight and Pilots n Paws. I also volunteered with the AARP Tax Aide program.
I feel it is important to give back to the community.

 

[timo2]

I signed up to be an county elections clerk in various primaries and general elections. I thought it was volunteering, but it turned out it paid actual money. Does that still count?

 

[SheitlQueen]

Only volunteer work I do now is as a board member for our condo HOA. I don't find it satisfying in the least but do it because no one else will. We always have trouble finding people to help out.
I would like to do volunteer work like work at a hospital gift shop, Habitat for Humanity, animal welfare....but right now I do not want a set schedule.

 

[MBAustin]

My volunteer time commitments vary a lot during the month. I'm essentially the board secretary for our church as well as chair of the endowment committee - there are weeks that it's 15-20 hours and others that are zero. I'm also on the finance committee for our local United Way and do some other church-related volunteering that can be anything from 6 hours/month to lots more (about 20 hours last week). On Thursday I plan to be trained to be a volunteer voter registrar. Not sure how much time that will take going forward.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I volunteered at the humane society for 4 years.

 

[VanWinkle]

I volunteered at the humane society for 4 years.

+1 I am sure that would be rewarding.

 

[OldShooter]

Small business mentoring at SCORE, disaster relief/2 week deployments for Red Cross, teaching an adult-ed investment class for the local school district, serving on the investment committee for a nonprofit where DW is on the board. All interesting, none like a job except maybe towards the end of a Red Cross deployment.

 

[Live And Learn]

I volunteered at the humane society for 4 years.

This is one thing that I considered but knew I shouldn't do. My house would be full of animals. Instead I volunteer at a marine wildlife rescue - pretty hard to bring home to a dolphin or a sea turtle !

 

[imoldernu]

Everything from leading Scout Troops and Church groups on 24/7 canoe trips ... over a 10 year period early in our retirement, to maybe a few dozen different kinds of volunteering, from SBA to conducting weekly classes on computers for 25 years... Florida and Illinois.... Now limited to leading trivia and memory games in our CCRC.

Never felt I was volunteering... just enjoying life with people I liked, and having fun along the way.

 

[Ronstar]

I volunteered on an HOA committee for about 5-10 hours per week, mostly in the summer. I’ve since retired from the committee. I’m considering doing some volunteering for the local historical society that I recently became a member of.

 

[rodi]

I put 1-5 but it's probably more. It can be 'lumpy' depending on circumstances.

I serve on a local planning group subcommittee that requires extensive research. I also attend the main planning group committee and contribute (though am not an elected member.) I sit on a working group for the largest capital project our city has ever done that is impacting our neighborhood. I advise a local community group, though have declined a board position. When big projects come up in our area - I often get tapped to dissect the environmental impact reports (very long, very dry documents) to see what might be hidden. Then, if necessary, participate in groups testifying before the planning commission and city council. That can be a lot more hours.

I also proctor ap and IB tests at my kids high school, and help with fund raising for the kids HS swim team.

Most weeks it's 1-6 hours... but every now and then it cranks up to 30-40 hours/week.

Edited to add - does helping moderate this forum count?

 

[friar1610]

Adult literacy/ESL tutoring.

 

[scrabbler1]

During the school year, I do some volunteer work with the local area schools ad their Scrabble clubs. This includes running 2-4 all-day tourneys a year with 4 schools. I have been doing this since I began working part-time in 2001. Also, once a year, I help run our co-op's Annual Meeting by determining a quorum and overseeing the election for a new Board of Directors. Before 2005, this was all done by hand. I took over and automated the process by designing a spreadsheet which quickly and easily handle those tasks.

 

[rk911]

did some volunteering fir a year or two at our county historical museum until the local park district took over mgmt and released the volunteers. i did 8+ years as a county election judge and 12-yrs as a school xing guard. the last two were paid positions but i didn't do either for the $...i would've done both for no pay...so i look at them as volunteering. i answered '0' for the poll since i'm not currently doing any volunteering paid or otherwise.