Poll:Volunteering

[ghsebldr]

I spend 2 afternoons a week at the local nursing home. I also usually do a basket planting activity there in the spring. Mostly the time is spent just chatting up the residents. The staff usually has recommendations on residents that could use some company.

 

[levindb]

1. Volunteer as usher at city theater and music hall about 150-200 hours/year. Get to see Broadway plays, operas, and symphony performances for free...maybe I am just cheap?

2. President of small HOA but we do almost everything by email and phone so time can be chunky...maybe 100 hours/year. Had to step in to make the neighborhood look better and reverse the deterioration...raised my hand 6 years ago, and they want me to stay.

3. Member of condo association where we sued the previous HOA Board for bad financial controls...volunteered to audit 5 years of finances...people should have gone to jail for some of their actions...glad I could help.

Volunteering helps give some additional purpose to retirement and keeps us relevant.

 

[audreyh1]

I used to volunteer a lot more......

Now nada, zip.

 

[athena53]

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

Same here. I've successfully avoided anything requiring me to be somewhere X days per week between hours of Y and Z. What I do includes the HOA Board, various activities in the church service (reading, ushering, Coffee Hour, etc.), the church Finance Committee, maintaining the Web site, cleaning part of the building once a quarter, I'm the Treasurer for my Toastmasters Club and I donate blood regularly. I'm probably missing something here.

Recently told I can't donate platelets anymore because my platelet count is OK for me but not enough to share, and that I'm too skinny (and pushing up against the age limit) for plasma. Very unhappy about that.

 

[Rianne]

Forest Preserve District/13 hours/week. Have done this since 2015. Previous years, 16 hours/week. Education, administration, programs and conservation are part of my V schedule.

 

[ER Eddie]

I'm not doing any volunteer work at this point, but I'm thinking about getting into it. Reading through the thread has been thought provoking. I would like to try it out and see what it feels like. I notice several people saying that they stopped when it started to feel like a job. I get that. I wouldn't want it to feel like work.

Animal shelters or hospice would be two options for me. I'm sure there are a lot of other possibilities. Like a lot of things in retirement, this will be something to experiment with and see what fits.

 

[REWahoo]

I'm also in the "done with volunteering" camp.

The year after retiring I became a VITA volunteer during tax season but didn't return the following year. I then got involved in starting a HOA in our subdivision and served on the board for three years.

What I found in both gigs was grumpy co-volunteers and even grumpier, unhappy "customers" - just like being at work. No thanks.

 

[jjquantz]

I chose 1-5 but, the truth is that we will see after this first year. I'm on the board of a music presenting group and, as others have said, the commitment waxes and wanes. I suspect that the total commitment for the year will be about 200 hours, but there will be a couple of 40+ hour weeks contrasted with several months of little to nothing.


It is exciting to be involved with high-level performers of music that is an essential part of who I am as a person. I know that there are other causes that are more "important" to society as a whole, but the style of music that I'm supporting is something that I engage in everyday when I sit down and play the harpsichord or flute. So, it's incredibly important to me to provide this support.

 

[Red Badger]

I support a local soup kitchen. About 5-6 hours dedicated per week, but I jump in when needed and I want to. I mostly do food pick ups at local grocery stores. I enjoy the company of other vols as well as our guests. Most of our guests are seniors with modest (or less than modest) fixed income. The balance is mostly the working poor. Homeless/destitute people are a rarity for our operation.

Donations can be hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Each box is handled 4X, so I get decent workouts most times.

 

[NW-Bound]

I donate money to charity causes, but have not volunteered.

 

[Ronstar]

Edited to add - does helping moderate this forum count?

Certainly - unless you came to be a moderator through some means other than volunteering.

 

[unclemick]

I used to volunteer a lot more......

Now nada, zip.

Ditto. I try 'never volunteer - ing'. Grin. But once in a while I get nailed. Sometimes DW requires 'assistance'. Usually church related. Last winter below 10 we took in homeless overflow for three nights requiring volunteers. Intermittent stuff. Nothing regular anymore.

heh heh heh - literally watching grass grow after 25 years of ER. CRP at The Farm.

 

[robnplunder]

The idea of volunteering is noble but it interferes with ER life, and gives me stress. Pass.

 

[6miths]

Spent two weeks since January this year in Africa. Six weeks in the last twelve months. Somewhat more than when I was working when it was more like 2 weeks a year.

 

[RockyMtn]

tried it...reminded me too much of having a j*b. Now I just write checks and they are very happy with that.

 

[Live And Learn]

I've reduced my volunteering time to doing only those things that I love. Working with Sea Turtles is pretty awesome. I love some of the things folks are involved in ! Someone mentioned United Way so I looked them up and see that they have a program for "Financial Coaching". I went to my homeless / at-risk / transitional housing volunteer gig today and spoke to them about perhaps doing this at their site. Thank you to the folks that got me thinking about this (even though I don't need to add another volunteer gig to my repertoire at the moment !).

Volunteering gets me out of the house and interacting with others. I'm pretty much a homebody otherwise. I am trying to keep it to 10 - 12 hrs a week but I have such a hard time saying NO !

 

[Boho]

I just spent a day on a submission for a volunteer opportunity with a large non profit that was listed on catchafire.com. A sample of web design work tailored to that particular job. There was no end date listed for submissions so I rushed it because I was afraid it would end. It ended at the end of the day before I could submit it and there's no way to contact the person who posted it. She didn't even use her full name.

 

[bbbamI]

I started volunteering at a help center, then made my way to the police dept. The court needed some help, so I volunteered there as well. These activities went on for ten years and when DH retired, I decided to end my volunteer days.

I really enjoyed my duties, but I had to keep up with a schedule and that wouldn't work well with our new lifestyle.

 

[Mykle57]

2 days a week at Habitat for Humanity.

Working construction at a new house build. Much different than sitting in a cubicle.

 

[blueskyk]

I am a hospice volunteer and also visit a local nursing home weekly with my therapy dog (Golden Retreiver). Both allow me to set the schedule and amount of hours. I really find it heartwarming and enriching - I find I stay close to the evanescence of life and, as a result, have developed a profound gratitude about life.

 

[ER Eddie]

I am a hospice volunteer and also visit a local nursing home weekly with my therapy dog (Golden Retreiver). Both allow me to set the schedule and amount of hours. I really find it heartwarming and enriching - I find I stay close to the evanescence of life and, as a result, have developed a profound gratitude about life.

Very nice. Good for you, and good for the nursing home clients. I can hear how beneficial it's been for you. God bless your dog, too.

To me, that's what I would want in a volunteer opportunity -- the sense that I'm really helping someone who needs it, or that I'm making a real difference. And to be able to say I find it "heartwarming and enriching," as you put it. That's great.

 

[Souschef]

Very nice. Good for you, and good for the nursing home clients. I can hear how beneficial it's been for you. God bless your dog, too.

To me, that's what I would want in a volunteer opportunity -- the sense that I'm really helping someone who needs it, or that I'm making a real difference. And to be able to say I find it "heartwarming and enriching," as you put it. That's great.

I felt the same way flying for Angel Flight. Being able to help ill patients get treatment at distant hospitals was great. The gratitude of the people is heartwarming.

 

[Music Lover]

I volunteer but don't have time for volunteering outside of family and friends. I spend 10 - 25 hours a week maintaining my parent's house, my GF's cabin, her mother's house, and doing renos and projects for family members.

 

[PawPrint53]

I've been volunteering with the humane society since 1993. I evaluate dogs (behavior, training, etc.). Since my DH retired, I cut back on other volunteer activities, which involved helping out at a couple of elementary schools. I might start tutoring ELL students, but I hate to commit to a set schedule.

 

[street]

I volunteer time for 2 Boards that I sit on. I also volunteer time each week for a group we started to do tasks/jobs for the city. It has been very rewarding like most have said, and zero stress.