2008 Woodie Awards
Op-ed: Student Apathy: Do people only volunteer when its for gain, resume builders and such
Pradeep Somanathan
Issue date: 10/19/06 Section: Opinion
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VOLUNTEER - The dictionary defines this as a work done for free.
Well, if you introspect a little, we could analyze that no one works for anyone for free. The dictionary is probably relating the word ''free'' to ''money.'' This association may not necessarily be always true. A person may volunteer for some work and may not get paid, but something is definitely gained from the experience, whether it be a mental satisfaction, some skills or some contacts.
People volunteer for many reasons. Some volunteer for the sake of pursuing their interest, while others volunteer for some personal gain.
I am of the opinion that in this world where time is such a big constraint, expecting a person to volunteer for free is a bit too much unless that person is very interested in the work. When a person volunteers for any event, we should be open-minded and not nurse any negative thoughts as to the motivation in volunteering. If the volunteer gains from the experience in the process, then we should not have any hard feelings.
Looking at the other side, having some personal gains always motivates a person to do things to the best of their ability. If you notice, all parties benefit. The volunteer gets what he or she wants as does the employer.
So coming back to the question, do people only volunteer for personal gains, I would say yes, except in a very few cases! For example, when a person has retired from work and has nothing to do, he or she might just volunteer for some events to make good use of time. But for all other occasions, I feel that a person does volunteer for some gain. That gain could be a satisfaction of the fact that he or she is able to do something, or to put as a reference on a resume, to gain some skills, or to establish a few contacts.
However the real question that we should be asking is not why people volunteer, but how can we get more people to volunteer and how can we help people gain something by volunteering in a particular event. I feel if we get answers to such questions then we definitely can cater to the needs of people and get more and more people to volunteer because the events will benefit them in some way or another. After all, we do not want to sit and expect that people will come in droves to volunteer when we are not making an effort to return something valuable, not in terms of money, in exchange for their time and efforts.
Don't you think this should be our thought process?
- Pradeep Somanathan.
Well, if you introspect a little, we could analyze that no one works for anyone for free. The dictionary is probably relating the word ''free'' to ''money.'' This association may not necessarily be always true. A person may volunteer for some work and may not get paid, but something is definitely gained from the experience, whether it be a mental satisfaction, some skills or some contacts.
People volunteer for many reasons. Some volunteer for the sake of pursuing their interest, while others volunteer for some personal gain.
I am of the opinion that in this world where time is such a big constraint, expecting a person to volunteer for free is a bit too much unless that person is very interested in the work. When a person volunteers for any event, we should be open-minded and not nurse any negative thoughts as to the motivation in volunteering. If the volunteer gains from the experience in the process, then we should not have any hard feelings.
Looking at the other side, having some personal gains always motivates a person to do things to the best of their ability. If you notice, all parties benefit. The volunteer gets what he or she wants as does the employer.
So coming back to the question, do people only volunteer for personal gains, I would say yes, except in a very few cases! For example, when a person has retired from work and has nothing to do, he or she might just volunteer for some events to make good use of time. But for all other occasions, I feel that a person does volunteer for some gain. That gain could be a satisfaction of the fact that he or she is able to do something, or to put as a reference on a resume, to gain some skills, or to establish a few contacts.
However the real question that we should be asking is not why people volunteer, but how can we get more people to volunteer and how can we help people gain something by volunteering in a particular event. I feel if we get answers to such questions then we definitely can cater to the needs of people and get more and more people to volunteer because the events will benefit them in some way or another. After all, we do not want to sit and expect that people will come in droves to volunteer when we are not making an effort to return something valuable, not in terms of money, in exchange for their time and efforts.
Don't you think this should be our thought process?
- Pradeep Somanathan.