Don't volunteer!

There's just such a fuss about the need for volunteers in the social development space. And it's true that it's unfortunately often bereft of adequate skilled talent. Which is largely owing to low compensation structures in an economy powered by passion. Where impact is mostly difficult to measure or translate back easily into commercial value for donors & investors.

However, there's a dark side of volunteering, which is spoken of only in hushed tones by nonprofit orgs & volunteer platforms. That volunteering is frequently organized to massage egos of institutional or individual donors. Reassuring them about their contribution to social change; smartly too from their air-conditioned offices & homes. Unsurprisingly, it's proven to boost employee satisfaction. So why not, particularly if it connects talent with skill needs?

There are indeed very few problems with volunteering when it comes to enabling esoteric technical skills. In most other areas however, unless there's a strong program management intermediary, the high communication overhead and abysmally poor success rates (unfortunately not measured against any standards yet), volunteering can be fairly counterproductive as it leads to dissonance on both sides. The best way to understand this is with an analogy: Adoption.

Let's say you adopt a child or a pet. Here are some perspectives that might seem familiar.

• You took the step because it made you feel good, or because it earned you others' respect; not because you felt truly ready or passionate about it.
• You believe you're 'giving back' through your noble act, and that the adopted child or pet should feel grateful for their good fortune of having found you.
• You have several pressing work & family life priorities, and are overwhelmed by how much time & attention the adopted pet or child keeps on demanding.

Controversial as it may sound, like the adopted child or dog that's frequently deprived of sufficient love and care, the volunteer project you signed up for might have been better off without you. Maybe they'd have found someone better, or even just learnt to live respectfully without a pretend-caregiver.

How about we change our perspective and truly consider volunteering as an opportunity to learn with humility, get to made a real difference, and be genuine role models for others we want to inspire - particularly children. Here are three questions that might be of assistance in testing if you'd be a good volunteer:

1. Is there anything you feel so angry about that it hurts? And is there a skill you might be able to offer for it, maybe to complement someone else's efforts?
2. How badly do you want to patiently listen to stakeholders for understanding their issues Vs functionally & superficially just offering a fixed period of time
3. How passionately have you approached solving any societal problems around you, particularly when nobody is evaluating or appreciating you for it?

The questions are rhetorical, and if the answers don't jump at you, you're unlikely to be a great fit as a meaningful volunteer. Sure, you should still explore to see where you could help. But, as in most job expectations, unless you're a highly desirable candidate, maybe you shouldn't expect to create waves. Even if you have fantastic academic and/or professional pedigree that has endowed you with ample arrogance to trust otherwise.

In volunteering, like with adopting, remember that you are always blessed if you have an opportunity. And that it will require deep desire and an open minded learning attitude to truly make the experience gratifying & memorable. So if you plan to volunteer or design a volunteer engagement strategy, instead of assuming that everyone can & should volunteer, try setting a high bar instead. Then see the project through with professionally managed expectations, progress checks, and closure with critical insights to improve each time. That way all who volunteer add real value and grow, and everyone finds it worth their while.