Ideas for Volunteering in Retirement

My friends sometimes tease me about the number of organizations I am involved with on a regular basis. One of my friends said to me the other day, you and I volunteered while we were working. We spent 100's of hours helping, taking charge and running programs successfully. I have had it and I would not do it again for love or money." I laughed as he was right for him. 

I enjoy what I do, and I know that it does help some people. But even though my friends think I am over-extending, I know my limits and I have learned to say no when I need to say no. If I don't I could be caught in a time trap. Not everyone will continue to volunteer once they retire, and many when they retire consider volunteering as a way to help pass the time. No matter what helps you decide to volunteer, or makes you think about volunteering it is important that you select something you are passionate about, and that you decide how much time you will spend on the activity on a monthly basis. I know there are a lot of well-known organizations that have extremely active and established volunteer programs, such as Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, the Red Cross, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Alternatively, you may want to devote your time to serving political campaigns you believe in or work with organizations that help seniors or other groups.

I was talking to one senior, and we were discussing volunteering and he said that he and his wife wanted to volunteer but when they started to explore their options, he said a number of places put restrictions on them. I asked what he meant. He said the organizations wanted to dictate the number of hours they could volunteer, the days they could volunteer, and the organization also wanted a full two-year commitment, etc. He said he and his wife were not willing to give up their retirement freedom, even for good causes.

Schools, hospitals, libraries, and food banks are all outlets where you can offer your availability locally. If you’re looking for other interesting and off-the-beaten-path volunteering ideas, why not become a:

·         Sports coach

·         Art teacher

·         Music teacher

·         Museum docent

·         Local tour guide

·         Foreign language or English as a Second Language teacher

Or donate your time to a local:

·         Nature park or wildlife preserve

·         Botanical garden  

·         Recycling center

·         Neighborhood cleanup committee

·         Religious center

·         Animal shelter

·         Women’s rights organization

For anyone with limited mobility or transportation, there are ways to help without leaving your home! You can mentor students online, make fundraising calls, foster animals, offer administrative help, or become a host family to an exchange student.

The big issue with volunteering is that there are not enough volunteers to go around and that is a problem. If you find your passion and start to help, it is too easy to fall into a time trap where you are giving too much of yourself and you will burn out. So, my advice is if you start to volunteer, learn to say no quickly to new opportunities that will be presented to you, By learning to say no, you will still contribute while having fun without losing yourself to a time trap which can be dangerous to your health.