| Written by Taneem Husain, on March 10, 2008 |
 After practically half a year, I finally got around to reading South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT)’s “Building Community Strength: A Report about Community-Based Organizations Serving South Asians in the United States.” The report surveys South Asian organizations around the country, gathering and analyzing information ranging from the communities they serve to how many computers are in their office, eventually summarizing general findings on these organizations and providing recommendations for heightened development.
Knowing the general concept of the report, I naturally started my reading expecting a large dose of South Asian pride-and-power, which I received in full. As I read, I was amazed by what these organizations could accomplish with so little. Running mainly – or solely – on volunteers, and most with budgets of less than $500,000, these organizations
address the needs of so many, particularly those marginalized by cultural or lingual differences. However, before I could pour myself a glass of South Asian awesomeness, these figures got me ashamedly thinking, what have I done for my community/ies lately?
Sure, one can say working for a nonprofit is giving to your community (that’s what I tell myself anyway), but this report demonstrates what a powerful impact volunteering can have, particularly within the nonprofit sector. So much of my own past volunteering has been through unpaid internships at organizations where interns are integral supporters of day-to-day operations to the degree that the organization could not survive without them.
Still, even though I’m becoming more aware of what volunteering can do, my (and your) excuses are bound to be rampant, time being chief among them. However, with listings like those on idealist.org or Volunteer Match, or the prepared sessions organizations like Greater DC Cares provide, you can find volunteer opportunities in a variety of packages. Whether you want a sustained year-long project, or a quick afternoon stint, volunteering shapes itself to your constraints – and interests.
So help me out of my non-volunteering slump! How do you motivate yourself to donate your time, and where did you find out about the opportunity?
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