By Wendy Osborne OBE, Senior Consultant, IAVE
Generosity Week
Who makes everyday life better simply by giving their time? Generosity Week, taking place from 1-5 December, was officially launched this month. During the launch webinar, three panelists from Colombia, Nigeria and India spoke passionately about volunteering and the power of giving to empower, support and sustain communities around the world.
Their words stayed with me. They made me think about the people who quietly make everyday life better – often without calling themselves volunteers or expecting recognition. Three examples from my own life show how powerful that generosity can be.
A caring neighbor
My mother is 92. Thankfully, she is well and still able to live independently, although her mobility is not as good as it once was and she no longer goes out on her own. Her lovely neighbor, Pat, calls in a few times a week, checks whether she needs anything and stays for a chat. Pat’s care adds greatly to my mother’s quality of life. Her visits keep my mother connected to her neighborhood and help her feel safer because she knows she can call on Pat at any time. They also improve my own quality of life: because I live an hour’s drive away, knowing that Pat can respond quickly in an emergency eases my anxiety about my mother’s safety.
This generosity of spirit lies at the heart of informal volunteering. It is the “glue” that helps make our communities welcoming and safe places to live.
Community sport
At the other end of the age spectrum are my three young grandchildren. They enjoy hockey, rugby and netball and belong to community sports clubs that are organized and run by volunteers. Week after week, volunteers turn up to coach, referee and organize, sharing their time and skills for the good of their communities. Because of them, my grandchildren have more fun, more opportunities and a stronger connection to local sport. Across the UK, sporting clubs simply could not function without the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who make them possible.
My own volunteering
I have volunteered at my local National Trust property for more than 25 years. As part of a rota, I help run the second-hand bookshop, which relies on donations from the public and on volunteers to sort and stock the books, keep the shop tidy and welcome customers. The bookshop is an important asset to the organization: it raises money and enhances the visitor experience. My contribution amounts to only a few hours every other week, but I always leave the shop feeling good about what I’ve done. I know I have helped and enjoyed the experience, and I leave with a lighter step and a greater sense of well-being.
Volunteers often say that they receive as much from volunteering as they give – if not more.
Make the invisible visible
Volunteering is personal, and the gift of time enriches our lives. When we recognize the occasions on which we have benefited – through our own volunteering or through the actions of others – we begin to make this often-invisible generosity visible.
With 10 weeks to go until Generosity Week, now is the time to notice the volunteers who strengthen your life and to decide how you will recognize them. Start by making a list of the ways volunteers and volunteering positively affect you. Then, from 1-5 December, pledge to do two things:
- Recognize the volunteer – or volunteers – who make your life or your family’s life better. Give them a hug, shake their hand or bake them a cake.
- Talk about your own volunteering. Tell people what you value about it and encourage others to get involved.
If you do not yet volunteer, make a Generosity Week resolution to get involved – and discover what your gift of time can mean to others and to you.