One of the true benefits of being an early retiree is being free to pursue our interests and passions. Another benefit is we also have the time to volunteer. Giving Back in Retirement as a Volunteer provides many benefits. Not only to the world that we live in but also to ourselves. Our world may be local where we volunteer to serve our local community. For others they may join an organization like the Peace Corp to volunteer at an international level. It’s a choice that retirees can make.

I recently volunteered for our town’s Oktoberfest. I would attend this event every year with my family when I was still a working stiff and had a blast. It was a very small town event back then with a single booth setup to serve beer and wine. There would then be five or so food vendors, arts and craft type booths and various service industry or small retailers selling their products.

Now with the town’s growth it has grown to major event where there was 8 to 10 (so busy I forgot to count them all) total Beer to Wine tents and at least that many food vendors. The event is a fund-raiser for the town’s Downtown Merchant Association who uses the money raised to fund all the free events they put on year-round as I mentioned somewhat in a recent post, Early Retiree Frugal Entertainment. The only way they can pull this off is by having many volunteers to help with the effort.

The Benefits of Giving Back in Retirement as a Volunteer

When I retired the first time I became a volunteer with a group who maintained the miles of single track hiking and mountain biking trails in the mountains and hills that surround our town. These trails are under the care of our Parks and Recreation department. The town can’t afford to hire enough employees to cover all of this so volunteers consisting of those who also use and enjoy these trails is an important part of keeping these trails at their best for town citizens and for those who travel from the outside to use them. It was very laborious for a guy over 50 and I stuck it out through two Spring to Fall seasons before having to resign.

I continue to volunteer by working for my town’s Downtown Merchant Association events. With this past Oktoberfest I was at a set of Beer Taps keeping the pitchers full, serving customers, and occasionally jumping in the town golf cart delivering fresh bags of ice to various vendors. I was there working alongside other volunteers and some employees of the town or businesses which were volunteering their products and services. I worked from 1PM to 6PM and had a wonderful time.

Obviously my town benefits from volunteerism

But so does the community that uses the town’s services or in these cases the recreation and entertainment opportunities.

However I benefit too.

Not only as a member of the community who uses, enjoys and appreciates these wonderful perks that I have in my town but also at a personal level.

Meet New People

I get to meet people of my community that I would probably never meet otherwise. I worked side by side with 10 people I had never seen before. I now know them and hope to meet up with them again in the future. Either at their place of business or for leisure activities.

Pride In My Volunteering Efforts

I have a strong sense of pride when I use the trails and act as a recruiter for the parks and recreation volunteers when someone is interested in joining up after hearing about the volunteer team that keeps them maintained.

After my Oktoberfest tour I was also proud to have been a part of the successful event. Even though a week has passed by I was still seeing people who recognized me and giving me a thumbs up saying that was a great day. They don’t know I was just a volunteer but as someone who worked to make the day a wonderful experience for them and many others.

Learn New Skills

I get to learn new skills and find out a little more about myself in the process. I have never worked a job serving people or taking payment, etc. I have found that I really enjoy working where you can talk to people and interact with them. Sure there was one guy who was a jack-hole complaining about the line he had to wait in but I didn’t let him bring me down and within a second or two was able to talk him down from is Debbie-Downer attitude. As a trail maintenance volunteer I also learned some different skills and knowledge of erosion mitigation. I also learned that I can’t very well handle too many days a month hiking 3 miles or more with heavy tools, using them for 3 to 4 hours picking and shoveling, then hiking back out without feeling like I was ran over by a truck. Getting old stinks!

How to Find Volunteer Opportunities

• At the local level there are all kinds of opportunities. For the trail maintenance there was an ad in the community newspaper calling for volunteers. Check your community newspaper for calls for volunteers or special events where you can give back.
• If your community has events that they put on that you have enjoyed find out which organization throws them. Your community’s merchants association, chamber of commerce, parks and recreation department, or the town/city itself. Then contact them directly or check their Facebook or web page for volunteer opportunities.
• Many communities have a local food pantry for those struggling to make ends meet. Check with them and ask if there are any volunteer opportunities.
• At larger level, even large cities have opportunities to volunteer at places you enjoy supporting like Museums, Zoos, etc. Contact them directly to see if there are volunteer opportunities that interest you.
• There is also your church or other churches that often need volunteers.

If you wish to volunteer for national level charity organizations like the American Red Cross or the United Way as examples then a good place to start is by going to Give.org where you can enter a charity organization name that you are looking for to find contact information.

You can also pull a list of all the national charities that need volunteers.

In Closing

There are many ways for Giving Back in Retirement as a Volunteer if you are able and you choose to. I can tell you that it is very rewarding at a personal level knowing you are serving your community for the better. You never know who you might meet and you may even learn new rewarding skills. I also learned a special appreciation for all the people I encounter while doing my personal business who are standing at a cash register at stores or bank tellers. After standing for all those hours in one place during Oktoberfest my lower back and feet for howling in anger. Bless those stationary employees for always trying to be nice on the job taking care of my needs when they may be hurting like I was.

Do you volunteer now and/or plan on volunteering in your retirement?