The Value of Volunteerism

by Fancie Terrell, Volunteer Coordinator

In May of this year I joined the Diversity Richmond team as Volunteer Coordinator. This is a wonderful opportunity for me because volunteering has been a lifeline throughout my journey, during periods of joblessness and even depression.

I know the idea of working for free when life is getting harder and more expensive every day may feel counterintuitive to survival, and that’s valid. Traditionally volunteering has been steeped in privilege. The constant rise of daily living expenses and other barriers keep volunteering out of reach for many people that otherwise would participate. I understand these barriers first-hand and understand that everyone's situation is different. 

Several years ago during a period of unemployment and deep financial uncertainty, I was offered the opportunity to volunteer at the school my kids attended. I signed up for one shift which snowballed into regular volunteering because of the positive impact it began to have. The work gave me something else to think about outside of my problems, and I began to develop new skills. I was able to network with other professionals and earned work experience and references that I needed to later land a job I otherwise would not have had the confidence to apply for. 

We at Diversity Richmond are working to create a volunteer program that reflects the many and various needs and backgrounds of our community. Our program goals are to accommodate different availability and abilities by offering a variety of schedules and assignments that are accessible to the people we serve and beneficial to our organization. We have opportunities to support Diversity Thrift, events, programs, building and maintenance, social media and administrative duties. 

If you would like more information about the volunteer program or have suggestions or feedback about the program please contact Fancie at fancie.terrell@diversityrichmond.org if you would like to sign up for an upcoming volunteer shift please sign up at diversityrichmond.volunteershift.com.