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Being a volunteer requires time, patience, and hard work; it also provides rich rewards. But there are lots of wonderful and important causes so how do you choose what organization or issue you want to work for in your volunteering? Like most decisions, a combination of head and heart should lead you in the right direction. If you’re considering volunteering for animal rescue, here are three reasons it may be the right choice for you:
- 1. You get to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves. There’s little as richly rewarding as being an advocate for those unable to speak for or protect themselves. The world out there is rough enough for people; lost, abandoned, injured, neglected, and abused animals can’t ask for help much less effectively protect themselves from all of the dangers of both the natural and industrial world. When you become a champion for animal welfare, you are helping create a safe place in the world for each animal you help. You can easily mean the difference between not only life and death for an animal but also between love and torture, comfort and cruelty. It’s a pretty powerful experience.
- 2. There are roles for virtually anyone to fill. Whether you like physical activities like hiking, social activities like organizing a fundraiser, or quiet activities like paperwork, there is a need and a place for you! A lot of volunteer opportunities only have limited opportunities available for volunteers but because animal rescue involves so many different actions, there is almost always something available for whatever you like to do. This is also ideal for people who like to mix things up sometimes with physical activities when there’s an emergency but other projects when things are quiet.
- 3. Everyone likes animal rescue volunteers. Seriously. We think volunteering is awesome and so do most people, which is why having it on your resume, college apps, or anything else is a great way to show that you care about your community. Unfortunately, this can sometimes work against you when the person reviewing your application doesn’t like what you’ve been supporting. In an ideal world, people should be professional and appreciate your dedication, even if they don’t support the same side of a cause as you, but sometimes that isn’t always the case. But everyone loves animals and animal rescue hardly causes controversy. It may not be the best reason to choose animal rescue but it is a very realistic one if you want to parlay your volunteerism into helping you get where you want to go.
Working with animal rescue offers all of the regular perks of volunteering – an opportunity to connect with like-minded people, something to add to your resume or college application, a safe and healthy environment to help build a better community, and more. But the most valuable reason to volunteer for anything is to know that you’re making a real difference. With animal rescue, not only is this true but you also get to look in the eyes of an animal you’ve helped save and there’s no better way to know you’ve made a real difference. It doesn’t get any better than that.
