How to be a "rockstar" volunteer.

This will be one of my rare posts in which I offer some semblance of support for the voluntourism industry. For the last nine years, I've either been a volunteer or worked with volunteers in some capacity.  There are many times where volunteers are indispensable (hospitals, museums, hospices, animal shelters), and there are other times when they're completely pointless (gap year students, alternative spring breaks, any sort of short-term placement). 

(Photo from outdoorsnepal.com, #animalface from Easy Tiger Apps)

I'm realistic that I, alone, will never put an end to voluntourism with a blog that very few people read, so I'm going to talk a little about how you can be a "rockstar" volunteer when you travel abroad.

• Think of how your presence will impact an organization.
• Like any job, you should be able to look at your time there and see a distinction from when you started and after you've left.
• This does not mean the impact the organization had on you as a person.  Only a robot could work in places that are subject to abject poverty and not leave humbled.  You're not the focus and your "expanded worldview" does little to help the people who use the charity's services.
• If your answer to "what was my impact?" is something like, "I supported the day-to-day operations," then you're speaking professional jargon for "I paid a lot of money so I could get in the way of the full-time staff."  
• Instead, wrack your brain and think about any skill you have that can be implemented during your placement.  Examples:
• A financial analyst who sorted all of the financial data for an annual report.
• A graphic designer who wrote a Photoshop curriculum and trained a teacher to implement it.
• An urban farmer who built a community vegetable garden.
• A plumber who built a drainage system to rid a village of standing water.
• It should be easy to fill-in this sentence: "Before I was there, they didn't have _____.  After I left, they did.

• Make a timeline and set milestones
• Call it an agenda, or an outline. When you apply to be a volunteer (assuming it's competitive), present this to the Director.
• More often than not, an organization is understaffed and under-resourced, so a volunteer with a set plan comes as a huge relief.
• Remember you'll eventually have to follow through with this plan and it could depend on taking initiative.  
• If you're really bold and have a solid vision, set up a fundraiser before you leave to help the organization buy the resources you need to complete the project.

• Thoroughly research the organization
• There are so many causes that, for wont of a more eloquent phrase, need "stuff." However, they don't all need the same things.
• You might find that an organization is set in their ways and doesn't need an independent project, but they could have use for qualified medical staff.
• Perhaps you find a place that needs money for overheads and their volunteer program is a vehicle for funding.  Simply donate the money and don't waste their precious time on training a new volunteer. (Remember, this is about them, not you and your need for "adventure".)
• I know it's difficult, but just because you identify with a certain mission doesn't mean you, personally, belong there.  Keep searching until you find a place that can use your unique skills.

• Don't jump into a volunteer post thinking you'll get direction from the management.
• It's taken me nine years to figure this out, but I feel confident in this statement.
• The only time I've ever seen volunteers with proper guidance was at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. They relied on volunteers to function, so it would've reflected poorly on the museum if there were dozens of volunteers wandering around aimlessly.
• In most cases, you will have no idea what you're doing. If you don't like to work with little to no supervision, then perhaps volunteering isn't for you.

In no way am I saying this shouldn't be a life-changing experience for a volunteer, or that you shouldn't highlight it on your LinkedIn profile.  Believe me, you'll go back home and look at everything -- from shopping malls to traffic lights -- with a new perspective.  Things that once seemed important become quite petty on a grand scale.  I just ask that you don't make that new, personal perspective your ultimate goal.  In your next interview, of course talk about your experience, but step back and look at it from the charity's perspective. Did you make a lasting impact? Will the people you oh-so-briefly knew remember you among the sea of alternative spring breakers?

Despite my cynical facade, I honestly believe the world would be a better place if everyone could feel the same compassion as (almost) every volunteer I've ever met.  I only want to make sure that compassion isn't misplaced, and is channeled into something that lives on, long after the volunteer boards the plane to return home.