Motivate Yourself

Inspirational Quotations

• Getting Started
• Staying Motivated
• Rewards

Inspirational Stories

• A Beach Filled With Starfish
• The "Farmer Fleming" Story
• My Doctor Prescribed Volunteering

Motivational Articles

• Volunteering As Wish Fulfillment
  When you were seven years old, what was your dream for when you "grew up"? You can do it now... as a volunteer.
• Explore a Career
  Volunteering is a marvelous way to explore possible career options.
• Put Volunteer Work on Your Resume
  Consider integrating volunteer work into the section of your resume called "Work Experience." Here's how to maximize the impact.
• Resume-Building Tips for College Students
  You know the dilemma: if you want to get a good job, you need experience; but to get experience you need a job. The answer: Flexible Volunteering.
• Why Volunteer
  The best volunteering does involve the desire to serve others, but this does not exclude other motivations, as well.
• Finding the Right Opportunity for You
  Here's ten helpful guidelines for choosing volunteer activities that you'll be happy to stick with.
• Making a Match
  How to 'shop' for a volunteer job.
• Volunteering with Your Family
  Here's a unique idea that has many benefits: become a volunteer along with some or all of your family members!
• How to Inspire Your Tween to Volunteer
  You can help your tween prepare for adult life and develop positive character traits by encouraging her to volunteer.

By the Way... How Do You Compare?

According to IndependentSector.org's "Give 5" campaign, which encourages people to volunteer 5 hours per week and donate 5% of their income to charitable causes:

• Approximately 109 million American adults volunteer annually: that's 56% of all adults.
• Adult volunteers contribute an average of 3.5 hours per week - totaling 19.9 billion hours with an estimated dollar value of $225.9 billion.
• 59% of teenagers volunteer an average of 3.5 hours per week: that's 13.3 million volunteers totaling 2.4 billion hours at a total value of $7.7 billion.
• 70% of American households make a contribution to one or more charitable organizations. The average gift of contributing households is 2.1% of income.