As the children are now out of the house with their educations paid for, I am feeling that I should get more involved in a cause or more than one cause of some sort. For many years, I was involved with a charity which raised scholarship funds for non-traditional students at a particular school. That group has folded for various and sundry reasons, so these days I am not really involved with anything. I still work part-time, and H works double-time so it’s not like I have massive free time on my hands. Nonetheless, I feel like I should be doing something.
Unfortunately, there are so many things wrong in the world today that I can’t even know where to start. Passion doesn’t seem to narrow it down. LGBT issues is a possibility, as S is gay, but when I attended some meetings of a campus LGBT group where I teach, they let me know I was not a student and not welcome (politely, of course, but I understand, irony notwithstanding).
If you are involved in an issue in some capacity, how do you decide what and to what extent?
I’m retired also. I serve on my town’s economic development commission which I really enjoy.
In addition, I volunteer at a wonderful charity thrift store. Proceeds go for programs for developmentally disabled young adults and adults. It’s a great place…and a good reason!
I’m a poll worker for our elections in town…and that’s interesting too.
And I’m onnthe board of the local education foundation.
I volunteer - not the same as having a cause, but it certainly makes me feel like I’m “doing something”. I deliver Meals on Wheels twice a month, and I drive the elderly to medical appointments through an organization called FISH (Friends In Service Here). I’ve met some lovely people, and they’re always so grateful for my help.
H and I have been involved in scouting for 20 years although we are about to step down and out of a leadership role
When I retire, I hope to be able to volunteer as a parent advocate for students with special needs. It took all of the know how my H and I possess, both of us attorneys, to get the services our children needed. I can’t imagine how parents who are not as well educated or as knowledgeable as H and I are, manage to do it. Over the years, I have assisted some people on the sly but could not ever attend a meeting or make a phone call because I feared retaliation against my own children, who are, of course, my priority. Now that my youngest has graduated, I no longer fear the school district.
If I were not working full time, I’d like to volunteer at the neighborhood elementary school again. I did that when my children were enrolled (they’re in their 20s now). I have a neighbor who temporarily houses dogs between their transport from out of state (states with kill shelters and lots of strays) and permanent adoption.
H is a church council member, we also work with our local food bank. As 20-somethings, S1 volunteers at an animal shelter and S2/gf volunteer with an inner city program for special needs kids. When they were younger we spent Thanksgiving serving meals at a townwide dinner.
It’s all about finding something that’s important to you, and then finding something helpful. Some towns have centers that match volunteers w groups. NOn profits are generally grateful for anything you can do, from stuffing envelopes to sorting supplies.
My retired neighbor dedicated herself to a well-known nonprofit as a “cause,” spending 20+ hours a week in the office, and ended up quitting because of the dysfunction. The group is well-known and does positive things, but the local office was apparently a mess. Her takeaway was “be cautious and use all those instincts you’ve honed over the course of your lifespan before you commit to a cause.”
We collect items for women’s and children’s shelters. Whenever we have had an occasion instead of gifts we would ask guests to bring items that could be used by the families at the shelter. I have had women I have come across going through a divorce and I have tried to help out with moves, taking care of their children, and providing a listening ear as they have to make decisions in regards to settlement agreements so that they and their children are protected.
I have tried to let them know about suitable job opportunities so that they can move forward in their lives and provide for their kids. My dd and I both feel from our own experiences that this is a way we can pay it back and help others. During the holidays we try to purchase items the families can use since holidays are usually a difficult time for them. It more soothes our soul to do this since we don’t really need more stuff over the holidays. After dd graduates I will have more time to go and volunteer but I do it more for my own happiness.
In order to find a cause, try and think of “cause” vs. “program”. So in deciding what you might want to support think of the cause first, THEN look for the program/avenue to help the cause.
So think…what “cause” am I passionate about?
Literacy?
Food Security? (adequate food for all)
Advocacy for children?
Women and Education?
Once you identify what cause fuels you, then look for a program that is a good fit for your time, energy, etc.
Adult literacy. For decades. Many people would be amazed at how common it is for adults to be either illiterate or not fluently literate. Helping improve that situation makes a great difference in the life of individuals and their families.
I think you could look back over your life and see where something or someone made a difference. Either having a necessary “thing” or having been able to avoid a bad “thing”.
My parents were very responsible and we were blessed with a stable childhood. I would like to make things better for children or for adults responsible for children. My favorite charities are the food bank (it is huge here and serves other smaller pantries, too.) and the Star of Hope homeless mission, particularly the one for women and children. Both have a long histories in the city and provide massive amounts of necessary services.
On a smaller level, it bugs me to hear about children not being able to afford school lunch and being given a yuck meal because their accounts are overdrawn. I would fund raise and clear these accounts.
I am on the Board of a non-profit organization that offers complementary therapies to help people going through cancer treatment. I have volunteered for this organization in various ways and raised money for almost 20 years.
Guess you could say our big thing was adopting two from foster care. Wonderful experience.
For years, we vol’d at a meal site, I was on the board and more. Also very fulfilling. If there was/is a “cause” behind that, it’s my conviction that more people should volunteer. @TQfromtheU, it’s similar to your thought: in awareness of and gratitude for our blessings.
My hours now go to a couple of roles at hospice. One is involved with the bereaved. Not easy. But interesting how, when you really put yourself out there for others, you learn a lot about yourself.
Against my better judgment, I just agreed to be Clerk of the Session at my church (I did this once before and swore I’d never do it again…but here I am. My husband keeps asking “what were you thinking? Did you forget what it’s like?” Apparently I did.) Left-leaning Christianity is one of my causes, I guess.
I used to be a Girl Scout leader. I also volunteered during two presidential campaigns and I might do that again – although I won’t go door-to-door again. That was way too frightening.
When I retire, I’d like to volunteer at a Humane Society (when I’m not babysitting my grand-kids…hopefully.)
We cook dinner for for a women’s shelter every month for many years.
A friend and I have coordinated a quilting group and now we make quilts for them. A local quilt store supports us by offering space every quarter for 12-15 of us to get together and work. We’ve received lots of fabric donations, but need to figure out a way to raise cash for batting and long-arm quitling rental time. The women residents are so touched that people have spent time and care on making a quilt, and they are far more cognizant of the time invested in such a project than many of the people for whom I make quilts as gifts.
I’m also on the Board at my small synagogue (was recording secretary; have just switched to development) and I work there 15 hours/week. They appreciate someone who can handle the database software and can also put out effective communications. The parallels between that and my 401k administration/communications consultant life are pretty similar – including, unfortunately, the poiltics and prickly people. I like feeling useful and that I’m making a positive difference.
The election has given me lots of causes. It also prompted me to get active.
I joined a group. I’m meet amazing people, many of them busy young moms with toddlers, full time jobs and husbands who work full time, yet they make time to make their voices heard.
So now I not only have “a cause,” but a community in which to fight for it, and hope that the new generation will do everything in its power to fix the problems they’re inheriting from the older generation.
My other causes? Weeding my tomato patch and baking pies. It’s all good.
My husband, MIL and I started an international nonprofit years ago, which I now head. It started with seeing a need and realizing it wouldn’t be hard to make a difference. I’ve also been on the board of our local food pantry and served on a local town board. I’m just wrapping up work on a small, local political action to prevent something that would have negatively impacted my town.
My advice would be to think locally. See what organizations around you seem to be doing good work then volunteer a bit. I’m partial to local organizations because you can observe their leadership firsthand and can ask questions that can help you clarify how well the organization is accomplishing its mission. It’s okay to try more than one thing. Think of it as volunteer job shopping. Don’t be surprised if it takes a while before you find the right match. Before making a larger commitment to a group see if you’re enjoying the work and the people and you feel valued. Otherwise it won’t feel worth it in the long run. You should be aware that you may not be given interesting work at first. Most organizations save the good stuff for people who have proven they’ll stick around.
Sometimes thinking about volunteering can get overwhelming because there are so many good causes, but if you jump into something, anything, it can help to break that immobility. You’re not making a lifetime commitment.
One thing you’ll find in the nonprofit world is that a lot of groups are interconnected through their volunteers, so if you find an organization isn’t right for you find someone you like in the organization and ask what else they’ve done that they enjoyed.
I don’t have a particular cause and with my job and commute, don’t have much energy or time to act on it, I do what I can doing personal advocacy, talking to others about issues that matter to me, but not really translating.
One of the things I learned about causes from belonging to a very progressive church that was big on them, that in the end what really counts is what/how you address the cause, not the cause itself, because causes are high falutin’ theoretical concepts, but kind of like cyber-“life”, they don’t do much if they remain theoretical. Said church was very inclusive, amazing for where it was located, but in part because of the guy who was the pastor/priest, everything was a cause, but for example, couldn’t see the church had a lot of people who had been battered in life and what they really needed was a community, one sharing fellowship and caring for one another, sharing with each other. It was great to be LGBT welcoming and have quite a few members of that background, but it didn’t go that much further than that, because it was all theoretical, all causes, when causes have at their base people in need (or animals, if animal issues are your thing) or real ills that hurt others.