How to Stay Motivated to Volunteer (Again and Again)

Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community and spread goodwill among the public. Whether you're volunteering to do something simple, such as being a little league baseball coach, or if it’s something on a larger scale, like organizing a statewide awareness campaign, it is always a rewarding experience.

The trouble is that in many cases it can be hard to stick with volunteer work because the rewards aren't anything tangible (aka no monetary compensation). You'll be sinking a lot of time into something that doesn't put money in your bank account or give you a return on your time investment in the material sense. If you’re feeling this way now, don’t be ashamed about it; you just need a few tips and tricks to help keep you motivated.

Keep a Record of Your Progress - Regardless of what kind of volunteer work you're doing, you most likely have a concrete goal that you're trying to achieve. Whatever that goal may be, keep a written record of your progress. If you're doing a food drive, keep a record of the donations you get; if you're coaching a kids’ sports team, keep a record of their wins and losses. Documenting your progress can be a powerful way to stay motivated.

Get People to Hold You Accountable - This can be easy if you're doing something that is relatively social and involves a lot of people. On the other hand, if you're doing solo volunteer work, find an accountability partner to report in to often.

Neural Linguistic Programming - This method is powerful. Write down your volunteer goals and read them aloud before you go to bed and after you wake up every day. Don't just read it like a robot; put some passion into it. Making resolutions out loud is an incredible way to program your subconscious to take action.

Keep Daily Schedule - This method is simple but powerful; just write down the tasks that absolutely must be completed the next day before you go to bed. The next day, cross off the tasks as you complete them. Remember, there are no excuses; the tasks you wrote down must be completed no matter what. This will give an increased sense of accomplishment to all your volunteering efforts.

Submit a Press Release - Volunteer work can be a thankless job, and this can sometimes get you down. Don't feel bad; it’s natural to want recognition for your good deeds. Try submitting a press release to a local newspaper or an online newsfeed. Getting praise both online and off can be a huge motivator. Just don’t make it all about you. Talk about the great things the charity is doing and add a quote from yourself to get your name in there. It’s great to do something anonymously, but sometimes we all need a little pat on the back. Don’t feel bad about doing this either. I know, you’re not the kind of person who needs to tattoo it on his forehead every time he does something good, but a little recognition for the charity and yourself can really go a long way. Not only will it make you feel good, but it’ll help keep you motivated to spend more time volunteering - which is good for everyone.