Living a Life of Service!

 Hey friends, today, we’re chatting about all things service and giving back. This post is tagged as part of of our ongoing Girl Boss series, but we’re inclusive around here…so regardless of gender identity, I welcome ALL the bosses….you know, the folks getting things done, hustling for bigger and better, organizing every event, project, etc. Welcome. Kick back and stay awhile! (And while you’re at it, check out one of my work focused boss series posts on nailing the interview…and look out for the next part on balancing your work and life in a couple of weeks!)

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Dr. Angelou’s quote resonates with me greatly today and goes so well with our theme of service. Most of you know me as a realtor, but one of the great passions my parents instilled in me is to be of service whenever and however I can be. In fact, it’s one of the many things I have passed down to my own children.

Why serve?

There are so many amazing reasons to be an active and engaged member of your community. For me, that has always meant to be involved within the community’s life, but also to connect with organizations who share my passion around various issues. One of the easiest ways to do that is to think about social issues that trouble you or are connecting to your smaller community.

•      What are the life experiences you have had that you could help someone who is going through that now?If you were raised in a community with a great mentor, perhaps you could volunteer as a big brother or big sister or at a local community center 
•      How do your professional skills allow you to be of service?
  If you are a human resources recruiter professionally, you may consider teaching resume or interviewing skills at a local shelter.
•       What are you passionate about doing outside of work?
  Maybe you have a passion for singing and can volunteer with a community choir that visits assisted living facilities

I ask those questions merely to spark an idea for you, but really give some thought into things that would bring you joy and also be of service to the community. When you do that, you are more apt to stick with the service opportunity long term which can be of great use for the nonprofit you support.

If you are interested in finding opportunities in your community, check out Volunteer Match which serves as a digital space to find nonprofits with whom you can volunteer. They have great search features based on the nonprofit’s mission, location, etc.

How to serve

If you are a little more shy or don’t know where to start with volunteering, a great way to get involved is to reach out to civic organizations in your community and consider membership. My husband is a Rotarian and my daughter was previously a member of Junior League. I say that to say, there are organizations doing great work and partnering with other community organizations to impact the community. Many of these organizations will have organized days of service or smaller groups of members that serve together. This can be an excellent way to meet new people AND have an impact at the same time!

If you know the organization you wish to volunteer with, the best thing is to reach out to their volunteer coordinator or submit a volunteer application on their website. Different nonprofits will have different ways that they will prefer new volunteers to express interest, so check out their information online to figure out time commitment, opportunities, etc. Also, keep in mind, the volunteer coordinator may also be a volunteer themselves, so give them time to respond J

Volunteer 201

Okay, you’ve found a place to volunteer, connected with the nonprofit and are ready to go. What’s next? Here I’ll share with you a few things that I always try to keep in mind when volunteering:

• Be flexible. You may have signed up to deliver meals to a home and instead are needed to cook – try to maintain a calm and flexible attitude. Remember, you’re there to be of service to others…and sometimes that means being uncomfortable.
•  Be on time. Make sure that you follow through on your commitment. It’s not enough to say you’re going to do something, but be a person who can be depended upon to show up!
• Serve with dignity for others. I have found that a lot of times, I have to check my ego at the door when I’m volunteering. It’s hard, and messy, and shows up at the most inopportune times, but to be of service, you have to be there with a compassionate and open heart. Always give from a place of respect and with dignity towards the people you are serving.

A Special Request

Thanks for checking out today’s blog! As promised, I have a special volunteer opportunity for you all! For the past few years, I run a race on Thanksgiving Day called the Gobble Jog with a few of my friends and family. It is a 5K that starts in Marietta Square benefiting MUST Ministries, an incredible organization focusing on addressing basic needs such as food, housing, and employment primarily in Cobb and Cherokee County. My wonderful husband works there, but long before his tenure, MUST Ministries has been close to our hearts as a family because of the heart for service the organization has.

I would love if you join me as a runner/walker this year. If you would like to do so, great! Sign ups are open now at gobblejog.org and you can join my team by entering “Sumpter Team”. If you are not able to attend, you can also donate to me as a runner at gobblejog.org and entering my name “Patrice Sumpter”. Thanks for considering and happy serving!