1. Volunteer!
There are many ways to do this and there are many ways to find a place to volunteer in your community. Here are a few options:
Visit Govolunteer.ca
Visit Getinvolved.ca
Contact your local Volunteer Centre
Or directly contact an organization that has a mission you connect with. There are different ways to volunteer, like being a Big Sister, serving on a board, or helping rescue animals find their forever home.
2. Capture and Tell!
While you’re volunteering, take a picture! It can be of yourself volunteering or of the people you’re helping. Or take a picture of the great ways your organization is recognizing your hard work: thank them for providing that piping hot Timmy’s coffee and donuts.
If you don’t want to take a picture, you can compose a tweet. Use those 140 characters wisely, though, they go quickly.
Not a fan of social media? Write your story down. That’s part of Volunteerville too! Next up…
3. Share!
Throw your picture up on Instagram, use the hashtag #volunteerville and voila: your photo will now appear on Volunteerville.ca! Tweets with the hashtag #volunteerville will also show up on our website.
If you don’t like Twitter or Instagram and aren’t sure what a hashtag is, you can visit Volunteerville.ca and upload your photo and your story. Or just your photo…or just your story! It’s up to you how you want to share your experience.
Sharing your story builds your community. We create our story by doing the things we love and spending time with friends and family, and that includes volunteering.
4. Inspire!
When your picture, tweet or story shows up on Volunteerville.ca, you’ll be inspiring people across Alberta to get involved too. For many of us, volunteering is a part of our lives that we often forget to talk about and celebrate. Volunteerville is your chance to share your volunteer experiences with the world.
What happens after Step 4? You can do it all over again! You can participate in Volunteerville as frequently as you like. We’ll be throwing in some fun giveaways and contests throughout the year to thank you for being a citizen of Volunteerville. Browse volunteerville.ca right now, and start liking photos, or even share them on your own social media.
Let’s make volunteering go viral!
Make sure to follow @volunteerville on Twitter and Instagram! For more information about Volunteerville, email Lisa at lmichetti@volunteeralberta.ab.ca.
Lisa Michetti, Member Engagement Manager