How to Get Involved in Volunteer Work in College

Volunteer work allows you to give back. Most Greek organizations have philanthropy incorporated into their program. This is important because they help certain causes like Autism Speaks and the Make A Wish Foundation. The organizations that support charities raise money for their cause through various fundraisers during the school year. Ultimately, service is important because it makes a huge positive impact in the lives of others.

You can give back to your own community through service as well. It can be something as simple as cleaning up at a community park or helping out at an animal shelter. Volunteering on the local level is not only rewarding for others but for yourself as well—you can see the positive impact that you are having in your community. Volunteer work is also a great way to meet new people and get involved at school. Many clubs and most sororities and fraternities incorporate service into their organizations.

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Here’s some ways you can get involved:
1. Rush a sorority.
Every sorority has a designated organization as part of the Panhenellic’s Council pledge to do service as part of their Greek organizations. Most sororities have a philanthropy that they choose to work with year-round. Many sororities host their own events within the college community to help out locally. A sorority is also good way to build a group of friends and have a ton of fun.

2. Join a service group at your college.
Seek out a club at school that is entirely dedicated to service work. A few well-known groups are Alpha Phi Omega (a national Service fraternity), Circle K and Rotaract Club. All of these clubs are focused on service and they have chapters at most campuses. These organizations also host a variety of events and provide many opportunities to get involved. Many schools will also have service groups dedicated to making an impact locally with options to tutor middle school students or rake, elderly person’s lawn, or cleanup your campus.

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3. Incorporate service into your club.
If you already belong to a club on campus you can find a way to incorporate service into your organization. Do some research and find some type of service work that will be easy to incorporate into what your club does. It can be something as simple as organizing a bake sale to raise money for a charitable organization. Find something that interests you, something that the rest of your group will become passionate about.

4. Volunteer locally.
If you feel like acting independently you can always look for ways to volunteer in your area. One popular way is to volunteer at your local animal shelter. After a round of training you’ll be allowed to walk dogs or play and care for cats. The job is both rewarding for the animals and yourself. There are also other opportunities you can do such as volunteering at a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter.