The Satisfying Volunteer Experience

Let's face it, the agency I work for exists solely because of misery -- misery caused by the horrifying criminal behavior of others.

I once had a person tell me that she doesn't volunteer because she believes that if society truly valued the cause, we would find a way to support paid employees doing the work. She explained that she felt that the fact people would volunteer for such causes just perpetuated society's refusal to value the cause. The answer to that, of course, is that sometimes a volunteer can demonstrate more compassion and willingness to give to the client than any employee ever could.

This morning, the volunteer on-call took her First ER Call. ( for those who don't quite know what that means - When a person is sexually assaulted, we recommend they seek medical care ASAP --- in the ER - victims receive not just medical care, but also medical staff can gather the evidence and documentation that will support reporting the case to law enforcement. Also, victims can receive treatment to prevent pregnancy and most sexually transmitted diseases. Because of the trauma and the invasive nature of the examination, our agency provides an Advocate to assist the victim in the ER. Advocates offer support, information, and act as a liaison between the victim and medical staff. Advocates also help the victim regain dignity and control over their decisions.) This particular volunteer received our services many years ago.

When I checked in with her this afternoon, she related that at first she was tremendously nervous and worried she'd forget what she was suppose to say and do. But, she said that once she started talking to the client - she was in complete command of what we teach our volunteers. She said that while driving to the ER, she tried to think of all the things our volunteer told her so many years ago -- and what she wished she'd heard too.

She said that the medical staff and law enforcement officer were very professional and caring. She said that the client went from being embarrassed to angry to grateful for the assistance. She said that as they were leaving, the client thanked her for her help.

This is what I hope for our volunteers. On one hand, we hope that our volunteers are never needed, but . . . . well, you know. As someone who works with the volunteers, I want our volunteers to have satisfying experiences. And, this one was about as good as it gets. She felt that she made a connection with the client, she felt like part of the team serving the needs of the client, and she left knowing that her presence made a difference.

And, it's satisfying to me to be able to know that when people are as mean and hateful as they can be to another human, there is someone who is willing to get out of bed and offer assistance and bits of themselves to a complete stranger. It restores the balance of the universe.