Reasons People Volunteer to Work Free
There are as many reasons to volunteer to work without pay as there are volunteer positions, but these reasons can be grouped into several categories. Motivation to volunteer for free could be purely altruistic, a way to gain experience for possible future employment, to earn academic credit, because you believe in a particular cause, or perhaps to pursue an interest in a particular subject area.
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Altruism
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You may do unpaid volunteer work because you believe it is the right thing to do. You may have been raised to believe this, it could be a religious tenet you hold dear, or perhaps it is a societal norm you subscribe to. It may not really matter to you what you volunteer to do, as long as you feel you are making the world a better place.
Experience
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Many companies are reluctant to hire students straight out of college or those with no experience in a particular field because they don't want to have to train them. If you gain experience in that field, such as doing legal aid work or volunteering in a hospital, it can bolster your resume and squelch a company's fear of hiring an inexperienced person.
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Academic Credit
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Most colleges offer an internship program in which students work for a company for a set period of time, usually a semester, but sometimes for an entire academic year. This could be a full-time position or simply one or two days a week. The experience you gain at an internship can be invaluable to your future career, and like work experience, it definitely improves your resume.
Causes
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Another reason to volunteer for free is because you want to further a particular cause. This could be something like working at your preferred political party's headquarters calling voters or working at a soup kitchen in the inner city. You might want to do this because you worry no one else will do it, and these needs will go unfulfilled.
Personal Interests
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Finally, you may want to volunteer for free because you want to learn more about a certain topic or how particular types of organizations work. You might volunteer at an animal shelter or a foreign service organization. You can both learn about a subject and broaden your horizons while assisting others in need.
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References
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