One-Year Round Up

A year ago I applied for the Vodafone NZ World of Difference award which provides a salary to the winners so they can work on a social project or with a non-profit organization for a year. While I didn't win, it got me thinking about what I could do on my own. And on a dreary New Zealand winter day I had a fit of creativity and started wondering what would happen if I auctioned myself on Ebay as a volunteer. Would some angel philanthropist provide my financial support so I could quit my job and volunteer for a year? Better yet would hundreds of people contribute small affordable donations with the same result? It sounded fantastic, stop working for money and do helpful things for others for a whole year and not end up starving on the street. I cautiously broached the idea to a few close friends and had them help me refine my approach and on Nov 1, 2006 Volunteerevolution was born.

I sent out an email to my friends and family explaining my motives and goals and asked them to support me simply by forwarding the email on to anyone who might be interested, church members, business acquaintances etc. I really believed that $20 was a reasonable donation for a whole year's worth of volunteering and maybe enough people would agree with me. I don't know what happened to the majority of those emails. Some people told me they had forwarded it on, one person donated the very same day! Several others replied with encouraging words which helped me not feel so crazy. A handful of very bold people responded with generous donations, logistic and emotional support and made me believe I was actually doing something extraordinary.

However, the trickle down effect didn't go far so I turned to self-promotion on the web. The more readers I could get, the better. My blog got noticed and mentioned on the Big Vision podcast resulting in a few donations from the U.K., the international attention really showed how amazing the internet can be. Three months in I was already volunteering with Refugee Resettlement but hadn't seen any donations for a while, so instead of quitting my job I compromised and reduced my work hours which really boosted my effectiveness as a refugee assistant. That kept me busy for the first 6 months...that and planning my move back to the US. In May I travelled in Central America for a month seeing first-hand how most of the world lives and strengthening my desire to use my time and resources to benefit others. Resettling in Colorado after 6 years away, I faced the challenge of starting over in a new community, but I found that volunteering is one of the easiest ways to meet people and build good networks. I kept walking past the Emergency Family Assistance Association's building so I stopped in and signed up to volunteer and now have a weekly shift working directly with clients which really keeps me in touch with how many people are lacking in food and shelter - even in my affluent little town. This also gives me a way to practice my Spanish which I am learning through a conversation group, library CD's and free podcasts. I did need income so I applied for every non-profit job I could find and ended up working part-time with Ecocycle, and while its not directly human services oriented I am helping improve my community by promoting recycling and better use of resources. In addition I am teaching first aid & CPR classes to help people look after eachother in emergencies.

It has been a transforming year and I am much happier about how I spend my time both when I'm getting paid and when I'm not. There are a lot of needs in our society that are not being met and I believe a lot of that is because we've moved farther away from having strong community in our quest for individuality and personal gain (more things, more money, big house with a fence around it, don't talk to the scruffy man asking for change). I know I'm an idealist but if we spent more energy making sure our neighbors had enough to eat and a warm place to sleep we'd all be taken care of. As I finally think about buying a home that issue of community is foremost in my mind. I learned about cohousing a while ago, which is a form of intentional community where people build and manage their own neighborhood, everyone chooses to be involved, know and help their neighbors, and share resources (like lawnmowers or open space). Colorado is unique in that it has almost 20 existing cohousing developments (second only to California with 51). We have about 4 well-established communities near Boulder and there are houses available in a couple of them. I am very excited about the prospect of not just buying a house but being able to actively invest myself in my community and be surrounded by other people who agree that seeing beyond our individual needs is important and can really make a difference.

It's a long post after a long, full year and if you got through it, then thanks for listening. I've read a lot this year about self-development both business and personal and here are two key things for you to walk away with.

1) If you are passionate about something, don't wait, just start doing it and you'll be amazed at what happens. Inspire yourself by reading about other people who've done it or listen to podcasts about people making changes. (See the sidebar links for some suggestions).

2) Do something that scares you, every day if possible. It's incredible what a shift in attitude makes possible, I see small things daily that make me nervous (trying something new at work, calling someone you don't know about an opportunity) but now instead of putting them off I think "aha, this is scary so I should do it".

Life is short and you get out of it what you put in so build some new relationships, strengthen some old ones and find some small way to make a difference to people in need whether you know them or not and I bet you'll find some joy in it. Next year is YOUR YEAR and I'd love to hear how it turns out. Thanks once more to those who donated gifts, time and money, and those special few who truly encouraged me throughout the year, I cannot truly express what amazing people you are. Micki.