Working remotely for a tech company as human resources professional left 26-year-old Summer Deichler looking for ways to get involved in the community, network and connect with others outside her home office. After researching nonprofits in the area to find causes that aligned with her personal passions, she has found all of that and more volunteering for United Way of Greater Lorain County, where she now serves on the Board of Directors.
“I’m an only child to a single mom, so we relied on a lot of different programs and opportunities growing up. And my mom always instilled in me that volunteering is taking care of your own and helping your community to further that community,” says Deichler, a lifelong volunteer who has been with United Way for the last 1.5 years. “It doesn’t have to be this big grand gesture or this huge time commitment, whatever you have and whatever you’re able to give is more than enough, as long as you’re taking care of that community.”
Looking for ways to give back, too? Here are Deichler’s top three suggestions:
Decide whether you want to serve in person or virtually. For Deichler, it was important to serve in person, to make those connections and to be physically involved in her community. But there are plenty of remote ways to volunteer as well.
To find joy in volunteerism, you have to do work that's worth it to you, that excites you and energizes you, and it has to drive your personal passion forward, she says. “I'm very passionate about equity, so I recognize that we don’t all start or come from the same place or with the same resources. That's why I really committed to United Way and their ability to provide those resources,” she says. “I worked on projects like the Little Free Libraries that are providing books and are helping children learn to read; creating kindergarten readiness activities so that children in our county are more prepared to start school; and providing free tax prep assistance to low-income individuals and families to assist in addressing the imbalances and filling the gaps.”
Continue to show up and be proud of your contributions. “Big, small, they all matter, and they’re all really important to furthering the missions of these organizations and to bettering our community,” she says. “Use your voice to advocate for change. Use the skills that you have to advance the mission of the organization, and be passionate in all that you do.”
