Maybe you have read the words “single parent” and “volunteer” and are wondering how in the world a busy single parent finds time to do volunteer work too! Or, perhaps, you have your own tales of how you wish you could volunteer more, or you have been snubbed by the alpha-parents at your child’s school because you are working and taking care of family business instead of baking cupcakes or doing playground duty. The fact is, single parents can and do volunteer, we just need to find the right opportunities that mesh with the rest of our lives.
I doubt if anyone out there would argue that volunteer is NOT a great thing—we get to contribute to help make the world a better place, get involved in our community, model civic-mindedness for our children, and if we are volunteering directly with our child’s school or activities, he or she really benefits from our involvement on many levels. But, how can a single parent find the time?
Maybe you cannot take on a huge project, but you can probably do something. Consider what is going on during your non-working hours and/or time you are spending with your child anyway. When my kids were younger, I got involved with helping to coach their sports teams since these happened after work, and I was going to be driving them to games and practices and staying there to watch anyway. Volunteering was a way that we could play together and I could be involved. I also volunteered at church—we were there as a family anyway so it was not taking a lot of extra time away from things I had to do during the week.
Consider helping out in ways that you can do while you are at work or during your down time. Instead of attending a lot of committee meetings, maybe you can make copies of the fundraiser program or address envelopes while you are on your morning commute (or sitting at your child’s tennis practice.)
Don’t let yourself get sucked into feeling guilty because you cannot do everything—by finding ways to volunteer and help that are not too impossible or stressful, you can have the benefits of volunteering, do your part, and still not make your life extra crazy.
Also: Volunteer Time as a Single Parent