What matters to you??

From "what’s the matter?" to "what matters to you?"—this is the fundamental question in volunteering, and we’ve been trying to answer it, sometimes with great meaning, and sometimes less so. Before COVID, we were moving toward discovering that sweet spot—where volunteering didn’t just benefit others, but allowed us to be the bigger beneficiaries too, as we found the answer to the most sought-after question: “What matters to me?”

The question of “what matters to me?” is indeed central to how people approach volunteering, as it moves beyond just the act of giving time and skills to something that aligns with personal values, growth, and meaning.

Before COVID, volunteering often had a more straightforward transactional feel, with a clearer sense of purpose both for the volunteers and the organizations they supported. Volunteers might have been engaged not only to help others but to answer deep personal questions about their purpose and to gain a sense of fulfillment. In many cases, both the volunteers and the organizations experienced mutual benefit—volunteers felt they were making a difference, and the organizations received valuable resources.

The pandemic, however, disrupted many of these dynamics. For one, the lack of in-person interaction created a barrier to the human connections that make volunteering feel like a direct, impactful exchange. In some cases, people were forced into remote or disconnected volunteer work, which could feel more transactional or less personally fulfilling. As a result, many people began to grapple with a sense of loss, questioning whether their contributions were truly making a difference or if they were simply “checking boxes” during a time of uncertainty.

Now, as we emerge from the worst of the pandemic, that void remains. The question “what matters to me?” is perhaps even more urgent, and it’s not only about fulfilling a need for others but also about finding or re-establishing one's own sense of value and identity within the context of the organizations or causes they serve. Volunteers want to feel seen and valued—not just as a cog in the machine but as real assets to the mission.

The challenge, then, is twofold:

• For organizations to evolve their understanding of what it means to be a volunteer and how to truly integrate them into the fabric of their work, ensuring that the relationship is symbiotic and not one-sided. Volunteers need to be acknowledged, and their contributions should not just be measured by the tasks completed but also by the impact on the larger mission and community.
• For individuals, it’s about redefining what volunteering means in a post-pandemic world. The search for meaning and purpose is even more pressing as we try to rebuild not just physical structures but emotional, social, and cultural ones as well. Volunteers are asking: How do I become an asset not just in terms of my skills but in terms of who I am, what I believe in, and how I want to engage with the world?

It’s important for both sides to engage in this conversation and for the idea of value in volunteering to evolve. It’s no longer just about completing tasks or meeting immediate needs; it’s about understanding the deeper needs of volunteers themselves and creating an environment where they feel that they, too, are growing, learning, and contributing in a meaningful way. It's not about being a “bigger beneficiary” in the traditional sense, but about mutual enrichment—both giving and receiving in equal measure.

How do you see the evolution of this dynamic in your own experience with volunteering?