A Matter of Help and Time

A Look Into the World of Volunteering Within the Hispanic Community

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Good Samaritan

A friend comes to you with their Saturday morning story of volunteering and you think, what a goody two shoes, or I get it, you’re an angel.  Your friend, however, not only has the right to tell you their tale, but they want to!  Being altruistic activates pleasure centers in the brain that excite people to talk about the things, events, and doings that brought them gratification. So listen up, and join in.

Volunteering is as easy as retweeting a funny tweet, or “like”-ing a Facebook comment. It takes just about as much time as someone spends scouring social media sites on average. It may seem like we are all always too busy and have no time to give but these little moments online shopping, or chatting can add up to a single morning of volunteering!

How does volunteering benefit your company?

Big corporations volunteer all the time. Why do big corporations need to do it? Sure, it might be to gain sponsorship or be philanthropic but there are so many more benefits to volunteering!

Volunteermatch.org finds benefits related to employees, corporations, and the community. In this case, let’s focus on the corporation.  Volunteering as a corporation builds brand awareness and affinity, strengthens trust and loyalty among consumers, enhances corporate image and reputation, improves employee retention, increases employee productivity and loyalty, and provides an effective vehicle to reach strategic goals.

If that list doesn’t make your company want to go out and volunteer, know that employees feel better from volunteering and the community benefits from such a helpful group!

Volunteering in the Hispanic Community

Being part of a community is a big part of the Hispanic culture. Unlike the American mindset, U.S. Hispanics partake in a collectivist culture. This colectivismo is related to the significance of the family or familialismo which is of high importance in Hispanic cultures.  With that in mind, the question is, do Latinos volunteer?

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Recruiting and Supporting Latino Volunteers, found that Latinos DO volunteer, but their contributions aren’t reflected in stats gathered on volunteering in the U.S.

That’s not fair!

Well, apparently, Latinos do not volunteer in the same way Caucasians do. Latino’s volunteering is more focused on family and in the neighborhood and church instead of mainstream community-based organizations.

Do Hispanics not like mainstream orgs? One reason why few Latinos volunteer with mainstream organizations is that they have never been asked to help.  Going along what with what we’ve been beating to death this week…ask away!          

So Why Volunteer?

The family- and company-oriented structure of the Hispanic family is one of the biggest reasons why U.S. Hispanics and U.S. Hispanic kids volunteer. The focus on family and friends is just a part of growing up with peer pressure. Peer pressure even works when it comes to good things like volunteering, and is one of the bigger reasons why people volunteer. They are pressured to do it! In the end of it though, they’ll come out feeling glad they did, and maybe even pressure their other friends to do it with them. So the cycle continues, but as we all know, peer pressure has a bad side too.  

A research paper by Lopez and Safrit on Hispanic American Volunteering found reasons why Hispanics volunteer outside of peer pressure and family:

-          Youth activities and services are especially appealing to the Hispanic Americans interviewed

-          Religious affiliation is both a motivation and setting for volunteering because Hispanic Americans are driven together by their religious beliefs

-          Companies and employers should support and encourage volunteering among employees but not actually mandate it

-          Participants pointed out that service-learning would provide students with experience and skills, and enhance their self-esteem

-          The community became stronger through volunteering, and special links between participants and the community were created

-          Participants improved their self-esteem and interpersonal skills as a result of volunteerism

-          Participants in this study were more likely to volunteer without being asked; however, they were willing to participate whether or not they were asked.

Bring In The Kids!

Volunteering is just a nicer form of hanging-out. Students, kids, and adolescents can hangout while volunteering and get a sense of goodwill while doing it. So why not? This “trend” caught on a long time ago when schools started after school clubs and organizations through churches making it easier for kids to volunteer. Students can chalk up their work as accrued hours and put it on their college apps! Aside from those perks, volunteering helps kids socialize while building a following within the community.

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Although kids have the cuteness factor to bring attention to an organization, call centers or local companies can also help spread the word about their case. Starting from the ground up helps with outreach and attracting volunteers from all generations.  

Why Care?

Learning about the diversity behind volunteerism helps make organizations that much richer by expanding the number of volunteers, making services more culturally appropriate, and by bringing diverse viewpoints to inform practice.

positivepsychologynews.com

Go forth and find an organization that resonates with you. Volunteering can be a sharing of experiences and identities to help volunteers reflect with each other. Another perk is getting to talk to your friends about it and even pressuring them to do it with you! Enjoy!