For Volunteers
Why Volunteer ?
There are many reasons why you may want to sign up with Seniors in Seva. Many of our volunteers have shared their stories with us. We have put these together below, for you to read, and hope that some of these motivations connect with you and inspire you to join us too!
To find a purpose after retirement
Once you retire, you may suddenly feel a vaccum as you transition from an active “nine to five”, highly structured work life. This is also the time when your children are financially independent and leave home to start their own families. With most of life’s milestones achieved, you feel satisfied, but there is also a “lack of purpose” that creeps in. By signing up with Seniors in Seva, our volunteers tell us their sense of purpose is re-ignited and they look forward to using their knowledge and skills in the service of society.
To deeply pursue a social cause you care about
The pressures of professional life often leave you with little time to contribute to a societal problem that matters to you. Some people care about uplifting underprivileged children, some are passionate about gender equality, others want to do something for the environment. Post retirement, you now have the time to give wings to your cause or passion. Seniors in Seva has successfully matched volunteers with organisations not just by skills, but also by causes they strongly believe in.
To experience the joys of becoming a “giver”
Being of service to others, without expectation, is well knowledged by philosophers as the best path to happiness. No wonder ‘Seva’ or pro-bono volunteering is embraced as a desirable code of living in many cultures and communities. Our volunteers tell us there is an immense feeling of joy and satisfaction in doing pro-bono voluntary work for us.
To become a crusader for a better world
Given India’s wide and deep triad of problems of economic deprivation, social exclusion and environmental degradation-our volunteers are motivated by the opportunity to build capacities for mission driven organisations that are trying to address these problems and leave behind a better world for the next generation.
We are sure there are other reasons why people volunteer. Do write to us to tell us your own reason. If you are excited by our vision and mission and want to be part of it, please do join us by clicking the link below.
No. We will not be able to tell you why you should volunteer. You will have to find that out for yourself. Given below are, what we believe, some valid reasons for volunteering. Perhaps, you may find your reason in this and be inspired to join us.
To stay relevant: At the point of retirement, we are at the peak of our education, experience and specialization. If we stop working, there is only one way our capabilities will go and that is down. Soon we will become redundant. A ghost of our former existence. Unable to look up to even ourselves. We hope that by volunteering you will be able to stay relevant.
To find purpose in retired life: Life’s purpose changes from age to age. In our youth we work for a bright future, as adults we work for the betterment of our family. In our old age, with our children having become independent we often lose focus of life’s purpose. The famous Austrian psychologist Victor E. Frankl believed that one must find meaning in the work and sufferings attached to life in order to find happiness and fulfilment. In his seminal book “Man’s search for meaning” he wrote, “We do not ask life what the meaning of life is. Life asks us, what is the meaning of your life. And life demands our answer.” We hope that you may find the answer in helping others through volunteering.
To remain connected to people: When we are born, we are dependent on others. As we grow, we become independent and are able to take control of our lives. In his book “The Seven habits of highly effective people” Stephen Covey says that to truly accomplish great deeds, we need to progress to the next level of the “Maturity Continuum”. That is the level of interdependence. This is a stage where we share each other’s talents and resources to create things beyond our own capabilities. If you want to pool your capabilities with others to achieve greater success, we hope that you may find your team by volunteering your time and talent.
To do something of real interest to you: All your life you have worked for money. Perhaps, in jobs that were not really to your interest. Not working for money gives you the freedom to work for a cause and field which is in your field of interest. We hope that you will find volunteering opportunities which are of genuine interest to you.
To give back: Dalai Lama said that “Interdependence is a fundamental law of nature. Even tiny insects survive by mutual cooperation based on innate recognition of their interconnectedness. It is because our own human existence is so dependent on the help of others that our need for love lies at the very foundation of our existence. Therefore, we need a genuine sense of responsibility and a sincere concern for the welfare of others.” Perhaps you too believe in his words. We hope that you will find volunteering opportunities which will resonate with your spirituality.
To leave back a better world: Have we really solved the problem of our existence? In his book “Small is Beautiful” E. F. Shumacher outlines the three major problems which threaten the continuity of human existence. Namely, the treating of natural resources as if they were replaceable,pushing the environment, on which life itself is dependent, beyond its tolerance levels and the corruption of the human mind which is being trained to believe that happiness is dependent on your scale of consumption. Perhaps you would like to work towards a more sustainable world which has peace and permanence. We hope that you will find volunteering opportunities to work towards your goal.
We are sure there are other reasons why people volunteer. Do write to us to tell us your own reason. If you have convinced your self that you would like to volunteer and you would like to join an organization which focusses on senior experienced volunteers then do join us by clicking the link below.
On registration you will be added to our database. We will remain in touch with development sector organizations for new volunteering opportunities. As and when volunteering opportunities suitable to your location, qualification and experience arise, you will be intimated by email. Should you be interested, we will include your name to the list of shortlisted candidates. Details of all shortlisted candidates will be sent to the organization for there scrutiny and final engagement. Since Seniors in seva is managed by senior volunteers for other senior volunteers our service is absolutely free.
For any other queries we would be happy to write back to you. You may send your queries if any to our email seniorsinseva@gmail.com
Volunteering Opportunities
Volunteering Opportunities
(For Registered Volunteers)
Seniors in Seva has partnered with National Association of Farmer Producer Organizations (NAFPO) to support their Independent Director Development Program (IDDP) aimed at helping Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO’s). Seniors in Seva identified a cohort of 50 senior volunteers and connected them with NAFPO to take the project further. The project aims to strengthen the FPO ecosystem by assigning Independent Directors to FPO’s and building their compliance and governance capacities. 29 senior volunteers have already undergone a 2-day training conducted by the Institute of Directors on topics of relevance including the structure of FPO’s, financial literacy and the legal environment within which Directors would be operating. NAFPO is now in the process of matching Director’s with interested FPO’s based on the needs and skill requirements.