If you are involved in your local community, church or school choir as a singer, you already know what a wonderfully rewarding experience it has been. Have you thought about volunteering in the choir lately, or considered finding a way to help your director or those who have been doing all the work?

If you love to sing but are not “choir material” being involved in helping your local choirs grow and flourish can be very rewarding. There are, however, many things to consider when deciding to volunteer, things such as how to go about it, the 80/20 rule, where the lines are in terms of commitment, and last but not least, should I be doing this at all? I will be touching on these and other points but perhaps the first thing to do is talk a bit about what volunteerism means today and how it has helped build this great nation of ours.

We are, and always have been, a nation of givers. From our native peoples giving of their food and expertise over 300 years ago, to those that landed in tall ships, to barn-raising parties on the prairie 100 years ago, to Boy Scouts feeding the homeless today, volunteering is an essential part of our national life. It is very natural that we want to give back in thanks for all we have been given.

Why volunteer? Life is balance, and the opposite of receiving is giving – we need to give to truly experience the richness of life. The act of giving is its own reward and no matter how much you give, you are always getting.

The joy of song is truly a gift to a community, and anything you can do to facilitate either supporting an existing choir or creating a new choir, will enrich the lives of all.

Once you have decided to be a volunteer, determine your motivations and make sure they are predominantly altruistic in nature. Wanting the “feel good” rewards we get from doing good is perfectly natural, but hidden agendas, like promoting career goals or padding a resume need to be identified. Be clear about “why” you are wanting to give. This clarity is essential in helping you choose which path to follow and will determine

how personally successful the experience will be for you. There is nothing wrong with wanting something in return for your giving, and by being clear about your goals, your experience can be a win/win situation.

My parents both sang in choirs and when my sister and I had the opportunity to join a prestigious local community choir, they rejoiced at the chance to once again help create song.

How can you volunteer? Start by deciding how much time you have to devote to your choir. This will be a determining factor in what you chose to do and should be decided upon before looking at all the various volunteer opportunities available within your choral organization. There needs to be balance in all our lives, time to meet personal needs, family commitments, work obligations. A good deal of time-management, when it comes to volunteering, will be trial-and-error once you get into it and learn the ebb and flow of how your choir works, but start out with a schedule and see how it fits. Don’t bite off more than you can chew or you may end up being either ineffective because you can’t spend as much time volunteering as the task requires, or resentful/dissatisfied because it takes up more time than you are really willing to give. If you find yourself crossing a line, step back and re-evaluate.

Find your volunteer “niche” by calling on your skills and interests. My mother has always had terrific phone skills and gladly volunteers to handle the choir’s phone trees. She also loves entertaining and arranges get-togethers for the choir members and year-end parties for all.

My dad, the inveterate all-around Renaissance handyman, is the person to call when bleachers need to be erected, conga drums need to be played or kids need to be schlepped.

Once you have a rough idea of how much time you have to give, take a meeting with your choir director or organization heads and find out what they need.

You may find that you are a person who gives in a solitary manner, that you are more fulfilled and “get more done” on your own. If, however, you enjoy belonging to volunteer organizations, be aware of the 80/20 rule. There is a principle, common to any organization that relies on volunteers, that 80% of the work gets done by 20% of the people. This phenomenon is something to consider when choosing how/where to volunteer. If you find yourself in such a position -- being a 20%er, and dissatisfied, you will have to decide what to do – have a meeting, speak to the leaders of the organization, look at your own time-management skills, talk to your fellow volunteers. If, on the other hand, you find yourself to be in the category of letting others do most of the work, you will have to look long and hard at your commitment to this choir – is it waning? Is this not what you thought it would be? Should you continue or find another path that may be more rewarding and where you may accomplish/give more?

In closing, I would like to share with you some words on giving, written by Kahlil Gibran and found in his book The Prophet.

 “Then said a rich man, speak to us of giving.  And he answered: You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.  For what are your possessions but things that you keep and guard for fear you might need them tomorrow?” J.J.