The path of a potential volunteer

A woman recently moved to Seeley Lake. She LOVES it here. She’s so excited to get involved.

Where does she go for information? Where does she go to get involved? How does she meet people?

• Perhaps by talking to people around town and getting on some local Facebook pages.

• Perusing fliers around Seeley Lake, like the bulletin board at Cory’s.

• Hopefully, she will pick up a Pathfinder, see all the businesses and services listed and start to get a sense of the community through articles and reading about local events.

• She will probably Google ‘things to do’ in Seeley Lake, or ‘volunteering in Seeley Lake.’ What pops up?

• Hopefully she will check SeeleySwanEvents.net regularly to see events coming up soon.

• She could explore area nonprofits listed on the SLCF website and contact any she’s interested in: https://www.seeleylakecommunityfoundation.org/seeley-lake-area-nonprofits

These are some basic reasons people volunteer. What are hers?

• Helping others

• Believing in the cause or having an interest in the activity

• Wanting to learn new things or exercise skills that are often unused

• Having free time available

• Strengthening social relationships or knowing someone else who is involved

Keep in mind, according to The Functional Approach to Volunteers’ Motivations by Gil Clary “Different people may do similar things for different reasons -- volunteers performing the same volunteer activity for the same organization may have different reasons for volunteering!”

What is she looking to get out of her volunteer experience?

• Meeting people in the community?

• Finding a group that shares her values? (Service clubs, environmental groups, churches)

• Helping take care of something she uses or enjoys (Driftriders snowmobile trail grooming, taking care of animals at Wild Skies Raptor Center or Animal Wonders)

• Running an organization or event? (Helping plan Alpine Artisans’ Loon and Fish Fest, coordinating Race to the Sky annual dogsled race, serving on the Seeley Lake ROCKS! board of directors)

• Getting something new started that she thinks will have a big impact for the community?

What kind of volunteering does she want to do?

• What is she EXCITED about for Seeley Lake?

• Does she have a specific passion? (Helping kids, protecting the environment, making sure people are fed?)

• Does she have a specific skill set? Perhaps she’s a retired accountant (an in-demand skill for most nonprofits), retired engineer (perhaps great for land-use nonprofits doing project work), or a Certified Nursing Assistant (Missoula Aging Services caregiving programs).

• Does she want a regularly scheduled activity? Or occasional volunteering as it fits her schedule?

• Maybe she’s a busy mom, so gives back by helping with her kid’s Girl Scout troop or high school sports team. She could be newly retired with lots of time and wants to do SOMETHING each day, diving in headfirst to the community. Or perhaps she is more casual, ready to help as needed but happy to hang back until she is asked, while getting a sense of this new place.

• How about fun group-oriented activities (Loving Hearts clothing donation sorting, Lion’s Club highway cleanup and community wood splitting) or one-on-one interactions, (Meals on Wheels delivery drivers, SLCF Personal Tech Support)?

• Maybe she has more interest in doing something physical (making food, maintaining trails, performing water quality sampling, packaging baby bottles for Sparrows Vine)? Or helping with office administration tasks/mailings? (Perhaps even tasks she can take home and work on in the evenings!)

• What if she’s only here seasonally? She could help with the Fourth of July parade, the Bob Marshall Music Festival and other summer activities.

Hmm...each of these activities has a different point of contact and a different organizer. It takes time and effort just to keep up with what all is going on in Seeley Lake, let alone actually helping out! Sometimes, you have to be doggedly determined to get involved around here. Other times, you naturally find your niche.

What about you? How do you give back to this place you love? There’s so many ways to get involved, give back and build your community, from public boards, nonprofits, churches and even just good old fashioned nice neighborly acts of kindness.

This town runs on volunteers! They are the lifeblood of our community. They make a huge difference for this place we all love and help strengthen Seeley Lake while keeping it special.

THANK YOU to the hundreds of people who volunteer in Seeley Lake each year to make things happen, to take care of the land and people of this special place.

Volunteers are the reason we have ski trails, snowmobile grooming, search and rescue, performances in the schools, a food bank and so much more.

There are all kinds of ways to get involved in Seeley Lake. Whichever way you choose, thank you for giving back!