I had never volunteered for a number of years of my adult life, beyond activities that stretched beyond a few hours. On many occasions, I came across individuals that volunteered for responsibilities that stretched for months or years, and demanded significant commitments in time and effort. While I was in awe of such persons, I never understood why they put in the time and effort for little reward.
In 2009, I was invited by good friends to take on a leadership role at KKNC, a cultural organization (www.kknc.org) within the Finance department. I had never considered myself as capable of volunteer or service work - this was not due to lack on interest or motivation, but I was concerned that I did not have the skills or capabilities to deal with the requirements of the position. I reluctantly accepted since my friends would be there as well.
As soon as I started, there was loads of pending tasks, and work to do each day. In addition, frequent followup was needed with other stakeholders, who were equally busy. Sometimes, it felt as if I had fallen off the deep end. My friends kept assuring me that I was doing a great job, but I did not see much evidence of this. Six months down the line, things started to get in shape, and I was able to get the books in order. In addition, I prepared a budget and provided better investing options to the President. At the end of the year, I was recognized for my efforts in superlative terms.
All nice and well? No, the real learning was seeing persons that volunteered regularly, on a daily basis, in much more low-profile roles compared with mine. They were not in it for the recognition or rewards. They were satisfied that their efforts were helping the community, which was their only reward. This inspired me to unhesitatingly take on an Executive Committee role in 2011 when I was called up.
My motto - Contribute without any expectations, and satisfaction comes from the job well done!!