Pay it forward: 5 easy ways to volunteer and support your community

Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” And what better way to give than through volunteering. There’s no shortage of ways volunteers can help make a difference, whether it’s helping refugees fleeing war zones, teaching underprivileged children new skills, or finding – or even building – housing for the homeless. Volunteering does not only benefit the recipients and their communities, but also the volunteers themselves.

At Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich), supporting our communities has long been a part of our DNA. All of Zurich’s permanent and fixed-term employees are entitled to at least one paid volunteer day per year. With the help of the Z Zurich Foundation and our Make the Difference team – an internal program that aims to implement our strategy via bottom-up empowerment of our people – Zurich is always discovering new ways to boost its volunteering efforts to bring lasting change to our communities.

Below are five easy, practical ways for you to start volunteering today:

1. Discover your passion

Are you feeling lost in a sea of volunteer opportunities and unsure where to start? Then consider a cause close to your heart. What makes you want to stand up and be heard? Where do you want to make a difference?

For Christian Klobetanz, from Zurich Germany, his passion for the fire service began at an early age. Growing up with an active firefighter for a father, he often heard stories about his dad’s experiences. This is what ultimately inspired him to volunteer for the fire department in Bad Homburg, near Frankfurt.

“You can’t imagine the look of gratitude you get when you save a life from a desperate situation, whether that be rescuing cats from trees or people from fire,” Christian says. “The feeling is indescribable.”

Christian is also motivated by how the fire service knows no bounds. Gender, religion and skin color, among other factors, have no bearing. There’s no distinction in who receives help, as every life counts.

2. Better together

Are you looking for ways to connect with your team? If so, why not make your next volunteering experience a team building event? You will not only rally together around a shared purpose, but you will also strengthen your relationships with one another.

Many of our teams across Zurich regularly volunteer to support a number of different causes, such as housing non-profit ‘Habitat for Humanity’, food charity ‘Soup Kitchen’ and volunteer fitness group ‘GoodGym’ to name just a few.

Recently, some of Zurich’s Group Strategy team volunteered to help tackle food poverty, an issue that today affects as many as 829 million people worldwide. In Chicago, Illinois, some of the Group Strategy team members volunteered for “Feed My Starving Children.” They helped pack 29,160 meals to help the poor around the world survive famines and starvation.

“It was energizing, fun, a bit competitive and a true team effort,” says Paolo Mantero, Group Chief Strategy Officer. “A fantastic way to spend time together and do something for a greater purpose.”

In Switzerland, others cooked for 60 people at Gassencafé Sunestube, a low-threshold street café that serves as a meeting place for those in need.

“It’s hard to describe all the different people we served during two very intense hours,” says Marina Cardoso, based in Zurich Switzerland. “For example, there was a Ukrainian refugee who came to the kitchen with her phone and showed us a translation, “Es war sehr lecker, danke” [that was very tasty, thank you]. There was also a sweet man that came to us and said he was feeling lonely at home, so he came to see people and talk.”

3. Get your hands dirty

Are you in need of a change of scenery? Do you love animals, the outdoors, nature or the environment? Then outdoor volunteering might be perfect for you.

In Argentina, Zurich employees teamed up with TECHO, an organization that seeks to respond to the housing deficit caused by poverty or natural disasters. Together, they helped build three emergency homes for vulnerable families in the city of La Plata, south of Buenos Aires.

For many years, Zurich Hong Kong has been actively involved in “serve-a-thons,” an initiative organized by HandsOn. During these events, thousands of volunteers come together to support the community through nine days of consecutive volunteering. Previous events have included beach clean-ups, reforestation, sorting and packing food, as well as many more.

Similarly, employees Down Under support Climate Month every September by getting involved with the countries’ biggest community clean up events: Clean up Australia and Keep New Zealand Beautiful. Beyond supporting the local communities, these events also serve as important reminders of the individual roles we each play in protecting our environment and in living a more sustainable lifestyle.

4. Share your talents

What are you good at? Languages? Design? Project Management? While non-profits are vital in providing support to their communities, limited budgets often prevent them from hiring the expert talent they need. So why not share your skills with organizations who are unable to afford them?

Across Zurich, our Legal teams provide free legal services for individuals, charities, NGOs and community organizations that lack access to best-in-class legal advice and support. For instance, Zurich North America’s Legal Services Pro Bono Program recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Whether it be representing individuals in immigration proceedings, assisting seniors with estate planning documents or helping parents and guardians navigate special education in public schools, our legal professionals are helping to make a lasting contribution to society by sharing their time and talent with others.

Yvette AuYeung, who works in Zurich North America, has also helped to create and co-lead volunteer programs designed to educate high school students in New York City public schools about careers in the insurance industry.

“Volunteering is the perfect opportunity to give back to my community and share my knowledge and career experience with high school students who don’t necessarily have the support and role models that I had growing up,” Yvette says.

During the programs, students learn key life skills such as networking, finding mentors, public speaking, teamwork and collaboration, which they can utilize in any career. With this education, they are then better equipped to enter the workplace as they plan their future paths.

5. From the comfort of home

Are hectic schedules, long commutes or limited mobility holding you back? Thanks to the abundance of virtual activities available, volunteering from home is now easier than ever. There are a variety of causes online to suit your schedule, commitment levels, and interests.

One of the many ways Zurich employees in the UK have been volunteering is via the Telephone Befriending scheme, run by Age UK. Each week, volunteers make a phone call to an isolated or vulnerable elderly person, wherever they are in the world.

Susan Moffat, from Zurich UK, has been part of the scheme for the past two years, and each week she looks forward to speaking with her telephone friend, Alison.

“It’s such a simple thing,” Susan says, “but I know it makes a difference to Alison’s week, and it makes me feel like I am giving something back to the community and making a difference. It’s such a fantastic initiative, and I’m proud to work for a company that allows us time in our working week to do something for others outside of our day-to-day role.”

When it comes to volunteering, the sky’s the limit. There are countless ways to get involved and make a difference, as well as hundreds of volunteer opportunities for every skill, time commitment, and cause.

So, what are you waiting for? Find the one that excites you! The one where you can use your skills and time to make the greatest impact and help those around you who need you the most.