Thriving isn't the goal, it's the baseline
Volunteering Won’t Get You Hired (Do It Anyway)
Andrea Baird
11/3/20253 min read
Let’s be honest: Volunteering probably won’t land you your dream job. You can coordinate fundraisers, lead committees, rescue kittens, build houses, run mentorship programs, and still never hear back from that company where you submitted your resume three times and even attached a customized cover letter (bless your hopeful heart).
I’ve volunteered in over 30 roles across 25+ years — at events, for nonprofits, on panels, behind podiums, and yes, even handing out needed food at ungodly hours. It has shaped who I am in ways I never expected. But did it make a hiring manager fall to their knees and cry, “We’ve found The One!" No. It didn’t.
Because that’s not how this works.
Most jobs still go to people someone already knows — or people who were lucky enough to show up at the right time, in front of the right person, with the right inside connection. Skills matter, sure. But familiarity matters more, which is deeply inconvenient for those of us who are better at showing up to do the job than schmoozing.
But here’s the twist: even if volunteering doesn’t get you hired, it still matters — and not just in the warm, fuzzy, Instagram-inspirational-post kind of way.
It matters because volunteering is infrastructure. It’s scaffolding. It’s the invisible labor that keeps entire communities functioning when the system breaks down (which, spoiler alert: it often does). According to the United Census Bureau, over 75.7 million Americans volunteered formally between 2022 and 2023, contributing nearly 5 billion service hours — valued at around $167 billion. That’s not pocket change. That’s what keeps the lights on for a huge chunk of nonprofits.
In Tennessee alone, 23.8% of residents reported volunteering, supporting over 40,000 nonprofit organizations in the state (ProPublica). These are the boots-on-the-ground organizations holding communities together — providing food, shelter, mental health care, mentorship, disaster relief, and more.
And here’s where it gets personal.
I know what it means to rely on systems like SNAP, not in theory — in real life. My family lived in poverty for many years, and SNAP wasn’t just helpful — it was necessary. It kept the small amount of food we did get with them on the table when there was no other option. Later, when I had children of my own, I needed it again — and I used it without shame. Because survival isn’t shameful, and access to food shouldn’t be a partisan debate.
That’s why the current cuts and shutdowns surrounding SNAP and other essential programs are so disturbing. The loss isn't abstract. It means kids go to school hungry. It means parents have to choose between groceries and rent. It means the pressure on already underfunded, volunteer-driven nonprofits becomes unbearable. And it means we — the ones who’ve been there, the ones who get it — have to step up in whatever ways we can.
Volunteers aren’t just “nice to have.”
They’re essential.
They’re what’s left when bureaucracy gets tangled and budgets get cut.
So no, volunteering won’t magically unlock a six-figure job offer. But it will put you in rooms where people are doing meaningful work. It will teach you how to lead without a title. It will give you something better than buzzwords — it will give you stories, skills, scars, and a network that actually knows you.
If you're NOT a natural networker (hi, fellow introverts), here’s what I’ve learned:
Host instead of attend. If big events make your skin crawl, create smaller ones. Be the connector. It’s less painful.
Ask for advice, not opportunity. People love to help when they feel wise, not pitched to.
Volunteer strategically. Work with orgs that reflect your values and your industry. There’s overlap. Be useful, be visible.
Document the journey. Post about your experiences. Be human. You never know who’s watching.
And most importantly: don’t stop.
Volunteering has NEVER handed me a job. But it handed me everything else. Its given me clarity. Its given me community. Its given me the kind of experience that can’t be captured in bullet points or buzzwords.
So keep showing up. Even when it’s thankless. Even when it’s messy. Especially when no one’s watching.
Because what you build when no one’s watching, that’s the stuff people remember when they are.
Want to share your own volunteer story? Share it on your socials or with friends and family. Or give a quiet nod to yourself for the last time you showed up and no one clapped. And know this, I see you. And the work will always matter.