Motives Don’t Matter: Service benefits communities regardless of reasons behind volunteer work

In the pre-November rush to rack up service hours for National Honors Society and resumes, students are desperate for volunteer opportunities. Thankfully, East is home to one of the largest student-run volunteering programs in the U.S., offering over 40 projects each year. Students are highly involved — but why? For the good of our hearts, or for shiny service awards to boast to colleges?

It doesn’t matter. Regardless of the initial motive, volunteering results in the same benefits either way. Colleges and organizations should emphasize its importance even more in applications and resumes, and honor societies like East’s NHS chapter should increase volunteer hour requirements past a mere 15.

Sure, it’d be great if every food kitchen server was a dutiful, compassionate citizen and not just a high schooler scrambling to meet their service hour requirement. But no matter who’s packaging products at can drives and sorting bins at clothing centers, the result is the same for the homeless: food in their bellies and clothes on their bodies.

While philanthropists benefit the community, criticism often surrounds volunteers instead of recognizing those needing aid, arguing about the morality of volunteering when it’s performative or solely for service hours.

But when we debate why we volunteer from the comfort of Prairie Village and surrounding privileged communities, we miss the point. Selflessness is a result of philanthropy — it doesn’t need to be the motivator.

Even if resume-building is students’ initial motive, a boost in character will eventually develop along the way. It’s hard not to gain a little empathy after feeding three-legged dogs at Wayside Waifs or reading books to underserved elementary schoolers.

However, many students won’t drive 20 minutes to Harvester’s or Wayside Waifs on their own merit, especially in communities like East where it’s easy to stay snug between polished cars and trimmed lawns. Living in suburbia reduces encounters with desperation and suffering — and if adolescents don’t see the need for volunteers first-hand, they’re less likely to even consider signing up. 

Students need a little push — like the fate of their future. Emphasizing service hours on college applications and increasing the requirement for admission to various organizations effectively motivates young adults to pitch in to the community.

Plus, the pressure to volunteer provides long-lasting motivation. Researchers found that people with self-serving motives — like resume building — are more likely to volunteer longer for an organization than those who are focused on value-building, according to a study by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. True compassion isn’t enough. 

When people solely help others out of the goodness of their hearts, school, work and sports can easily become obstacles to volunteering, as they have less motivation to stay committed. But, when colleges, organizations and employers weigh volunteering the same as other activities, students will prioritize service, as their resume will also benefit.

Volunteering solely for service hours may be insincere, but it’s effective. Schools and potential employers should require more service hours to aid communities in need and promote character-building among young adults. East’s NHS requires only 15 — which needs to increase for students to reap the full benefits of altruism.

Eventually, students may discover that helping others is a substantial reason to continue volunteering even after reaching their service requirement. But this is less likely to happen after only 15 volunteer hours — which students can knock off in a couple of weekends or by folding a few hundred plastic bags for Harvester’s. 

A study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found that long-term volunteers experienced higher levels of growth and engagement than short-term ones. If East’s NHS required 30 service hours per semester — averaging about two hours a week — students would be forced to engage in long-term, consistent volunteering that would actually build character. 

Plus, organizations are unlikely to turn away free assistance. In the face of shelters overflowing with starving families or cancer patients needing transportation to chemotherapy, motives become irrelevant. They need all the help they can get.

Not everyone is a good Samaritan — but at least they’ll also serve the community while helping themselves.