If you’re in the giving mood, you might be looking for a volunteering opportunity to help improve the world around you. A great way to ensure you don’t burn out while volunteering is to find an opportunity that ignites what motivates you.
You can do this by using the lens of the 12 Driving Forces— find a way to volunteer that aligns with your top drivers. Using your personal motivating factors to find a way to give back will ensure the opportunity fuels you while helping others.
Here are the best volunteering opportunities for each driver!
Intellectual: Expanding Information
People with an Intellectual driver acquire knowledge, discover, and find opportunities to learn. The Intellectual person wants all available knowledge on the subject simply to understand it, regardless of the direct application. They like learning for the sake of learning!
If you have an Intellectual driver, feed your desire for new information by finding a volunteer opportunity based on gathering knowledge.
Zooniverse is a great place to start; you can collaborate to help transcribe medieval records and analyze data from space. You’ll be helping to expand public knowledge and improve the quality and quantity of available resources.
You also might thrive as a tutor! Make sure to choose an area of study you’re passionate about and help students find that same passion in themselves.
Instinctive: Honing In Focus
People with an Instinctive driver use past experience, intuition, and real-time research to solve an immediate need. An Instinctive person wants only the knowledge necessary to accomplish the task at hand. They pursue knowledge on a “need-to-know” basis.
This effective approach makes Instinctive people well-suited to volunteer at crisis hotlines. By offering your time in this way, you can provide real-time support and assistance to individuals in distress. Your quick problem-solving skills and ability to focus during a tense time will offer guidance and comfort to people in vulnerable situations.
Selfless: Getting It Done
People with a Selfless driver are driven by completing tasks for the sake of completion, with little expectation of personal return.
Selfless people contribute to a project with minimal expectation of personal return and are focused on accomplishing tasks for the sake of accomplishment. They tend to focus on the greater good versus a return on the investment of their resources
You might enjoy volunteering for packing projects. Check out organizations like Meals on Wheels, a network that addresses senior hunger and isolation, or Feed My Starving Children. This organization works to distribute food to families in need.
Being able to focus on getting a job done right will satisfy people with Selfless drivers. Physically gathering resources and getting packs together honors the desire to be a completionist. Check off a to-do list and help others at the same time!
People with a Resourceful driver are driven by practical results, maximizing both efficiency and returns for their investments of time, talent, energy, and resources.
They are passionate about returns on investment and want to build a framework that maximizes their time and talent invested in a project. To someone with a Resourceful driver, people are valued for their talents and can be seen as useful assets rather than individuals.
Harness your specific skill set and bring it to an organization in need! If you’re skilled in marketing, finance, technology, organization, grant writing, or any other skill, most nonprofits can find a use for your talents. Help work behind the scenes to optimize their operations and achieve their goals.
People with an Objective driver are driven by the functionality and objectivity of their surroundings. They are not distracted in environments filled with chaos and can view everything in pieces and focus on one piece at a time.
Objective people focus on function over form. They prefer to break a whole project or idea down into measurable parts and look at them independently of one another. This desired approach makes them an excellent candidate for volunteering as technical support for seniors.
You can help seniors learn how to use technology and navigate their digital devices one step at a time. Others might be overwhelmed by the task, but Objective people can focus amidst chaos and provide the step-by-step insight needed to do a thorough and accurate job.
The Harmonious person has a subjective focus on the experience and the totality of their surroundings – often preferring form over function and seeking to beautify and harmonize the world around them.
Harmonious people feel a high level of satisfaction when they can create harmony and tranquility in all aspects of their lives. They focus on the big picture. That’s why participating in community art projects is an excellent way for people with a Harmonious driver to give back.
By working on projects that beautify public spaces, such as murals, sculptures, or decorative landscaping. Harmonious individuals can contribute to creating aesthetically pleasing environments for everyone to enjoy. This work will satisfy their creative self-expression.
People with an Intentional driver are people who are driven to assist others for a specific purpose, not just for the sake of being helpful or supportive.
Intentional people are careful with their energy and resources and want to see a return on their investments. That’s why volunteering in career development programs is an amazing way for them to give back. By offering coaching and skills training to job seekers, Intentional people can feel the satisfaction of helping people who want to work hard. Their assistance can help individuals secure employment, potentially resulting in career growth and stability.
If that’s not a path you’re interested in, just make sure you believe in the cause. The work itself will not be satisfying if you don’t really support the organization. Intentional people are often associated with the phrase, “Catch a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” You can literally do that through volunteering or whatever equivalent you’re qualified for!
People with an Altruistic driver are the ones you might normally think of when it comes to volunteering; they are driven to assist others for the satisfaction of being helpful or supportive. They will give generously of their time, talent, and resources with no expectation of personal return.
While Altruistic people might want to throw themselves fully into volunteering, it’s worth it to take time to consider their options and where they can make the biggest impact. One such area is working in a youth mentoring program! By working with young people, you can provide guidance, support, and a positive role model in a critical time of life. Your altruistic nature can make a significant impact, and help encourage teens to become thoughtful adults.
Collaborative people are driven by being in a supporting role and contributing with little need for individual recognition. They focus on their contribution versus advancing their position and enjoy working behind the scenes and getting things done.
This Collaborative driver is a great help in community cleanup and beautification. The work might not be glamorous but it is crucial for communities; a Collaborative person will dig into the essential tasks at hand and enjoy finding a way to work closely with others. They will be fulfilled by contributing to something larger than themselves and being part of a team.
Commanding: Leading For Legacy
Commanding people value status and public recognition and they assert control over their freedom and destiny. They are driven to create winning strategies and are passionate about creating an enduring legacy through their work.
They want a hand in creating their own path forward and prefer to take on roles that receive recognition. This is why they’re an excellent fit for leadership and mentorship programs. Whether it’s through organizations like Big Brother Big Sister or a business mentorship, volunteering as a leader in programs that offer guidance to children and people in need will satisfy someone with a Commanding driver.
Actively contribute to your legacy while also contributing to your community! Helping individuals to develop their skills and pursue their destinies will be excellent for Commanding people.
Receptive: Innovating Education
Receptive people are driven by new ideas, methods, and opportunities that fall outside a defined system of living. They enjoy challenging the status quo and finding new ways to complete routine tasks.
A less typical volunteering situation that might appeal to people with a Receptive driver is working on an innovative education initiative. By working with organizations that offer creative educational programs, you can assist in designing and implementing non-traditional learning experiences for students. Help schools develop creative workshops, find alternative learning methods, and empower kids to explore both art and science without conventional boundaries.
Structured: Affecting The Approach
Structured people are driven by traditional approaches and proven methods. They abide by a defined system of living. They prefer to show their work and want you to do the same; don’t ask them to do something without explaining the structure and your reasoning behind it!
People with a Structured driver seek consistency and place a high value on working within a defined system. This makes them well-positioned to volunteer in process optimization and documentation.
Find an organization and cause you believe in and volunteer in documenting and improving their existing processes. Structured individuals can help create a framework that enhances efficiency and consistency and helps the organization run more smoothly.
Find A Way To Give Back
By embracing what motivates you, you can find a way to give back that feels satisfying while helping the people around you. If you’re interested in learning more about the 12 Driving Forces assessment, contact us here.
If you’re a consultant looking for tools like TTI assessments in your practice, get the information you need about joining the network here. .