Amid the lively debate we recently aired on unpaid labor, Rebecca Huval wonders what drives volunteerism:
At the San Francisco literacy center where I work, I see more than 40 volunteers every week. They drive an hour from Intel or ride the bus from high school to read with a kid for at least 45 minutes for $0. Some are required to volunteer as part of a class, but most are there of their own free will. Why do they do it?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to go all Ayn Rand and suggest that everyone should have a selfish motive for their actions. But I do think the choice to volunteer is a curious one, and that a mix of intentions drive otherwise practical people to work for free. For one thing, our digital lives rarely give us the chance to talk one-on-one, face-to-face with a human – let alone a moldable, eager child – and build a relationship from scratch. For another, savvy professionals know that volunteering looks good, especially in these lean times. Volunteers are 27 percent likelier to find a job after being unemployed than those who simply plop in front of job websites, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service.
The Dish 