如何避免掉进志愿服务陷阱

    许多志愿者都觉得，那句哀叹好人难做的古老格言简直太对了。简单举几个例子，我自己的经历就包括浪费时间做一名青年志愿者导师、未遂心愿的动物救助者和公益律师。

    无论是出于利他或专业原因，对于那些寻求机会回馈社区机会的人来说，能否找到正确的岗位或许意味着你是在推进崇高的事业（包括你自己的职业生涯），还是只不过换了个地方打糖果方块游戏(CandyCrush)。

    美国劳工统计局（the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics）的数据显示，2012年，大约有6,450万美国人通过一家组织或为一家组织从事志愿活动。做志愿者的原因有很多。首先，许多人觉得，在他们所住社区从事志愿活动是一种互惠互利的基本义务。“我认为每个个体都是社群主义者，他们认为自己与所住社区荣辱与共，所以肩负着回馈之责，”巴纳德学院(Barnard College)职业发展办公室主任、哈莱姆区加略山浸信会教堂(Mount Calvary Baptist Church)牧师罗伯特•厄尔说。

    志愿服务不仅仅是一种无私的决定。许多人也想从中获得某种东西。厄尔说：“志愿服务也是一个极好的机会，可以让志愿者开发可以在工作世界转移的技能，见到不同的人，并获得领导技能。”

    但这并不意味着每一个志愿者角色都将提供这些好处。如果不事先做好功课，你就会为此付出代价。

    首先要确保你正在追求一项你热爱的事业，无论这项事业是什么。对于高线之友(Friends of the High Line)董事会联席主席、纽约公共图书馆(The New York Public Library)受托人、前董事会主席卡蒂•马伦来说，这项事业是服务于公共场所，特别是公园和图书馆。她最近出版的新书《城市公园：公共空间，个人想法》(City Parks: Public Spaces, Private Thoughts)是自己从事志愿活动（尽管是一位身居高位的志愿者）的热情抵达的新顶点。虽然她能够一一列举公园和图书馆提供的好处——“从扫盲培训，电脑培训，到一天临近终了，没有其他地方对外开放时，为人们提供一个安全的去处”——但她的介入也源自自身的兴趣。她说：“我碰巧热爱城市中的自然景观，”并指出每个人都是不同的。“如果你爱音乐或艺术，那就是你应该参与的领域。所有这些志愿活动都有益于这个世界。它们都是无私的。”

    这好像是一个常识，但劳动力咨询公司(The Workforce Consulants)董事总经理林达•祖盖克指出，“通常情况下，人们只是觉得，‘哦，这是有空做的事情，’”然后别人让做什么就做什么（这也是本文作者犯下的罪过）。

    我们不应该一有机会就急切地接受，而应该先研究一下你自己对哪些领域感兴趣。Volunteermatch.org专门为事业驱动型志愿者与需要他们的组织牵线搭桥。宗教慈善组织美国志愿军(Volunteers of America)让潜在的社会改良家根据兴趣搜索志愿服务岗位，一些城市机构也提供类似服务。比如，纽约市民可登陆允许用户按照优先级别和兴趣搜索服务机会的网站NYCService.org。

    一旦筛选完你的兴趣方向，锁定意欲服务的组织，并联系到一个面谈机会，你就需要不停地询问各种问题。“对于一个正在寻找志愿服务的个体来说，最重要的事情莫过于理解你最终想获得什么，”祖盖克说。“找寻一项值得做、同时对你有助益的事业的关键是，搞清楚你的最终目标是什么，”无论这项目标是学习新技术技能，改进你对病患的态度，还是赈济饥民。

    For many volunteers, the old adage about no good deed going unpunished rings all too true. My own experiences include time wasted as a volunteer youth mentor, attempted animal rescuer, and pro bono attorney, to name just a few.

    For those looking to give back to their communities, whether for altruistic or professional reasons, finding the right fit can mean the difference between advancing worthy causes -- including your career -- or simply having a new place to play CandyCrush.

    According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2012, about 64.5 million people volunteered through or for an organization in the U.S. There are plenty of reasons to volunteer. To start, there is the basic, reciprocal obligation to participate in the community where you live. "I look at each individual as a communitarian -- they are linked to the community where they live, so there is a responsibility to give back," says Robert Earl, director of Barnard College's Career Development Office and the Reverend at Harlem's Mount Calvary Baptist Church.

    Volunteering is not simply an altruistic decision. Many of us want to get something out of it, too. "Volunteering is also a wonderful opportunity to develop skills that are transferable within the work world, meet diverse people, and gain leadership skills," Earl says.

    But that doesn't mean every volunteer role will provide those benefits. If you don't do your homework beforehand, you will pay a price down the line.

    First and foremost, make sure you're pursuing a cause you're passionate about, whatever that cause may be. For Catie Marron, co-chair of the board of directors of Friends of the High Line and a trustee and former chairman of the board of The New York Public Library, that was public spaces, particularly parks and libraries. Her recently published book, City Parks: Public Spaces, Private Thoughts, is the culmination of passions she pursued as a volunteer, albeit a high ranking one. While she can list the benefits parks and libraries provide -- "from literacy training to computer training to giving people a safe spot to go at the end of the day when there's nowhere else that's open" -- her involvement stemmed from her own interests. "I just happen to love nature in the city," she says, noting that everyone is different. "If you love music or art, that's where you should get involved. All of these things do good for the world. They're all altruistic."

    This may seem like common sense, but as Lynda Zugec, the managing director of The Workforce Consulants, observes, "Oftentimes, people just think, 'Oh, this is available,'" and take whatever is offered. (Writer's note: Guilty as charged.)

    Instead of jumping at the first opportunity that comes your way, do some research about what is needed in the areas that interest you. Volunteermatch.org matches cause-driven volunteers with organizations that need them. Volunteers of America lets would-be do-gooders search positions by interest, and some municipalities provide similar services. (New Yorkers, for example, can check out NYCService.org, which allows users to search by priority as well as passion.)

    Once you've narrowed down your interests, vetted the organization, and set up an interview, don't stop asking questions. "The most important thing for an individual to do when he or she is looking for a volunteer opportunity is to understand where they want to get to," Zugec says. "The key in finding something that's going to be worthwhile and help you down the road is to know your end goal," whether that's learning new technical skills, working on your bedside manner, or feeding the hungry.