Anybody who has ever led an organization or been involved on the internal side of an organization knows that it is hard enough to find volunteers; keeping them inspired by your cause is a whole other mission.
It is not an easy task to keep a few, a dozen, or in some instances – hundreds – of people motivated and working toward the same task and for the same reason. So, as an organization, it is your job to find ways to drive home that motivation.
Below, we have highlighted some famous quotes which we use to inspire our producers at CreativeVolunteer. They inspire us to continue the mission of cause-based work and our hope is that the same effect will rub off on the people who so graciously give themselves to charity.
1. “Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else’s help.” – Heather French Henry
2. “Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs
3. “If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.” – Kofi Annan
4. “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”– Martin Luther King, Jr.
5. “From my early school days, I was brought up with the belief that we have a duty to use our talents, to volunteer and to make a contribution.” – Michael Hintze
6. “The quality of your life will be determined by the quality of your contribution. When you work to improve the lives of others, your life improves automatically.” – Kurek Ashley
7. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
8. “Volunteers will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no volunteers.” – Ken Wyman
9. “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” – Muhammad Ali
10. “A single act of kindness is like a drop of oil on a patch of dry skin—seeping, spreading, and affecting more than the original need.” – Richelle E. Goodrich
11. “I’ve learnt that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.” – Maya Angelou
12. “Even if it’s a little thing, do something for those who have need of a man’s help– something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it. For, remember, you don’t live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here, too.” – Albert Schweitzer
13. “There is no better exercise for your heart than reaching down and helping to lift someone up.” – Bernard Meltzer
14. “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” – Kahlil Gibran
15. “I urge young people to consider public service, whether they do it now by volunteering in their community or prepare for public service as an adult.” – John Walters
16. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”– Leo Buscaglia
17. “Whatever community organization, whether it’s a women’s organization, or fighting for racial justice … you will get satisfaction out of doing something to give back to the community that you never get in any other way.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
18. “The greatest poverty that can afflict the human spirit is the loss of a generous heart. You will know that success has slipped away when your passion for helping others grows cold.” – Bill Lane Doulos
19. “You may not have saved a lot of money in your life, but if you have saved a lot of heartaches for other folks, you are a pretty rich man.” – Seth Parker
20. “At the end of the day it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished… it’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.” – Denzel Washington
21. “Be of service. Whether you make yourself available to a friend or co-worker, or you make time every month to do volunteer work, there is nothing that harvests more of a feeling of empowerment than being of service to someone in need.” – Gillian Anderson
22. “Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” – Barbara De Angelis
23. “Volunteering creates a national character in which the community and the nation take on a spirit of compassion, comradeship and confidence.” – Brian O’Connell
24. “Volunteering is an act of heroism on a grand scale. And it matters profoundly. It does more than help people beat the odds; it changes the odds.” – William J. Clinton
25. “God and angels don’t get paid even though theirs is some of the most important work around. Ditto for volunteers.” – Cherishe Archer
26. “You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have really lived, are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.” – Henry Drummond
27. “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” – Herman Melville
Famous Quotes to Inspire Your Volunteers
Hopefully this “volunteer quotes” collection has inspired you and your selfless army of volunteers to create a world of change.
If you would like to get involved in voluntary work and put your true abilities to a good cause, CreativeVolunteer can help you. Feel free to reach us at contact@volunteer-opportunities.org.
If you’re a part of an organization that you think would be interested in partnering with us and receiving placement of our creative volunteers to your organization to tell great stories, please reach us at partner@volunteer-opportunities.org so we can speak about possibilities.