Let the Children Come

Another organization we volunteer with recently informed me that kids could no longer volunteer there.

I was disappointed.  Very disappointed.  We've volunteered for years with this organization and the event we did with them was a highlight, especially for the kids who got to volunteer.

And yet I understand the rationale.  The reasons for the policy are smart, rational, and in the organization's best interests.

We need more volunteer opportunities for children.  It is as simple as that.

And while I understand non-profits having age limits or policies not permitting kids to volunteer at all, I also see the irony in that these same non-profits (some, not all) often struggle with finding volunteers or donors or both.

In the interest of safety and keeping legal happy (not to mention insurance companies), we say kids have to be old enough to work a part-time job in order to serve or we say they can't serve at all.

Fair enough.

But as the kids get older, they will find themselves in a position to donate time or resources to these non-profits.

You know who has the best chance of getting these now grown kids' time and resources?  The ones who let them have an impact as a child.