 |  | THE GOOD NEIGHBOR TOOL KIT: GETTING STARTED cont. | | ||
|  Why Volunteer? Getting Started Improving Your Community Improving Yourself as a Volunteer Fundraising Working with Volunteers More Resources Directory: Links to Charitable Organizations | Personality Profile There are as many reasons to volunteer as there are people in need. By matching your personality and your goals with various volunteer activities, you can help ensure a more pleasurable and satisfying experience for yourself and for those you serve. To assess your personality type, circle one answer in each of the following questions (either print this page or launch the printer-friendly version). Then check your score against the answer key at the end. 1. When I have a free day, I prefer to: a. spend time in activities with family and friends. b. catch up on long-neglected projects. c. look for new business opportunities. d. have a quiet lunch with a close friend. e. take part in an outdoor sport or activity. 2. A colleague at work, who is not a close friend, breaks down crying in my office and told me she is thinking of leaving her husband. My first impulse is to: a. give her a big hug, encourage her to share her feelings, and start asking her to lunch once a week so she knew she had my support. b. encourage her not to act hastily and to take to a marriage counselor before making a decision. c. try to cheer her up with a joke and a lunch to take her mind off her troubles. d. recommend several self-help books that I think might help her. e. offer to help her move. 3. I witness a car wreck on a busy street. I: a. immediately rush over to make sure that no one is hurt. b. call the police and the hospital on my cell phone. c. signal other drivers to go around the wreck. d. use my first aid training to bandage an injury. e. use my in-car tool kit to pry open the jammed car door. 4. My favorite part of real estate sales is: a. the look on a young families' faces when they buy their first home. b. the satisfaction of ensuring that my clients’ transactions close smoothly. c. making listing presentations and gaining customers’ business. d. helping first-time buyers understand the homebuying process and how it will benefit them. e. investigating new developments to see what's being built. 5. My broker asks me to help in putting on the annual company holiday lunch. I offer to: a. collect money we can donate to a local holiday food drive. b. send an e-mail questionnaire to everyone in the office with various time options and locations so that we can get a consensus. c. invite some of the company’s key vendors and see if they will buy door prizes for the event. d. make copies of the words to various holiday songs so that we can have a sing-along during the party. e. put up the decorations. 6. Another salesperson in the office has to be out for two months or more because of a broken leg. My broker asked if I would help handle his work. I offer to: a. visit him every few days to keep him updated on what’s happening with his transactions. b. make a master schedule of all his pending transactions and divide them up among the associates. c. call all his clients and prospects to let them know that the company will still be able to serve them. d. train his assistant in performing more of his activities on a temporary basis and offer to supervise her during his absence. e. build a temporary ramp on the office so that he can come in to work while he’s still on crutches. Answer Key If most of your answers were: A, you’re a natural caregiver. Consider such charities as working with the disabled or homeless, assisting those in need after a disaster, working with the elderly, or helping foster children. B, you’re a born organizer. Use your skills at a variety of large charities to plan events, organize mailings, and plan activities for volunteers and outings for the needy. C, you’re an effective promoter. Help the charity of your choice by focusing on fundraising activities or use your marketing savvy to help promote events through the local media. D, you’re a natural teacher. Bring those skills to bear working in literacy programs, coaching a sports team, career counseling, or mentoring programs for disadvantaged children. E, you’re a doer. Choose projects that let you dig right in and do the work yourself, such as Habitat for Humanity or Meals on Wheels. Types of Volunteer Organizations that Need You > | |||