by His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda

The Golden Radiance

Honour the Heritage. The heritage of your organization is precious and will be better preserved if you become the promise it beholds. Honour the precious heritage that your organization strives to protect. Reprioritize for the sake of turning over a new leaf, for refocusing on what we really care about, and for refreshing our commitment to good works. As an ideal volunteer, support the original articles or charter of your organization. Be the rekindling radiance like the Sun in all gatherings and in every situation. And thus be the noble influence without appearing imposing. Sharing love through kindness and charity never fails.

Revisit the Vision. Reviewing the organizational vision will keep you enthusiastic, focused, and results-oriented. Ponder on why you really care about this cause and this organization; study the goals. Fuel the flames of your energy through a deeper understanding about your organization’s mission. You will be greatly inspired when you see the results your organization is creating in people’s lives. Be prepared to gently shake up the stuck energy of a status quo, and bring about a dynamic approach for the future without being held back due to past stagnation. Be ready to analyze, adapt, and adjust without compromising the founding principles.

The Blue Depth

Think Deep. You are not going to better the world, preserve the heritage, uphold the tradition, honour the environment, and motivate your community by shallow thinking. Recognize the great power in your noble intent that brings your organization’s vision to life. With the right approach, you will attract the right servers along with ample resources to the common cause. A positive attitude is everything when you are reaching out and manifesting a greater reality.

Be Calmly Proactive. Your organization provides you with an opportunity to serve. This platform is an outlet to practice your noble intentions. Your organization will not cultivate plenitude if you remain disengaged. Be proactive and be a part of the solution. This service avenue allows you to practice all of the cardinal values precious to you. Your organization needs more than talk out of you. Look for projects you can take up to nurture the cause. Think through and ask how you can participate by being part of an action plan; do not simply offer to help.

The Red Lotus

Spread the Word. Noble ideas based on profound concepts easily spread from seeker to seeker. Cultivate a network of good humming about your organization.Your friends, family and associates will benefit from knowing about your compassionate involvement in your cause. So introduce the organization to your friends who may be interested. Show them the good work your organization is doing. Many seekers will be engaged on your team through your noble deeds. A polite request for supporting this noble cause is always worth your effort. Let your grassroots efforts blossom and take shape.

Strive for Performance. Structured and well planned outreach is essential whenever service is disseminated. An infrastructure that caters to the shared organizational vision and channels the work will rely on capacity staffing. A staff is able to dedicate committed time and shoulder responsibilities that are time-bound. Serve alongside staff and share your enthusiasm. Motivate them to improve their efficiency. The committed staff is carrying enormous responsibility on your behalf. Communicate effectively with them in a timely manner. When supported by a dedicated volunteer base staff will perform at a higher level. Ultimately, it is your organization that will thrive and spread the good work.

The White Swan

Be Positively Optimistic. Negativity is self-defeating and deadening. Eradicate the naysaying and handwaving. Do not allow gossip to waste time and wipe out energy. Any negative thought can deaden momentum. Jealousy derails the volunteering or seeking before it has all begun. Hold onto your own grace with a positive demeanour. Infect others with your silent smile while participating. The joy of participation does not seek personal rewards. Uphold the honour code of volunteering and accumulate the merits just by participating with a positive spirit. Let your part unfold and take off.

Communicate Clearly. Even as a hands-on volunteer, most of your donated time and energy will be spent on communication. Clear communication channels are necessary to bring time-bound projects to fruition. Email is often labeled as having become its own worst enemy. Do not be frivolous and exercise a patient caution. Never tinge your communication with hidden emotion, whatever the medium. Emotional intelligence is better used to recognize the sensitivities involved. Respectful and honourable words depicting the clarity of purpose are the benchmark of effective communication. Objective structure supplemented by pointwise summary grabs attention. Clean and revise the subject line! Of course, articulation using optimal words makes way for a prompt understanding.

The Cosmic Link

Stay Connected. The middle path is of balance. A balanced mind is able to see it through. And understand the connectivity in nature. The microcosm is a miniature macrocosm. This is because all energy is linked. All of matter is tied together. Our willpowers overlap as minds comprehend the intricate connections. Match your intention with the vision of the organization. Become allied and aligned with the great power that is subtly behind this organizational entity. Understand that your link is crucial and beneficial. By apt volunteering on behalf of your favourite organization, you will help to transform the world for the better. Every joint is important to the overall link.

Close the Loop. Be the exemplary volunteer who has the point of view of abundance rather than scarcity. Make your own personal gift to support your organization whenever feasible. And encourage other donors to give in kind. Be willing to cultivate goals and then follow through on commitments. If you believe that charitable giving breeds more to share, it will become easier to cultivate donors. The pure charitable intent of donors will generate a longer-lasting momentum. And your ability to close the loop of tangible giving with intangible blessings will help sustain the momentum.