Give More Than Money

     So many worthwhile charities ask for money these days. By email, by telethons, by 5K runs, by snail mail, by TV ads, by Internet ads, etc., etc. If you check out a charity to see what they do and how you can help, you’ll find very few organizations prepared to accept the volunteering of your time and effort instead of your money.
     One of the things I always liked about Habitat for Humanity, besides the satisfaction of building something, is that they want your body on the worksite, swinging a hammer if you can, or hauling plywood, or fixing lunch for others.
     I was amazed by how many members donated considerable sums of money to South Carolina Writers Workshop to solve our recent deficit. But SCWW also needs your time and effort. We need people to serve as chapter leaders, to organize small workshops to show the public what SCWW offers, to write informative articles for the Quill or the blog, to serve as Board members and officers and conference organizers. It takes more than checks to keep a volunteer organization running—it also takes volunteers.
     Is anyone in your chapter a current or former board member? If so, ask about their experiences. If not, then someone from your chapter needs to volunteer for the SCWW Board. How about you?

Jim McFarlane, Treasurer and Membership Chairman