10 Volunteer Activities That Are Hard for Nannies to Participate In

Volunteer work is an important aspect of many people’s lives; however, there are some careers that inevitably affect a person’s availability and inclination to volunteer within certain fields. For nannies, there are some volunteering opportunities that are either out of reach due to typical scheduling or, quite frankly, seem unappealing after a full day of working with children. Here are ten of the areas that you might have trouble finding volunteers that list “Nanny” as their day job.

1. Nursery and Childcare – Many places of worship and community centers offer volunteer-based nursery and childcare services so that parents can get involved without incurring the extra expense of childcare. Because nannies spend the bulk of their time in just such a capacity, they may be less likely to volunteer for these positions during their off time.
2. After-School Programs – Nannies with school-aged charges are almost always immediately excluded from being able to be a part of after-school volunteer programs, as their work day is just getting into full swing. As a result, the number of nannies who are able to be involved in these positions are generally few and far between.
3. Elderly Care – Most programs that host volunteers in nursing homes and retirement communities run during daytime hours, making it very difficult for a nanny with a traditional workday schedule to find a time when they’re available to donate their time.
4. Animal Shelters – Much like elderly care programs, animal shelters and rescue communities operate mainly during the daytime. Most shelters aren’t even open at night, presenting a complication for nannies that may wish to volunteer.
5. Peace Corps – The Peace Corps and other international activism programs are, by necessity, almost always entirely out of a nanny’s availability. Traveling around the globe for extended periods of time is likely to wreak havoc with an employing family’s schedule, leaving nannies restricted to local programs.
6. Traveling Disaster Relief – When natural disasters and calamities strike, many communities mobilize volunteer relief groups to travel to the site and offer aid. For nannies, the very short notice and extended nature of these trips make working with these programs a downright impossibility.
7. Habitat For Humanity – The daytime building schedule and physically strenuous nature of building homes for needy families present a very real complication for nannies that wish to offer a helping hand; even if her schedule would permit occasional contributions, keeping charges safe and happy is a physically and emotionally draining task that is likely to make volunteer construction work intensely unappealing.
8. Sports Coaching – Spending the entirety of their work day helping children to hone skills, reach milestones, and stay safe while having fun might make performing those same tasks on a volunteer level as a local kids’ league sports coach less enticing.
9. School Involvement Programs – Many private schools expect a high level of parental involvement, which is generally quite difficult for busy, working parents that are forced to employ nannies to care for their children. However, these nannies aren’t likely to be met with the same acceptance as students’ parents, leaving them reluctant to volunteer for these programs.
10. Leading Scout Troops – Boy and Girl Scouts, along with other scouting programs, rely largely upon the donated time of volunteer troop leaders. Most of the time, however, these programs expect leaders to have children that are involved with the program, which may exclude nannies from participating.

The options for volunteer work in most communities are almost endless; with a bit of research on the local level, nannies with a desire to pitch in can find a program that is well-suited to their needs and scheduling demands.

Taken From Nanny Services