Volunteer Perspective ·
Lions Clubs International
"Service above self — what that phrase
actually feels like at 7 AM, setting up
tables before the donors arrive."
Lions Clubs International — one of the
world's largest service organisations —
has documented the motivations of
thousands of volunteers across its
global network. The consistent finding,
across cultures and geographies, is this:
Volunteers do not primarily give their
time for recognition, or for career
benefit, or even primarily for the
beneficiary. They give their time because
of how it makes them feel — purposeful,
connected, and part of something larger
than their daily life.
One Lions Club volunteer, documented in
their service impact records, described
the feeling of setting up a blood
donation camp at 7 AM on a Sunday:
"Everyone else is still in bed. And
you're here, arranging tables, because
today — right here — someone's life
might change. That feeling is worth
every early morning."
That feeling is what we are building
at Karma Samaj Foundation —
one camp at a time.