<p>I've done plenty of volunteering, but it seems like all the major scholarship/competition winners have started their own organization or own project (for example: to donate supplies to Haiti children). I've mainly done my volunteering through Key Club and my local library (for more than 4 years).
How does one start their own organization, or do people just make it sound much grander than it actually is. All the organizations they create sound so impressive, and what I've done so far pales in comparison...:(</p>
<p>You don’t need to start your own club, but you need to do more than just contribute a lot of hours to an existing club or organization. You need to take on a level of responsibility, and have a significant measurable impact, such that your involvement differentiates you from all the other volunteers. For example, you take over the mgt. of information technology for the organization, or design and implement a new program, or do research on the customer/client base that helps the organization focus it’s resources.
This will require more thought, creativity, judgement and effort than simply volunteering your time. Nothing wrong with plain vanilla volunteering, by the way - it’s just that it isn’t going to win you scholarships and competitions.</p>
<p>Thanks for your response M’s mom…I’ve created a website for my school’s Key Club (something that had never been done before) to save paper, and to notify members of upcoming projects…would that count?</p>
<p>That’s a good start and it definitely counts. It shows initiative and organizational skill. But think even bigger: Is there a research project you could do for the library? Does their web-site need work? Are they looking for someone to start a program? After all those years of volunteering at the library, I bet you’ve noticed things that they need help with or could do better if they had someone who was willing to tackle the issue.</p>