The warm fuzzy feeling that helping out can create isn't the only benefit; colleges and universities all but expect a long list of student volunteer opportunities and summer volunteer jobs from their new applicants.
College selection isn't the only benefit potential volunteers can reap from their service. Potential volunteers wishing to see the world but without the funding to do so can look into international volunteer opportunities. Teach English around the world, work with international medical and economic aid groups, and see exotic locales without spending a dime!
Those in medical careers looking for new experiences in their field can take on medical volunteer opportunities with groups such as Doctors without Borders. Medical aid is needed around the world, and working with these groups provides physicians and nurses with experience they could not garner anywhere else! Outside the sterile walls of a hospital is a world of people needing urgent medical care; what better way to celebrate a caregiver's greatest responsibility - to provide help where needed - than to volunteer with medical groups abroad?
Extensive volunteering experience can lead to career opportunities in the future. With so many people looking into volunteering jobs, someone is needed to keep track and arrange trips and missions within every volunteer organization. Volunteering coordinator jobs and volunteer manager jobs are becoming more prevalent as viable employment opportunities. What's the best way to get a foot in the door on for a career like this? Volunteer, of course!