The Compounding Returns of Volunteering

By Steve O. Oniya, CFP^®, ChFC^®, CPWA^®, MBA

Volunteering has always been important to me, and I was thrilled to win several awards in 2025 for doing it, including the NAPFA Pro Bono Service Award, InvestmentNews’ 5-Star Financial Planners or Best CFP® professionals in the USA, NAPFA Pro Bono Heroes Tournament for the South Region, and Financial Planning’s 2025 Rising Stars. 

Time and energy are limited. They are finite, as many of us finance professionals understand. Sometimes, I ask myself why I still volunteer or give back, and how I can find the time. The answer to the question of why is that it brings tangible and intangible results that are measurable, and other positive results that are immeasurable. The answer to the question of how I find the time is simple—many of us know it and yet struggle to do so: I make and carve out time for giving back. Allow me to dive more into the why and how of volunteering, as well as the compounding returns it provides us not only as businesspeople but also as people.

Why Give Back, and Specifically Volunteer

Volunteering—giving back and helping causes you care about—is deeply gratifying in many ways. The primary benefits I’d like to focus on are purpose, health, development, achievement compounding, PR and marketing, and karma or reciprocal goodwill. 

There is a plethora of research that shows humans having a gratifying purpose can lead to a longer and happier life. Check out Michaéla C Schippers’ “Life Crafting as a Way to Find Purpose and Meaning in Life,” the National Library of Medicine, and Patti Neighmond’s ”People Who Feel They Have A Purpose In Life Live Longer,” NPR. 

Here are some research notes on how volunteering helps health: 

• “Volunteering improves physical and mental health, reduces stress, provides a sense of purpose, and increases social interaction.” — Mayo Clinic Health System
• “People who volunteer may be more likely to do other things, like eat a healthy diet or exercise, that lower blood pressure.” — Harvard Health
• “Research shows that people who volunteer regularly have a lower risk of mortality and better physical health as they age.” — NPR

I mentioned in my own financial literacy newsletter, Achieving Life and Financial Goals, how after I attempted to tackle the strenuous topics of financial literacy and health literacy the best I could, my LDL (low-density lipoprotein), or “bad” cholesterol, went down like never before to “healthy” status, with a doctor confirming my and my loved one’s blood pressure was “excellent.”

The Unexpected Benefits of Volunteering

Volunteering often develops you in ways you cannot imagine, because you are enmeshing yourself in an activity that is likely new, involving new people or a new process. And naturally, with new endeavors, there are skills, processes, and abilities you need to learn that can cultivate and round you out. This is especially the case when you are putting yourself into a cause you are passionate about, since you likely want to sincerely make a difference or impact.

Achievements and skills begin to compound if you volunteer enough. As we build up our skills and experiences, we literally build up knowledge, achievements, and abilities on top of each other. After all, this is mostly the essence of learning and growing and how we got to where we are today as adults and professionals. I don’t need to elaborate on that point. What I would like to stress is that when you win your first achievement for your volunteer work, others are likely to follow, since each new award builds up your resume; I have found that true for me as I enjoy both the tangible and intangible benefits of helping others.

Naturally, winning awards or achievements, not to mention putting yourself in communities to make a positive difference, gives you and your business a public relations (PR) and marketing boost. I didn’t volunteer for PR, awards, etc. But as a businessperson, it would be foolish to deny that volunteering and helping communities don’t impact those fronts. Consider Ronald McDonald House Charities for McDonald’s and the multitude of other businesses whose community work has had a clear positive effect on their brand image.  

The last benefit is karma or reciprocal goodwill. It’s clear people like to help others. It often feels good. And there’s no doubt people especially like to help those who help others. Call it a double return. That is probably why I’ve gotten awards, clients, prospects, connections, followers, relationships, contacts, friends, colleagues, and more as a result of my volunteer activities. After all, healthy relationships are often about give and take versus take and take or give and give. And we often want to spread and receive good in the world.

How You Can Find the Time

Now, the last question I posed in the beginning is how I have time. I make and carve out time by putting realistic objectives on my calendar. Objectives without an immediate deadline can be pushed back. The ones that do have an earlier expiring deadline are prioritized upfront. My newsletter, for example, with a frequency similar to a quarterly business report, gives me ample and realistic time to focus on other tasks. I do carve out weeks in advance to dedicate myself to volunteering while spontaneously taking notes here and there when I see pertinent insights that can help others with financial and business literacy. I also realistically cut out activities from my calendar that are not sincere to moving things forward in a healthy way for me. We truly do have to say no to have more yeses in life for the activities that are most relevant and important to us as the times change. 

I hope you found this article helpful, so the time I invested in volunteering to write it was well worth it. I wish you well. 

P.S. As Americans or world citizens, we admire Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Black Panther, Spider-Man, and many other heroes because they gave back, specifically volunteered some of their abilities, for free. Not all heroes wear capes, and that includes financial advisors!

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A native of Houston, Steve Oniya is passionate about leadership, strategy, and helping others achieve their goals. His dedication to service, commitment to education, and drive to uplift his community shine through in everything he does. You can subscribe to his financial literacy newsletter or follow him on LinkedIn through his LinkedIn newsletter.

image credit: Adobe Stock Images