Volunteering is not just about giving back to the community, but the experience.

That is the philosophy of Sean McHugh’s nonprofit Volunteer Experience, which has worked with Buckhead’s Chastain Park Conservancy and many other organizations in Atlanta.

“Volunteer Experience is about combining group volunteer events with social events,” the Inman Park resident said. “Volunteers are important to understaffed organizations. I wanted to turn the model around and focus on taking care of the volunteers.”

It all started when McHugh took a trip to New Orleans in 2006 to volunteer after Hurricane Katrina.

Invigorated by his experience, he organized his own trip the next year. Creating incentive for people to want to go, McHugh told volunteers if they would give their time, he would raise the money to pay for them to go.

He also scheduled it for the weekend of the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The group spent a day building a house for Habitat for Humanity and another day exploring the city and attending the festival.

“It was so eye opening and fulfilling because we learned so much about what happened there and what the needs are,” said Buckhead resident Amanda Rose, who went on the trip in April 2009. “[Sean] wants to have it to be a nice trip for people so they can think of it as a destination — a volunteer weekend and a vacation.”

McHugh is currently gearing up for his 2010 Rock and Rebuild by recruiting volunteers and raising money for the trip to New Orleans April 29 through May 2.

“There’s a stigma with volunteer work that implies that it is just that — work,” said McHugh. “Where in fact, when you get together in a group it’s a good time, and it’s a good feeling to belong in a group like that.”

In between the yearly trips, he reaches out to local nonprofits in Atlanta to provide not only fundraising and volunteers, but social events for the people who donate their time.

Whether he schedules gatherings at local bars or picnics after volunteer hours for a group, he said the point it to show appreciation.

“It’s really a system where everybody wins,” said McHugh.

He wants to match last year’s New Orleans’ trip with another 100 volunteers and would like to increase the frequency of the trips.

“I’d like to do some bigger projects here in Atlanta and quarterly New Orleans events,” he said. “And of course getting the organization up to being a place where it’s sustainable.”

Information: visit www.volxp.com.