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The Value of Volunteering

Gaining Business Experience Through Volunteer Opportunities

Agenda

• Reasons to Volunteer• Types of Volunteers• Business Skills Gained Through Volunteering• Opportunities• Marketing Your Volunteer Experience• Call to Action

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Reasons to Volunteer

Volunteers are seldom paid; not because they are worthless, but because they are PRICELESS! --author unknown

Reasons to Volunteer – Discussion Notes

• Work Related• Know what students / children are “up to”• To expose myself• To Help Others• Networking• Sharing Knowledge• Learn about an organization or job

opportunity• See if you like it – try before you buy• Learn about other people; culture, personal,

ethnic, friendship• Because it feels good• Gain intra-spective – to get to know yourself

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Reasons to Volunteer

1. To learn something about yourself2. To have fun3. Because you’re passionate about a cause4. To explore career possibilities5. Be productive - It’s time to get off the

couch6. Learn some new skills…and add them to

your resume7. Make someone else’s day8. Feel good about yourself9. Required by your college/university or

employer10. To be more involved in your community

What it Boils Down to…..

• Personal Health & Well Being – More and more, a substantial body of research evidence is indicating that there are very real personal, physical and emotional benefits to helping others.

• Employment Skills - Across the nation, thousands of volunteers have developed marketable skills and made valuable job contacts through their volunteer efforts. Some areas of frequent skill development are computer skills, public speaking, project and program planning, building/construction, and counseling to name a few.

• Growing A Better Community and Quality of Life – A community can only be as healthy, vibrant and active as its members are willing to make it. Making it so involves time, energy, effort and commitment - from every single member.1

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Types of Volunteers

"Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain love for one another.” -- Erma Brombeck

Types of Volunteers

• Boards of Directors • Business and Corporate • Children and Youth • Family Volunteering • Older Volunteers • People with Disabilities • Professions in Service/Pro Bono Volunteering • Entrepreneurial and Self-directed Service • Students in Service3

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Business Skills Gained Through Volunteering

"Not everything that counts can be counted. And not everything that can be counted, counts." -- Albert Einstein

Skills & Benefits Gained from Volunteering

• Learn technical skills • Learn business world skills• Learn how to work as a team• Gain work experience• Try something new• Gain practical experience• Build networks• Gain inspiration and motivation• Build a solid work ethic• “Try before you buy”

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Core Skills Gained Through Volunteering

• Responsibility – being in a position of authority with accountability for results

• Communication - with all levels of management and different types of people

• Creativity – having to be resourceful and find ways around problems

• Commitment – to projects and their work in general.2

Opportunities

Paul Revere earned his living as a silversmith. But what do we remember him for? His volunteer work. All activism is volunteering in that it's done above and beyond earning a living and deals with what people really care passionately about. Remember, no one gets paid to rebel. All revolutions start with volunteers. -- Susan J. Ellis

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Opportunities

• Finding Them• Making Your Own• Be Creative • It never hurts to ask…

Opportunities – Discussion Notes

• Churches• Helping Friends and Family• Nursing homes• Hospitals• Schools• Clubs and Organizations (student and

professional)• Shelters / Humane Societies / Rescue• Political activism• FUN – Independent radio, the arts, museums

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Marketing Your Volunteer Experience

"The road to success is not crowded. Because while most are looking for ways to take, the truly successful people are finding ways to give. With a giving attitude, every situation is an opportunity for success.“ -- Unknown

Marketing Your Volunteer Experience

• Target your resume and cover letters to specific positions or employers whenever possible.

• List volunteer experience in your work history, especially when there is a gap in your employment.– Include points of intersection– Use the heading “Professional Experience”

instead of “Employment History”– Ask your volunteer manager for a volunteer job

description.

• Always maintain two solid references from volunteering.

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Resources

Do all you can with what you have, in the time you have, in the place you are. -- Nkosi Johnson, a Zulu boy, born into dire poverty while also being infected with AIDS, who died at the age of 12

Call to Action

• On-Line Resources– American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/Involved/Volunteer/index

– Goodwill: http://www.goodwill.org/get-involved/volunteer/

– Non-profit Center of Milwaukee – Jobs that Serve: http://epic.cuir.uwm.edu/entech/jobs/

– The Volunteer Center of Greater Milwaukee: http://www.volunteermilwaukee.org/welcome.php

– AmericanTowns.com: http://www.americantowns.com/wi/milwaukee-make-a-difference

– National & Community Service, Learn and Serve America: http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/programs/learnandserve.asp

– VolunteerMatch.org: http://www.volunteermatch.org

– Charity-charities.org: http://www.charity-charities.org

• Books• Who do you know?

– Social Networking: Linked In, facebook, My Space, Yammer, etc.– Neighbors– Friends– Colleagues– Mentor

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©2009 American Cancer Society, Inc. No.0052.19

Foot Notes:1. http://www.wcwc.org/volunteer.htm2. http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/fileadmin/docdb/pdf/2006/Valuing_volunteering_Jan_06.pdf3. http://www.energizeinc.com/art.html#types

Thank you.