Volunteering

10/19/2010 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 1

10/19/2010 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 2

10/19/2010 Reasons to Volunteer 1. To learn something about yourself 2. To have fun 3. Because you’re passionate about a cause 4. To explore career possibilities 5. Be productive - It’s time to get off the couch 6. Learn some new skills…and add them to your resume 7. Make someone else’s day 8. Feel good about yourself 9. Required by your college/university or employer 10. 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 3

10/19/2010 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 4

10/19/2010 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” 5

10/19/2010 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 6

10/19/2010 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 7

10/19/2010 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. 8

10/19/2010 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 9

10/19/2010 Thank you. Foot Notes: 1. http://www.wcwc.org/volunteer.htm 2. http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/fileadmin/docdb/pdf/2006/Valuing_volunteering_Jan_06.pdf 3. http://www.energizeinc.com/art.html#types ©2009 American Cancer Society, Inc. No.0052.19 10

Volunteering

by cwg866 on Nov 19, 2010

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Volunteering — Document Transcript