This document discusses the value and benefits of volunteering for gaining business experience. It provides reasons to volunteer such as developing priceless skills. There are many types of volunteer opportunities including board positions, corporate volunteering, and volunteering with non-profits. Volunteering allows one to gain valuable business skills like communication, responsibility, creativity and commitment. The document provides examples of volunteer opportunities and resources for finding them, as well as tips for marketing volunteer experience on resumes and in interviews.

1. 10/14/2010
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
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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
• List Here
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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…
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
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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.
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
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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
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
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