Career perks I discovered from a lifetime of volunteerism

1. 5 Ways to Turn Volunteerism
into a Career Asset
Linda Descano, CFA
September 2015
LindaDescano.com #PropelWithPurpose

2. During my appearance on Fearless Fabulous You, host
Melanie Young complimented me on my exhaustive resume of
volunteer service, which now spans three decades and service
on a dozen or so nonprofit advisory councils and boards.
To her, I seemed selfless in my commitment to service. To me,
“enlightened self-interest” is a more appropriate descriptor,
because every time I said “yes,” it was because the experience
would yield a double-bottom line benefit: It would benefit others
and deliver a benefit to me, in terms of new experiences, skills
and connections, which served me well at every twist and turn of
my very curvy career.
What follows are 5 unexpected career perks of volunteering with
the hope of inspiring more professionals to lend a hand and do
well (for themselves) by doing good (for others):

3. #1 Explore new careers.
Interested in becoming an event planner? Think you might be a great
CFO? Or CMO? Volunteering can provide a “safe harbor” for trying your
hand in new areas to gauge whether it’s something you really do want to
pursue – and expose you to other professionals in that field that have
the connections to help make your transition a reality.

4. #2
Elevate and showcase
your skills and talents.
Volunteering enables you to
apply your “technical” (e.g.,
finance, marketing, etc.) and
transferrable (e.g.,
communications, project
management, people
management, etc.) skills in new
ways.

5. #3
Expand your network and raise your visibility.
Volunteering is a great way to meet people from outside your company and
field, which adds important depth and breadth to your professional network.
(Remember the old adage: don’t put all your eggs in one basket.) Serving as a
committee chair or board member, speaking at or co-chairing an event, and/or
contributing to the organization’s blog are great ways to build name recognition
and establish yourself as a subject matter expert.

6. #4
Enhance your ability to influence.
The staff and boards of nonprofit organizations tend to be from diverse
backgrounds, so being able to communicate and influence effectively to such a
diverse audience can be a challenge. For me, it was a tremendous opportunity
to focus on how to craft a message that is meaningful and relevant the board
member who’s an accomplished CEO to the executive director who has little
finance background, and so forth.

7. #5
Experience
leadership.
Rising through the leadership
ranks in today’s increasingly flat
organizational structures can be a
challenge. Fortunately, many
nonprofit organizations are hungry
for energetic volunteers who are
willing to step up and take a
leadership role on a committee or
board. Take advantage of those
opportunities to build and flex your
leadership muscle.

8. Follow
me:
LinkedIn
h3ps://
www.linkedin.com/in/
lindadescano
Twi3er
@lindadescano