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FROM: MAR-APR 2008 ISSUE | BY MINDY ABRAMOWITZ
Social action, community involvement, and personal growth are just three facets of volunteerism. An important, and sometimes overlooked, component of volunteering is professional development.
The 2004 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating tells us that 45 per cent of Canadians aged 15 or older volunteer. And while an overwhelming number of people cite a desire to contribute to their communities, at least half are also motivated by a desire for professional development.
Network
Volunteering can bring you into contact with community leaders, mentors, and friends. It offers opportunities to meet new people in a range of situations – people you might not encounter elsewhere. In many charitable organizations, the hierarchy among volunteers is simple or non-existent, which means that people are accessible and open to forging new relationships.
Increase Your Visibility
Meeting people and making connections is an essential element of professional development, and volunteering is a great way of getting out there and establishing your reputation in the community. Also, the organization with which you choose to volunteer says a lot about you and says it to people who might be able to help you achieve your professional goals.
Maintain and Develop Skills
The work you do as a volunteer might represent a complete departure from what you do on a day-to-day basis at work, or it might compel you to assume a more challenging role. Either way, you can work on skill sets prized by employers.
Participation on committees or in other working groups offers a perfect venue for the cultivation of leadership skills such as teamwork, goal-setting, supervision, and strategic thinking. A hands-on role will let you improve technical skills with the additional benefit of exposing you to different responsibilities that could help you identify your strengths and affinities to inform your career plans.
Enhance Your Résumé
Those leadership and technical skills you sharpened as a volunteer are something to announce to prospective employers. Practical experience counts whether you get paid for it or not. The inclusion of volunteer positions on your résumé provides valuable information about what you have to offer in a professional capacity.
Describe volunteer experience and achievements in the same language you use for your employment history. Add a section for “volunteer work” or “community service,” or integrate your volunteer experience into your “work experience” section. Regardless of whether or not you were paid to manage a budget, supervise a team, or raise money for a project, you are entitled to take credit for your work.
Work-Life Balance
Volunteering offers a break from the routines and pressures that make life feel off-kilter and presents a chance to find meaning in the activities that fill our days. The task of preparing a seemingly endless pile of tax returns can be exhausting, but delivering the same service under different circumstances – at a volunteer-run workshop for seniors, for example – can stir a sense of renewal and well-being, which in turn can reduce stress and increase self-confidence. Increasingly, employers are recognizing the many physical and mental health benefits of volunteerism and are implementing programs to support and reward the contributions of staff members who volunteer by allowing flexible work schedules and the use of company facilities or equipment. In some cases, employers compensate employees for time spent volunteering.
Do Some Good
Let’s not forget that on top of all the measurable and concrete benefits you will reap as a volunteer, you will be doing something for the greater good. Your contributions make a difference in your community and in the world.
Think about how you want to be involved, what skills you want to use or learn, what types of people you would like to meet, how much time you can afford to commit, and what you hope to accomplish through your volunteer experience.
Then let your answers guide you to a suitable organization. Health, recreation, education, youth, seniors, the arts, and the environment are just a few of the sectors where your involvement would be welcome.
Approach an organization with which you are already familiar or browse one of the directories of volunteer positions available on Volunteer Canada’s website or at your local volunteer centre.
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