Due to the recession, disaster donation requests (the East Coast flood last year and Sandy Hook come to mind), and reduced portfolio lending ability, area nonprofits are more reliant than ever on volunteer help. They’ve trimmed budgets and staff, and sadly, many have also cut back wherever possible programmatically at a time when their services are most in demand. So in this perfect storm, with less-than-perfect cash reserves, how can you – as one person or part of a company culture – jump in?
Volunteer for an affinity group
This is how most people, including me, choose board involvements. For example, I am passionate about the Salvation Army. During my childhood, the Salvation Army in my hometown kept my brother and me out of the formal foster care program by making an emergency placement with a church family for six months. I could never repay that favor, but I’ve been on the advisory board for the Dane County Corps for a number of years, and likely will volunteer for that agency for a number more.
Likewise, I have a grandson on the autism spectrum, so I joined the board of directors for the Autism Board of South Central Wisconsin. And giving motivated women a tug upward is important to me, so I am on the advisory board for the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. (WWBIC), a microlending and business education platform. By acting on my interests and passions, I also am more committed to the committee work that most board positions bring.
Volunteer one skill to many groups
Instead of picking charities based on affinity, choose them based on what skills you can contribute over a set period of time, such as a year. If you knit, for example, you can find many charities that need hats, scarves, baby blankets, etc., and this is a great way to volunteer from home, on your own schedule. Like spreadsheets or tracking volunteers? Are you good at strategic planning or gardening? Enjoy woodworking or handyman projects? Check in with organizations like RSVP or United Way – they know who needs what and can match you by skill. Also, larger organizations like the Salvation Army, Red Cross, YWCA, Agape Hospice, etc., have many, many ways you could be involved.
Act on behalf of your company
This is another common approach: You volunteer to assist a group because you want to positively influence the members to expand your own network or move your company’s goals along. This is how people get involved on business boards of directors (not all volunteer work is done for nonprofits) or educational boards. Another example is participation in a capital fund: You can meet many influential people by joining a fundraising effort. In these scenarios, the company should allow time during the workday to support your membership and committee work, etc. (Continued)
Volunteer to further your lifelong learning or experiential goals
Think Chazen Museum of Art or Overture Center docent, for example, where you can get backstage access to the latest traveling exhibits or shows. Volunteering for community theater or special projects at the university can enrich your life. Want to learn more about gardening? Offer to help out at Troy Gardens! Want more international experience? Provide residential assistance for a foreign student through the Rotary Club, etc. Can you move toward your own life-enrichment goals through volunteering?
Employers: Why you want to support paid-time community involvements
Most business owners I know do support nonprofits to an unbelievable level, both with donations of dollars, company resources (in-kind gifts), and employee commitments. If you are an employer or manager who is not yet involved, try to incorporate volunteering into your strategic plan, and support it at all levels of the business if possible. Employees want to make a difference – they want to add value to the world, and retention improves when the workplace acts as a conduit for that.
Also, there is great branding value for your business and inherent goodwill when your employees are part of other organizations; employees talk up companies that support philanthropy and become true ambassadors for the company outside the business. More than 40% of the “Best Companies to Work For” offer company-wide volunteer involvements, and more are moving in that direction.
To learn what community involvements IB supports, check out our Pinterest board “IB Staff in the Community.”
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