My Volunteering Globally
Volunteering Globally
Not
alone in viewing volunteerism as a career asset. Many of my colleagues and
fellow current and past board members of "The mission of the Technovation Challenge" share
my sentiments. I’ve summarized our collective thoughts on the unexpected perks
of volunteering with the hope of inspiring more professionals to lend a hand
and do well (for themselves) by doing good (for others):
1
Explore new careers.
Interested in becoming an event planner? Think you might be a great CFO? Want
to change from finance to marketing? 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.
2
Elevate your current skill set and showcase
your talent. Volunteering enabled me to apply my “technical”
(aka finance and marketing) and transferrable (communications, project
management, people management) skills in new ways. For one organization, I
leveraged my finance skills to create a new financial model. For another, I
applied my marketing skills to refine how they were using social media.
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, co-chairing an event, speaking on a panel and
contributing to the organization’s blog are all great ways to build name
recognition and establish your presence. The connections I’ve made through
volunteer service have proved invaluable professionally, from gaining fresh
insights to identifying fabulous job candidates to uncovering new business
opportunities.
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 to both the
board member who’s an accomplished CEO and to the executive director who has
little finance background, and so forth. Those are valuable skills in a company
like Citi with such diverse businesses.
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.
A few other points to consider.
First, don’t ever say “yes” simply to enhance your resume or because someone
you respect asked you to get involved. I only got involved with organizations
whose missions aligned with my passions and values. Second, before signing on,
I always did my homework to make sure the organization was credible and to
understand the various ways they engaged with volunteers. And, last but not
least, if you decide to serve on a board, remember that board members have
important legal and fiduciary responsibilities that require a commitment of
time, skill and resources. In other words, it’s not something to entertain
lightly.
Mentor
Technovation Challenge
The mission of the Technovation Challenge is to promote women
in tech- nology by giving girls the skills and confidence they need to be
successful in computer science and entrepreneurship. We aim to inspire girls to
see themselves not just as users of technology, but as inventors, designers,
builders and entrepreneurs.
-The people I have met through Technovation have helped me
more than they know. They were living proof that it was possible for women to
have successful careers in science and technology. They reinforced the message
Technovation is trying to send; if you work hard you can do anything. Now I
know I can do anything too.
–Teija Ahlfors, 2011 Technovation mentor
Chair
member
United Finnish Kaleva Brothers & Sisters Berkeley,
CA
Finnish
Radio Broadcasting
KUSF 90.3, San Francisco, CA
Boy
Scouts of America; Troop 251 San Jose, CA Society
of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) San Jose, CA Three
years leading an Art program for mentally challenged
adults
Art program for mentally challenged adults, Helsinki,
Finland
Project
Open Hand, San Francisco, CA Suurella
Sydämmella
Lauttasaaren Kirkkokahvila, Tähdellinen tiimi
Opettajat Ilman Rajoja, Helsinki, Finland
** Kirjoittaja opiskelee
parhaillaan vapaaehtoistoiminnan johtamista
Humanistisen
ammattikorkeakoulun avoimessa ammattikorkeakoulussa.
posted by Teija Ahlfors at 12:33 PM
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