How Volunteering Can Help Your Career

Many individuals consider volunteering because they want to give something back to their communities. They sometimes hold back and resist taking the plunge because they worry they won’t have the time and energy to commit to volunteering and working in a paid position as well. When it comes to filling the post of volunteer treasurer, many of the duties that need to be performed can seem so overwhelming that it makes folks reluctant to take on the role.

If you have a good bookkeeping software to help back you and your processes up, so that its quick and easy to keep your accounts updated, serving as a volunteer treasurer offers several benefits that far outweigh any concerns that might be holding you back from volunteering.

This is especially true if you want to move up in the current organisation where you work, or enter a new field completely as volunteering at a nonprofit offers the following benefits for your career prospects.

Improve Your Job Performance by Improving Your Health

Many nonprofit volunteers report that the work that they do to help others improves their self-esteem, personal satisfaction and confidence. They also report feeling calmer, less stressed and more at ease. This boost to your mental health makes you more resistant to the effects of stress and can boost overall immunity.

When our minds and bodies are healthy, and our immunity and mood are high, it’s easier for us to resist common colds and other bugs as they make the rounds in the workplace. This provides an indirect benefit to our careers since being healthy and resistant to stress reduces absenteeism and makes it easier to achieve peak performance so that we get noticed and promoted at work!

Increase Your Flexibility

Volunteering can be a great way to practice your existing skills, as well as pick up new ones if the volunteer work that you perform involves tasks and duties outside of your previous background. This makes volunteering the ideal way to keep your existing skills current as well as pick up new ones.

Prospective employers that see your volunteer work on your resume, and become aware of all of the tasks and duties that you fulfilled in your role are more likely to see you as the flexible and motivated employee that they need. It can also increase your chances of promotion and other forms of advancement.

Meet New People

As a volunteer, it’s likely that you will have the opportunity to meet and talk with people you would never have otherwise. Not only will you work with other volunteers, but you’ll also probably meet some of the beneficiaries of your nonprofit’s services. You may also come into close contact with donors, staff, board members, other volunteers and advocates.

Each time that you meet and interact with someone new, you are being given an opportunity to connect with people from diverse backgrounds who share your interests and values. When it comes time to find a new position, your new connections may well be the ones that help you locate your next paying position!

Spur Your Creativity, Cooperation and Critical Thinking Abilities

Most volunteers wear many hats in their organisations. Working with different groups of people, completing tasks and searching for solutions on the fly are all activities that you will likely perform as a volunteer. Activities like these boost your creativity, as well as improve your ability to cooperate and collaborate on shared projects and improve your ability to analyse information and reach logical, well thought out conclusions.

So, what’s so great about improving your ability to create, get along with others and make good decisions? These characteristics just happen to be some of the top traits shared by the world’s most successful leaders. Serving as treasurer or other volunteer gives you a chance to polish your leadership and gives you a head start on how to lead yourself and your team to greater levels of success!

What is Corporate Volunteering?

Corporate volunteering is similar to general volunteering, yet happens within the confines of a standard work environment. Employers – from small businesses up to Fortune 500 companies – are taking advantage of this popular volunteering scheme.

Why do companies allow their employees to volunteer during working hours?

These employee-employer agreements (also known as Employee Volunteering Programs or EVPs) are an organisation’s way to improve their social responsibility activities. Employees believe it enhances their image and reputation while at the same time improves employee retention, develops staff skills and increases employee productivity.

How can you set up corporate volunteering within your organisation?

Setting up corporate volunteering systems are a great way to further the employee-employer bond. However, where do you start?

Talk to your staff

Communication between employers and employees is important at all stages, particularly when it applies directly to them. Your company will need the backing of its staff to make the EVP work. Is it appealing? Do they even want to do it in the first place? If your team is part of the development process, then they are more likely to want to get involved from the ground up.

Make it flexible

If the system is not flexible, then they may not want to get behind it. What kind of charities are involved? Can they choose their specific charity? How much time do staff have available for volunteering? How far do they have to travel? The staff need to have their preferences taken into account to make it work.

Make sure any perspective charities make a good corporate match

Your organisation may have ties to current charities, or your staff members may have alternative charitable interests. Do any necessary research, meet with the charities and ensure that both sides benefit from the agreement. Is there some clash? Are their ideal aligned with yours?

Nurture the relationship and follow up opportunities

It is essential that once a charity or a number of charities are decided upon, those contacts are maintained during each stage of the process. Visit them and ensure open communication at all times. Make sure that the volunteers and the charity are a favourable match.

Market the volunteering scheme

Market the entire process both online and in-house and showcase success stories on the corporate website and in yearly reports. Make processes clear and advise all new staff about the volunteering program. Promote volunteering opportunities via meetings, emails and fliers and arrange talks about the benefit of corporate volunteering. Set up award schemes and show everyone how they are indeed making a difference. Thank each and every volunteer personally for offering their time.

Look into corporate volunteering for your organisation and see firsthand the benefit that this type of program can offer your company. It’s a win for all involved – your organisation, your team members and their charity of choice.

Celebrating 2015

Well, what a year it has been. It has been choc-o-block full of successes, triumphs and steep learning curves. And dare I say it, we know our charities and ourselves a little bit better than we did at the start.

Were you successful in securing funding for your NFP this year? It is a hard subject to tackle, but when working together with your local community, it can be very rewarding, not to mention beneficial in the long term. Or perhaps you had more luck with one of the available grants valid in your service area?

Many of our treasurers saw an increase in sponsorship which is a great move forward for NFPs and their awareness in the community.

Some of our working volunteer treasurers even had the chance to do some volunteer work outside of their usual treasury role. There are plenty of opportunities for volunteering, particularly around the December period when charities and NFPs are looking for additional hands to help with their Christmas-related projects.

Did you get a chance to look into the Fundraising Management Diploma at all? MTo recap, The Diploma in Fundraising Management is available to both home and international students as a distance learning course and enables participants to develop the knowledge and skills they need to advance in the area of professional fundraising – either working for an NFP or starting their own charity. Perhaps 2016 will finally be the year to take the plunge?

Whatever you will be doing, we hope that next year is, even more, eventful and successful than the last. So from Volunteer Treasurer to you, merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Why Become A Volunteer Treasurer

Traditionally, people who have little or no experience with volunteering consider it an activity in which you give something directly to the community. You can spend time with the elderly, help prepare food for the homeless, take part in the cleaning of a certain public location or work with animals that are in need of a new home. However, not many people realise that volunteering can also include what they are good at – including design and programming, writing, marketing, or accounting and financial processes. In this post, we will discuss why it is a good idea to become a volunteer treasurer and use your skills to help the organisation of your choice.

Feeling Good

Feeling good is arguably the most important reason why people become volunteer treasurers or take any other volunteer role. Knowing that you help someone, even if it is indirectly – through managing a NFP organisation’s finances, will bring you a feeling of satisfaction and true happiness.

Learning Useful Career Skills

If you are planning to work in the field of finance and accounting full time, being a volunteer treasurer can be a great start for your career. You will work in a real financial environment where you can gain useful insight and practical experience and hone your skills, especially if you are new to the field or if you haven’t worked in it for years. There is no better preparation for the financial world than diving in the books of a real organisation and starting to sort out any problems or situations that may occur, while trying to improve its financial processes, triggers and practices.

Making a Difference

Volunteering is all about making a difference, isn’t it? However, in your case you will be making the difference backstage – making sure that all the donations and collections, the available funds and resources and all other money are safe, appropriately allocated, wisely spent and, hopefully, multiplied. The difference you make will be on a different level – you will not be out on site motivating people to donate. Instead, you will make sure the efforts of other volunteers will not go in vain and every cent donated will be spent for the best possible purpose.

Supporting your Cause

Many consider the role of a treasurer or a board member less important and exciting one than the job of the activists of the organisation. However, it is important to remember that every charity needs its treasurer. We could go as far as saying that the treasurer is the backbone of every NFP organisation – without them, the finances would be a mess and the board may not have the financial insight to take future money decisions, including preparing the budget, creating new financial milestones and goals and cutting or expanding on different spending areas.

As you can see, being a volunteer treasurer can be much more useful for the organisation than people tend to think. Moreover, volunteering your time in such a way has a number of benefits for you as well – improving and expanding your skills, adding some valuable records to your CV, making new connections and finding like-minded people. In other words, being a volunteer treasurer is worth it and has a number of advantages for you, the organisation and the community. After knowing all this, you would consider giving it a go, wouldn’t you? 

Volunteering in an Emergency

Have you ever noticed how the worst and most miserable situations motivate people to instantly lend a helping hand? In cases of floods and fires, earthquakes and hurricanes, even in an emergency like this one, people forget about their differences, limited time and their own everyday problems and join together to form an astounding force driven by good and changing fates.

The recent Sampson Flat bushfire near Adelaide brought similar thoughts to Bev Langley, volunteer and operator of the Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre. Seeing the hundreds of volunteers arriving to the area of the disaster from every corner of Australia, Bev commented, 'I think it has brought the best out in a lot of people.'

And here is an interesting question for every NFP organisation to think about – how can you use this particular knowledge to your advantage? Well, it is obvious that emergencies and urgent situations motivate people to volunteer. Of course, we don’t encourage you to set a school on fire and ask for help to save the children, but emergency may have many faces and forms. If you manage to convince people that your organisation needs urgent help in terms of volunteer force and donations, you will solve your problems for a long time to come.

One way to do this is, obviously, to have a very creative marketing campaign. Do not lie and do not distort the truth – just tell the facts in a really expressive, convincing and touching way. Remember why you started helping people, why you decided to help these particular people – and then tell the others why they should help. Do not show people that you will be fine without their help – instead 'We will be grateful for your help', say 'We need your help!' and instead 'As a volunteer you can make a difference' – 'You WILL make a difference!'. Using strong language will urge people to help and will make them think that you need them as soon as possible – and this is exactly the effect you want to achieve.

The most important thing you need to remember is that people need a reason to volunteer. You will get far weaker response if you tell them that you are recruiting just in case, or because it is good to volunteer in the first place. On the other hand, if you have an action that needs more people to organise, if the current levels of volunteering are really low and that may bring the end of your NFP, or if there is any other situation which requires urgent actions, you can be sure that people will respond.

To cut a long story short, you may need an emergency to recruit new volunteers and attract donors. The good news is that everything can be presented as an emergency. Actually, if you think about it, your organisation helps people, animals or the nature, and the fact that someone or something needs help is urgent enough to make people want to participate. You will just need to present it in the right way. Good luck!

The Volunteer Quiz

All the specialists analysing the volunteering sector agree on one thing – the main problem why volunteers give up is that they don’t feel engaged in what they do. In other words, different people are apt to doing different volunteering and if you want to keep them with you for longer, you need to find out what may be the best tasks to give them. From outdoor events organisation to office and administration work, you can now easily determine where your volunteers will fit in with the help of the different quizzes suggested in this post.

Quibblo's Volunteering Quiz

This is a great quiz for someone who wants to quickly find out what the perfect volunteer job for them will be. Only 10 very straightforward and clear questions and the volunteer-to-be will know what they will enjoy doing. From there, you just need to place them in the right team and expect amazing results.

United Way's Quiz

This is another great quiz that will help you find more about the volunteering nature of your prospective volunteers. It will tell you if their volunteer style is Active/Hands-on, Social Helper, Artistic/Creative or Technical/Administrative. In addition to this, you will get some ideas about what exactly they can help with – e.g. IT, Coaching, Photography, etc. This quiz is not interactive, so you will have to count how many A, B, C or D answers they have and check out the results table.

8 Quick Quizzes For Volunteers    

              

About 4 years ago, Wild Apricot published a post discussing 8 quizzes for volunteers that were divided into four categories: Learn Your Volunteer Profile, Eco-Volunteers, Career-Oriented Volunteers and Young Volunteers. Bearing in mind that the Internet is constantly changing, you will probably find that some of the quizzes are no longer there, but it is worth checking the post out and seeing what is still available.

Create Your Own Quiz

After you’ve checked out a few volunteer quizzes on the web, you will start seeing a pattern and determine how to estimate the results. Then, you will be able to create your own volunteer quiz and give it to your prospective volunteers showing interest in your organisation. The good thing about creating your own quiz is that you will be able to include questions that are relevant to your organisation and will better exhibit the preferences and abilities of your future volunteers.

Other Quizzes

If you want to see even more ready-made volunteer quizzes, the web is full of them! Just open your favourite search engine and type ‘volunteer quiz’ or ‘quiz for volunteers’ and you will be offered hundreds of quizzes to choose from.

All in all, knowing about all those great volunteer quizzes will hopefully help you with the hard tasks of retaining volunteers within your organisation. So next time you find a new person who wants to try volunteering, ask them to spend a couple of minutes on the quiz you think best matches your and their aims. The results will show you exactly how you can place the volunteer and how to keep them happy and satisfied with their work. Isn't that exactly what your organisation needs?

Volunteering – Getting More Than You Give

“Volunteerism – the policy or practice of volunteering one’s time or talents for charitable, educational, or other worthwhile activities, especially in one’s community” – that’s what volunteerism is all about according to the dictionary. What happens, however, when we take the ‘worthwhile’ out of ‘worthwhile activities’? The Ph.D. student in sociology and volunteer Ian Breckenridge-Jackson asked the same question in his presentation ‘Getting More Than We Give – Realities of Volunteerism’.

Back in 2006, Ian became one of the many tourist volunteers who went to New Orleans with the plan to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. However, it turned out that volunteering turned out quite different than what he expected. Instead of helping the victims settle back in their homes in the historical neighbourhood Lower Ninth Ward, Ian and the other volunteers had the task to demolish what’s left of their houses, leaving people to wait for the government to rebuild it and give them some financial help.

This experience changed Ian’s life. Expecting to go and give his time and efforts to the people, he ended up getting a free trip to New Orleans, an award, a valuable entry in his CV, recognition and the feeling that he did something good. This volunteering experience completely changed Ian’s life. The simple calculations he made helped him see that volunteer tourists, although driven by good will, are mostly a waste of time and money.

Ian found out that if the funds used to get volunteers to New Orleans was used to build new houses instead, it would have been enough to rebuild a neighbourhood twice the size of Lower Ninth Ward (for reference, so far only about 1/5 of the houses in the neighbourhood have been rebuilt). So Ian decided to contribute to the victims in a different way. Firstly, he partnered with another volunteer – Caroline Heldman – and together they co-founded the Lower Ninth Ward Museum where everyone can go for free and learn the story of the neighbourhood’s inhabitants. Secondly, he focussed his Ph.D. dissertation on the impact of volunteers who flocked to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

And while we are waiting for the results of Ian’s dissertation, we can’t help ask ourselves some of the questions bothering him. When is volunteerism turning into a pointless and even a detrimental activity? Before taking part in a volunteer project, you need to find out if your efforts will actually help someone. Volunteerism exists to help people in need, but it often takes an unfortunate turn which helps no-one. There is nothing bad in getting something back from volunteer work – experience, new friends, new connections, knowledge etc., however, for it to be worthwhile, you need to give more than you get.

Ian is not the first one to doubt the usefulness of volunteer tourists. Many specialists are of the opinion that a worthy cause could do better to invest the money for volunteer tourists in local specialists and companies (depending on the situation), who will be able to do much more for the people in need than those coming from all over the world. Some people even think that volunteer tourism is becoming a whimsy, a sort of amusement for some people.

We know it is the volunteers, not the tourists, devoting their time and efforts with good intentions. However, before you choose a cause to volunteer for, ask yourself what you will be doing, why you will be doing it and who you are really helping. If the answers to these three questions are satisfactory – go for it! If not, maybe you should consider another cause or project.

Good luck! 

Why Do People Volunteer?

Although volunteering is a term dating back to the middle of the 18^th century, it is a thriving practice in the modern world. People all around the world volunteer for certain causes and events and a lot of charities and activities are constantly recruiting volunteers.

Have you ever wondered why people volunteer?

Certainly volunteering has a lot of advantages. For example, volunteers notice an increase in their self-esteem, feeling that they are doing something good and making a difference. Moreover, a lot of people volunteer to do things they like, which means that they are having some fun while doing it. It also brings them into the company of new friends and acquaintances who are connected by the commitment to the same good cause.

Of course, there are other reasons that make people volunteer. For example, volunteering is now widely recognised as a strong point on one’s resume, university or job application. Moreover, by participating in certain activities, volunteers develop various professional and personal skills that may come handy in their later life and career. Working in teams may also have benefits for the volunteers, improving their social skills and leadership qualities.

We should not forget that lots of the events recruiting volunteers aim to make the world a better place to live. This is surely a strong motivation for a lot of volunteers, who are up for bringing about social change and improving the world. Working for a charity or an organisation with a good cause certainly looks like a good way to spend your free time instead of wasting it.

Of course, there may also be other reasons why people volunteer; the reasons are different for everyone. When asked about why they participate, volunteers share various reasons; for example, because they were asked, because they wanted to impress someone, to relax or take their mind off of something or because they wanted to help people.

Volunteers are amazing people who make a significant difference to the world. Let’s make sure we appreciate them.

End of Financial Year - Changing Roles

 

The end of the Financial Year is enough to drive most volunteer treasurers crazy but sometimes it is the time a treasurer chooses to resign from the role.  He or she can resign knowing they’ve completed their year’s end work satisfactorily.

 

While the focus for most committees is getting the financial reports completed on time and dealing with audits, others may also need to look for a replacement treasurer.

Throughout this blog we have shared information which will come in useful at this time.  Here are the posts we think are most important.

First of all, consider your public speaking skills.  Not only will you need them when you present your reports, you’ll need them to help recruit your replacement.  How good are your public speaking skills?

Finding volunteers isn’t easy although most small committees tend to recruit on the spot.  Unfortunately that often means someone is pressured into accepting the role.  You really need someone who is committed to the role so consider scouting for new recruits regularly.  You never know when you might need them and it’s a great way to introduce them to the organisation before they accept a role.  If you know you will be leaving, find your replacement before you go.

Handing over to the new treasurer should not be a complex job.  Arrange to meet with the new treasurer so you can provide an overview of the finances of the organisation as well as to discuss any other issues.

Now, if you happen to be taking over the role and you’ve never been a treasurer before, you will find a lot of useful information on our sister blog at Admin Bandit.  Starting from the very basics, the posts will help you settle into your role and comfortably take control.

Good luck with the end of Financial Year fun!

You Are Never Too Old To Volunteer

Walk into most op shops and you’ll be greeted by a woman in her ripened years. She’ll readily help you find what you need, rifling through boxes of clothes or sorting through kitchen utensils in her bid to assist.

 

It is a common perception that this job is restricted to ‘old ladies’ or, quite the opposite, that this is the only role these women can fulfil.

 

With 6.4 million people volunteering across Australia, it’s the Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) who do the most.

 

With more life and work experience than the younger generations, older people bring a range of skills that make them perfect to cover all manner of volunteer roles that are otherwise hard to fill.

 

Although hands on roles, such as volunteering at a local nursing home, community garden or Scout group feels more important, becoming a member on a community board is just as important. These board roles require different skill sets, from treasurer to fundraising and events coordinator, looking to make things happen or change the local community for the better.

Regardless of your skills you’ve developed over your lifetime, and whether you prefer hands on manual work, working with people, or managing the finances or ensuring the behind the scenes runs smoothly, your volunteering brings attributes organisations can’t access from the younger generations.

You have the power to change the world you’re living in for the better, and to leave a better community for younger generations.

Volunteering Is Good For You – International Volunteer Day

Wednesday 5^th December is International Volunteer Day.  The idea is to celebrate and acknowledge the work of your volunteers because most not for profit organisations would not survive without their support.

With our busy schedules and lifestyles the thought of volunteering for a not for profit, charity or community based organisation may not appear to be such a great idea.  It can be tough to encourage people to take on a voluntary role, so in addition to showing that you appreciate your volunteers, why not show others that volunteering has a very positive side to it?

With that in mind I thought it was worth revisiting a Facebook post in October that discussed how volunteering can be good for you.  In the article titled "Confirmed – Volunteering Is Good for You" on the Pro Bono Australia website, it discussed how a US study has confirmed that volunteering"... not only helps others but helps volunteers to lead to a happier and healthier life". 

The article also stated a number of points that related to giving and health benefits that included:

 

·        Giving and even just thinking about giving in a spirit of generosity are linked to health and well-being.

·         People who think too much about themselves and their own desires – or their own troubles – are not very happy.

·         Helping is also a form of self-help when the giver has experienced the same problems as those receiving.

·         Volunteerism has positive impacts on happiness, mood, self-esteem, physical and mental health.

·         Giving can be a lifelong benefit for those who start young.

·         Altruism is associated with a substantial reduction in mortality rates and is linked to longevity.

 

In addition to the above benefits, volunteering allows you to meet new people who you may not otherwise have come into contact with as well as develop new skills that you may not have the opportunity to utilise in your day job.  For example, as a volunteer treasurer you may be the Chair of the Finance Sub Committee, develop financial planning strategies as well as develop a risk management framework and oversee the annual audit and financial reports.  Furthermore, if you are trying to gain experience in a particular organisation that is hard to get into then volunteering can help you decide if that is an organisation you would like to work for.   

As can be seen, volunteering is good for you so try and consider helping out an organisation as your personal gain will be significant as well as the benefits to your health.

Westpac Community Treasurers' Award

Being the volunteer treasurer of any organisation requires commitment and dedication.  The role of the treasurer can be very time consuming as often the financial expertise of the organisation comes only from the treasurer. 

The role of the volunteer treasurer can take up a lot of time and usually requires more commitment than just attendance at the regular board meetings.  At the same time the volunteer treasurer knows this and does not seek recognition; they are often more than happy to make the commitment and take pride in the achievements of the organisation. 

Westpac also understands this and has established the 2012 Westpac Community Treasurers' Award to recognise and acknowledge the valuable contribution made by volunteer treasurers to the community.

Awards will be given for treasurers in the three following categories:

·         Small organisations:   For organisations with an annual income of less than $100,000 per annum.

·         Medium organisations:   For organisations with an annual income of between $100,000 and $1 million per annum.

·         Large organisations:   For organisations with an annual income of more than $1 million per annum. 

The winner in each category will win $5,000 for their organisation and a trophy to recognise their achievements, plus $5000 worth of tools and training from Our Community.

Nominations are due by 26 October 2012 and can be made online by following the link to the Our Community website.

Take the time to prepare and send in a nomination for your volunteer treasurer as they are worth it.

Australian Government Support For Volunteers

Ralph Waldo Emerson said “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

The Office for the Not for Profit sector advises the value of volunteering in the Not-for-Profit sector is “estimated at $14.6 billion in unpaid work to our economy,” and with many community, government and not for profit organisations relying on the 713 million hours of unpaid work each year undertaken by volunteers to operate.

Australian census data also tells us that since 1995 the adult population who reported to have 'volunteered' in the previous 12 months increased from 24% to 35% in 2006. This is exceptional news for people and communities across the country, who are connected and empowered by volunteering, and add to a sense of community, identity and personal confidence.

It is therefore in the best interests of the Australian Government to support and encourage volunteering in the community, and they do so in a variety of ways.

A great starting point is Volunteering Australia, a one stop shop regardless of what side of the volunteering fence you are on. This site lists all relevant state, territory and local volunteer organisations, as well as free resources, news, events, policy information and training resources.

Current information on Volunteer Grants is available as well as programs to encourage International Volunteer programs, with ‘Voluntourism’ becoming more and more popular for Australians of all ages.

Corporate volunteering is of particular benefit to the Not for Profit sector and creates new opportunities for organisations to access volunteers with professional expertise that they might otherwise be unable to access due to financial and recruitment constraints. Click here to learn more about the benefits of corporate volunteering to not-for-profits organisations.

Without volunteers, meals would not be cooked and delivered to the elderly and infirm, storm and natural disaster recovery would be near impossible, community and sporting events would be without first aid services and children in classrooms all over the country would have less literacy, numeracy and general education support.