How to use your skills to volunteer

Whether you are a competent cook, a brilliant book-keeper, a fun-loving fundraiser or a diligent director you have skills your community needs.

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley matches your skills and passions to a local organization that can benefit from your expertise!

The VCCV aims to encourage professionals and recently retired professionals to share their skills with community groups and clubs, local charities and organizations. In tough economic times, these small groups have limited funding and they rely on people like you to help them survive!

From professional skills in web design, marketing or accountancy to a personal passion for photography, gardening or music – everyone has a skill they can use to help others!

The title for professional volunteers is “Skills-based Volunteerism”. This service is provided by individuals or groups that capitalize on personal talents or core business skills, experience or education. More and more, agencies are struggling to meet their bottom line. In fact, a Deloitte/Points of Light IMPACT study indicates that:

• Nine out of 10 nonprofits realize that volunteer skills are extremely valuable
• Seventy-seven percent of nonprofit organizations believe they would benefit from corporate volunteers
• Sixty-two percent work with corporate volunteers and only 12 percent of agencies align roles with skill 

This gap means that many agencies are missing out on a precious resource — the talent of individual volunteers and leaders who can use their skills and products to increase the capacity and effectiveness of nonprofits. Skill-based volunteerism or SBV comes in all shapes and sizes and can include:

• Individual volunteers, corporate paid or non-paid volunteers, groups, loaned executive, or interns
• Projects completed in one day, short, medium or long-term project
• Activities performed during working hours or on individual time
• Planned in advance or spontaneous (such as disaster response) projects
• Application of all types of skills and talents from business professional experience to hobbies
• Content from nonprofit infrastructure efficiency effort to direct “in the field” projects

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley has 115 member agencies with over 180 volunteer opportunities. Skills Based Volunteers may be used on numerous options that can utilize a professional volunteer – board positions, accountants, web developers, receptionist/secretaries, educators, nurses, musicians, or gardeners. In addition there are dozens of opportunities for anyone wishing to volunteer.

To get involved call the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at 272-2087 or visit www.vccv.org.

Credit Points of Light Foundation.