Volunteering Your Professional Skills

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

Skilled/Pro Bono volunteering

Most volunteering requires some kind of skill. Even sorting donated clothing requires some reading and critical thinking skills. Bagging rice requires scooping and pouring skills.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Skilled or pro bono volunteering refers to companies and individuals volunteering their professional skills to assist nonprofit organizations in creating or improving their business practices.

Professionals engage the community with diverse and unique skills

While most volunteering requires skill, it's important to highlight opportunities for professionals to lend their specialized skills to the community through volunteering.

Also, "skills" are not only practicing law, medicine, business, technology, and construction. The spectrum of skills includes interpersonal skills like employing empathy and patience, public speaking, mediating conflicts; and creative skills like crafting and theater.

So while one volunteer might have significant accounting experience, another may be adept at taking large, complex problems and breaking them down into concrete, tangible steps.

Both volunteers have invaluable skills to contribute.

Examples of skilled volunteering

·       A hospice volunteer took the many thank-you cards received from grateful families of former patients and compiled them into a creative and heartfelt scrapbook. The scrapbook now resides in the hospice's waiting room where families of current patients — as well as staff and volunteers — can find comfort, and experience connection, with others who understand what they are going through.

·       A new volunteer for an organization that builds affordable housing came in wanting to help with construction and, in the course of his interview, the volunteer resource manager learned that he had experience garnered from a 25+ year career in urban planning. While the volunteer wasn't interested in volunteering around the planning aspects of affordable housing (now in his retirement, he was seeking new projects to try), he was up for providing advice from time to time. In the end, both parties were happy: the organization had access to his expertise on an ad hoc advisory basis, and he spent most of his volunteer time on doing hands-on construction on a worksheet.

Assessing your skills

As you prepare to look for your ideal volunteer opportunity, take a few minutes to assess your skills.

·       What are you good at?

·       What comes easy for you?

·       What aspects of your professional life might be assets to an organization or community effort?

·       What personal or interpersonal talents do you have?
To help you with this exercise, consider going through the following (although by no means complete!) list of potential skills and abilities: Accounting, Cosmetology, Cooking/Nutrition, Electrical, Engineering, Financial Planning, Graphic Design, Health/Medical, Journalism, Legal/Law, Library Science, Marketing/Public Relations, Masonry, Photography, Plumbing, Research, Sales/Retail, Social Media/ Networking, Software Development, Teaching, and/or Web Development.

Once you've got a good working list of your own skills and abilities, think about how you might want to contribute them.

·       Are there certain things you're good at but just not interested in doing as a volunteer? For example, you might spend your days developing and managing websites, but would rather do something entirely different as a volunteer.

·       Conversely, are there certain skills you'd love to develop and are seeking a volunteer position that will help you do just that?

For complete details on this opportunity, contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at (319) 272-2087, information@vccv.org, or visit www.vccv.org.

4 Ways to Volunteer Inside During the Winter Months

With winter here, you might be thinking about how to take your volunteering to a warmer, cozier location. As temperatures drop and frost or snow covers the ground, outdoor projects become less feasible, giving way to a new crop of volunteering options that you can do from the comfort of your own home.

1. Make hats and blankets to donate

Help others stay warm this winter by gathering some fleece, wool or yarn, and putting it to good use! Make a fleece blanket and donate it to help warm a child in need. Or, break out your knitting needles and make a hat or baby blanket.

2. Write and send greeting cards

Sending greeting cards is not just for the holidays! Write cards for Operation Gratitude to send in care packages to deployed troops, new recruits, and veterans. Brighten a hospitalized child's day with a personal note or card. Want to double your good deed? Check out Greet for Good, a database of organizations that sell greeting cards benefitting the organizations or causes you care about.

3. Throw a party to fundraise for your favorite cause

Fundraising parties aren’t just for politicians and actors. You can throw a party in your house to raise money for a cause you are passionate about. Get your friends and family to help – invite your neighbors and coworkers to attend as well.

4. Help out seniors in your neighborhood

Cold weather, ice and snow can present some challenges for the elderly. Help a neighbor winterize their home to protect against winter’s chill. You could also help someone do their grocery shopping, bring over a fresh, home-cooked meal, or offer to pitch in with household chores.

For complete details on various volunteer opportunities, contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at (319) 272-2087, information@vccv.org, or visit www.vccv.org.

Thanks to the Points of Light Foundation.

Random Acts of Kindness Day – February 17th

The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.
- Gandhi

We all struggle. We all have stress. Schedules are full. Yet, thankfully, despite hectic lives, we also all care.

As a matter of fact, we can’t help but care! It’s part of the human condition. You can’t have ‘humankind’ without ‘kind’, after all.

The problem is that, when we get wrapped up in our own problems, we forget to take care of others. Our brains go into self-preservation mode. Don’t get it wrong, taking care of yourself is important: you can’t take care of others without also taking care of yourself. We just need to remember to look beyond ourselves, and see the need in others as well as ourselves. It can sometimes be hard, but it’s immediately, obviously worthwhile... because it only takes one kind act to powerfully affect us. You know the sort of acts we’re talking about. It’s the person enthusiastically praising their co-worker’s hard work, or the waiter covering a bill for struggling parents, or the window cleaner dressing up as a superhero at the Children’s Hospital.

They’re the little moments that have a big impact – and stay with you. That connect you back to your humanity, remind you how much love and care there is in the world, and feel so good that they inspire you to spread kindness yourself.

We know how important kindness is because we’ve all felt its importance. But that’s not the only reason we know. Scientific studies have shown that random acts of kindness are good for you! They improve your life satisfaction by increasing your sense of belonging and self-worth, and they improve your health by decreasing your anxiety, depression and blood pressure. And here’s the best part: these benefits apply to the giver of kindness, the recipient of kindness, and anyone who witnesses the act! Every act improves the lives of at least three people.

So, why kindness? Medically? Because it’s good for your health. Economically? Because it’s free. Practically? Because it’s easy. Socially? Because it improves the world.

But the real reason, of course... is that kindness is the key to lasting happiness.

Random Acts of Kindness Day Ideas

Random Acts of Kindness Day is February 17^th. Below are some of the things and you can perform on Random Acts of Kindness Day:

• Pay it forward: buy coffee for the person behind you in line.
• Genuinely compliment the first three people you talk to today.
• Send a positive text message to five different people right now.
• Post inspirational sticky notes around your neighborhood, office, school, etc. 
• Donate old towels or blankets to an animal shelter.
• Say hi to the person next to you on the elevator.
• Surprise a neighbor with freshly baked cookies or treats!
• Let someone go in front of you in line who only has a few items.
• Leave a gas gift card at a gas pump.
• Throw a party to celebrate someone just for being who they are, which is awesome
• Have a LinkedIn account? Write a recommendation for coworker or connection.
• Leave quarters at the laundromat.
• Encounter someone in customer service who is especially kind? Take an extra five minutes to tell
• their manager.
• Leave unused coupons next to corresponding products in the grocery store.
• Try to make sure every person in a group conversation feels included.
• Write a kind message on your mirror with a dry erase marker for yourself, your significant other or a family member.
• Place a positive body image notes in jean pockets at a department store.
• Smile at five strangers.
• Set an alarm on your phone to go off at three different times during the day. In those moments, do something kind for someone else.
• Send a gratitude email to a coworker who deserves more recognition.
• Practice self-kindness and spend 30 minutes doing something you love today.
• Write a gratitude list in the morning and again in the evening.
• Know parents who could use a night out? Offer to babysit for free.
• Return shopping carts for people at the grocery store.
• Write a positive comment on your favorite blog, website, or a friend’s social media account.
• Have a clean-up party at a beach or park.
• While you’re out, compliment a parent on how well-behaved their child is.
• Leave a kind server the biggest tip you can afford.
• When you’re throwing something away on the street, pick up any litter around you and put that in the trash too.
• Pay the toll for the person behind you.
• Everyone is important. Learn the names of your office security guard, the person at the front desk and other people you see every day. Greet them by name. Also say “hello” to strangers and smile. These acts of kindness are so easy, and they almost always make people smile.
• Write your partner a list of things you love about them.
• Purchase extra dog or cat food and bring it to an animal shelter.
• Find opportunities to give compliments. It costs nothing, takes no time, and could make someone’s entire day. Don’t just think it. Say it.
• Take flowers or treats to the nurses’ station at your nearest hospital.
• Keep an extra umbrella at work, so you can lend it out when it rains.
• Run an errand for a family member who is busy.
• Leave a box of goodies in your mailbox for your mail carrier.
• Tape coins around a playground for kids to find.
• Put your phone away while in the company of others.
• Email or write to a former teacher who made a difference in your life.
• When you hear that discouraging voice in your head, tell yourself something positive — you deserve kindness too!

Contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley for more information about connecting with opportunities to volunteer in the community at (319) 272-2087, information@vccv.org, or visit www.vccv.org.

Volunteer Your Way to the Top: The Power of Pro Bono

Since your childhood years, you’ve known the importance of volunteering: you’ll help others, you can give back to your community, and you will make a positive contribution to the world.

All of these reasons are absolutely true, but let me add one more to the list: you can help your career—in a big way. Whether you’re searching for work, looking to take on new responsibilities at your current job, or trying to expand your network, volunteering can be an important (and fun!) way to reach your goals. Here’s how lending a hand to others can be helpful for you, too:

Learn About Yourself

Many individuals began volunteering at a young age and found that being surrounded by and working with a wide range of professionals helped them gain a sense of what they wanted for the future. Working in a variety of different settings can help expose you to new options and prepare you for those all-so-important career decisions you make in college or when you decide to change careers.

Gain Skills and Confidence

Want to learn how to develop a marketing plan, or get hands-on experience with graphic design? If you’re looking to grow in your current position or change careers, volunteering can provide an opportunity to learn new professional skills in a safe setting (that’s grateful for even non-expert help!). You can ask questions, test your knowledge, and expand your skill set —all while avoiding the critical eye of your boss.

Boost Your Resume

Getting a job right now is difficult for anyone—but particularly for recent grads with no real-world work experience or those who’ve been out of a job for a while. Volunteering is one way to fill that gap on your resume, boosting your chances of getting an interview (and eventually the job). Working with leaders of volunteer organizations can also help you score good references and letters of recommendation—other valuable tools in your job search.

Network

Moving to a new city right out of college can be overwhelming. A great way to make connections, is to immediately start volunteering. One can meet great people that way—some for many years, and they can become your best support systems. When you suffer a job loss, they may be the ones who recommended you to several open opportunities.

Sure, you’re giving to an organization by volunteering, but you never know when you might need it to give a little back. If you’ve built a positive relationship with the people you volunteer with, they won’t hesitate to help.

Stay Active

At some point, you may face a time when you’re not working—you’ve been laid off, quit a job, or moved to a new city, for example. Whatever the reason, when you have some free time, keeping active helps prevent you from getting bored or going stir-crazy. Plus, volunteering can fill the “I’m-not-working” void and give you an answer to the sometimes awkward question, “So, what do you do?”

For complete details on these types of opportunities, contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at (319) 272-2087, information@vccv.org, or visit www.vccv.org. Go out and volunteer! It definitely helps society, but don’t forget that it helps you and your career, too.

Thank you, Ashley Cobert, from “The Muse”.