Junior Achievement and Skills-based Volunteerism

Skills-based volunteerism is service by individuals or groups that capitalizes on personal talents or core business skills, experience or education.

Junior Achievement utilizes skills based professionals in a unique way. JA is a non-profit organization that partners with volunteers from the community to teach elementary students about their roles as individuals, workers and consumers, and to prepare middle/high school students for key economic and workforce issues they will face. JA has served 42,660 students in Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Delaware, Grundy, Iowa, Johnson, Jones and Linn counties.

Junior Achievement’s unique approach allows volunteers from the community to deliver curriculum while sharing personal and professional experiences with students. Embodying the heart of Junior Achievement, classroom volunteers transform the key concepts of the lessons into a message that inspires and empowers students to believe in themselves, showing them they can make a difference in the world. 

Volunteers take a message of opportunity and boundless potential to a classroom in the community. No matter what your profession, Junior Achievement is your opportunity to inspire the next generation. 

By investing as little as 30-45 minutes a week for five-seven weeks, volunteers can impact an entire class and open a world of hope and opportunity. Join other business professionals and volunteer in your community today! 

National Random Acts of Kindness Week Feb 10 – 16, 2014

The international non-profit organization, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK), announces their week-long, yearly celebration.

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK) announces their annual celebration of kindness across the globe February 10 – 16, embracing two incredible events and opportunities to share kindness during this week, The Winter Olympics and Valentine’s Day. The non-profit organization was founded upon the powerful belief in kindness and dedicated to providing resources and tools that encourage acts of kindness.

The immediate call for action during this week is solely for an individual to attempt a random act of kindness. That’s it! That’s the entire message. RAK has created unique and fun opportunities for every type of organization, group, team, family, or individual to become involved in one of the globe’s most generous weeks—where the goal is not a transfer of money, but rather, physical exchange of kindness.

Put them into practice or create your own:

1.     Send someone a hand written note of thanks.

2.     Make a card at home and send it to a friend for no reason.

3.     Smile a lot.

4.     Put some coins in someone else’s parking meter.

5.     Buy a coffee for the person behind you in line.

6.     Shovel you neighbor’s sidewalk.

7.     Walk your friend’s dog.

8.     Give a compliment about your waiter / waitress to his / her manager.

9.     Send someone a small gift anonymously.

10. Stop and help someone replace their flat tire.

11. Let someone jump the queue at the bank.

12. Pay for the drinks on the next table at a café.

13. Treat a friend to the movies for no reason.

14. Give a huge tip to someone when they least expect it.

15. Hold the elevator door open for someone rushing to get in.

16. Give up your seat for someone, not just an elderly person.

17. Write notes of appreciation at least once a week.

18. Talk to a homeless person.

19. Pick up some trash which would otherwise be lying around.

20. Compliment a work colleague for their excellence.

21. Give another driver your parking spot.

22. Help an elderly neighbor carry the trash out.

23. Tell all your family members how much your appreciate them.

24. Send a thank you note to a person who has helped you in the past.

25. Volunteer.

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.

Why Volunteering makes you a better leader

You know volunteering is good for the community. But can volunteering make you a better leader?


Lots of leaders volunteer. According to the Department of Labor Statistics,  more than a quarter of the American population volunteers, and employed people volunteer more frequently than the unemployed.


Many corporations actively support volunteering; 48 of the 100 companies recognized in the 100 Best Places to Work  give paid time off for volunteering; and Starbucks and others have made volunteering part of their turnaround stories. Time and again, people shared these key ways volunteering makes them a better leader.


Expanded perspective


Volunteering takes you outside of your comfort zone, giving you an opportunity to work with new challenges, people, politics and interpersonal dynamics. Volunteering offers new perspective on priorities.


Discovery of new talents


It can sometimes feel risky to try out new skills at work. It may also be difficult to convince someone to give you a chance to use your untested skills. Most volunteer organizations are glad for the help. You seldom have to prove your qualifications to be given a chance. Good leaders understand that employees are learning outside of work. The smart ones then leverage these skills.


Honed influence


Let’s be frank — there is a benefit to power. No matter how empowering your approach, the higher you are on the organizational chart, the more likely folks will be to do what you ask. Volunteering levels the playing field. Will people still follow if they don’t have to? How must you show up differently to make that happen?


Freedom to experiment


Ideally you can take risks at work. That’s easier in some organizations than others. Most volunteer gigs give you latitude to experiment and try new things. This is a common theme.


A larger network


Volunteering gives you the opportunity to meet and work with new people. These new folks have different experiences and approaches. Plus, most of them also have day jobs, giving you an opportunity to make career connections.

Volunteering is an investment in the community — and in your growth as leader.

Thanks to Karin Hurt.

MLK 2014 in Review

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley sponsored a morning of service for elementary age children and families on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Children gathered at First Presbyterian Church from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Youth engaged in service projects for the community including: making non-slip slipper socks for nursing homes, baking muffins for community organizations, starting seeds for community gardens, making play dough for preschools, crafting Valentines for Country View Care Facility, and making scarves for Salvation Army. All elementary age children in the Cedar Valley were invited to attend. Adult volunteers were also invited to participate. 

Contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley to express interest in securing additional volunteer opportunities at 319-272-2087 or information@vccv.org. The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley offers over 190 local volunteer opportunities from 114 nonprofit agencies. Volunteer opportunities may also be accessed at www.vccv.org.

28th Anniversary of King Holiday - ‘A Day On, Not a Day Off’

Volunteers may participate locally as a part of the MLK Day of Service

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service marks the beginning of the year of service as millions of Americans honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by contributing their time, voice and money to improve their communities. Join the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley in meaningful volunteer activities and service projects to advance Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community through volunteerism on January 20, 2014.

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley will sponsor a morning of service for elementary age children and families on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Children will gather at First Presbyterian Church, 505 Franklin St. in Waterloo from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Youth will engage in service projects for the community including: making non-slip slipper socks for nursing homes, baking muffins for community organizations, starting seeds for community gardens, making play dough for pre-schools, crafting Valentines for Country View Care Facility, and making scarves for Salvation Army. All elementary age children in the Cedar Valley are invited to attend. Adult volunteers are also invited to participate.

University of Northern Iowa Students will participate in a meal packaging event at UNI’s Maucker Union on Monday, January 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Meals packaged will be donated to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank to support local people in need. This is event is being sponsored by UNI’s Service & Leadership Council and the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley.

The Grout Museum District will be holding a day of service for the district from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on January 20. Volunteers age 16 and over will provide cleaning, ironing, painting and various additional tasks. The Grout will also be collecting items for the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown.

Contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley to express interest in participating or to secure additional volunteer opportunities at 319-272-2087 or information@vccv.org. The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley offers over 190 local volunteer opportunities from 112 nonprofit agencies. Volunteer opportunities may also be accessed at www.vccv.org.

MLK Day of Service – January 20, 2014

About Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

January 20, 2014 will mark the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday. This milestone is a perfect opportunity for Americans to honor Dr. King’s legacy through service. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.

What is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service?

After a long struggle, legislation was signed in 1983 creating a federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a "day on, not a day off." The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community."

Why Serve on MLK Day of Service?

Dr. King believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all, and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America by applying the principles of nonviolence to make this country a better place to live—creating the Beloved Community. 

The MLK Day of Service is a way to transform Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and teachings into community action that helps solve social problems. That service may meet a tangible need, or it may meet a need of the spirit. On this day, Americans of every age and background celebrate Dr. King through service projects that strengthen communities, empower individuals, bridge barriers, and create solutions.

Learn about Dr. King

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a vital figure of the modern era and a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in this nation and around the world.

Following in the footsteps of his father, in February 1948, at the age of 19, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. entered the Christian ministry and was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. In 1954, upon completion of graduate studies at Boston University, he accepted a call to serve at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. While there, he was an instrumental leader in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, made famous by the nonviolent resistance and arrest of Rosa Parks. He resigned this position in 1959 to move back to Atlanta to direct the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From 1960 until his death in 1968, he also served as co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Dr. King was arrested 30 times for his participation in civil rights activities.

While Dr. King preached about justice, empowerment, love and peace, in the final months of his life, his attention was turned to fighting poverty. Sadly, more Americans live in poverty today than during Dr. King's lifetime. Forty-seven million Americans currently fall below the poverty line.

Dr. King was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee and died on April 4, 1968. He had gone to Memphis to help lead sanitation workers in a protest against low wages and intolerable working conditions.

To secure volunteer opportunities call the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at 272-2087. Volunteer opportunities may also be accessed at www.vccv.org.

Thanks to the CNCS for this information.