Volunteer!

When I talk to my fellow job seekers, I always say to use this time unemployed to volunteer. This is why:

• Gives you a sense of purpose

• Expands your network

• Gets you off the computer and out of your house

Take advantage your new free time by joining a non-profit board:

• Leverage your existing skills and build upon those: the needs of the non-profit may challenge how you would typically approach a situation in a work environment.

• Your work may open your perspective to new roles or new industries.

My story

Volunteering has been a passion of mine since I was a kid. I remember coloring pictures for nursing home residents when I was in preschool and kindergarten. In elementary school, we wrote letters to nursing home residents and kids in the hospital as we were learning to write. Sometimes, they even wrote back. We organized donation drives for things like school supplies and helped our local food pantry pack boxes for their clients.

In middle school, a friend’s grandparent led The Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition of Greater St. Louis. We processed donations, worked at their fundraising events, helped out in the office, and spent time with the kids in their programs just playing games and having fun. Another friend’s parents were foster parents themselves. As a group of friends, we would do the same socializing at the Annie Malone Housein St. Louis.

In sixth grade, my local library asked me to help senior citizens learn how to use the internet and email. We used Yahoo because it was the 1990s. This service expanded into teaching them how to use Microsoft Word and Excel. I continued this service until I started working part-time in high school.

I chose my high school, Ursuline Academy, because their mission was “Serviam” - Latin for “I will serve.” We had an annual requirement for the number of service hours we completed. I volunteered with my friends at food pantries, summer camps, and community clean-ups. We met high school students from across the St. Louis area. And as someone with creative talents and learning graphic design, I could volunteer while developing professional skills to support local non-profits.

My first college internship was as a copywriter at The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Chicago. I wrote and distributed emails and print communications like newsletters, and I updated website content. The best part of this role was the honor of interviewing the families and kids who were granted wishes.

While my career didn’t take me down the non-profit path, I continued to volunteer. When my son was in preschool, we started volunteering together. Community clean-ups are great for young kids. When they are a few years older, some food pantries allow elementary school students to volunteer with an adult. We volunteered regularly at Feed My Starving Children, preparing the food packages to be sent to their patrons around the world.

Joining a non-profit board

When I joined DP Electric (DP), I was offered my first board position with the Arizona Builders Alliance (ABA). DP was a major sponsor of the recruiting and educational programs sponsored by the ABA, and my predecessor served in their marketing role. Through the ABA, I was introduced to Arizona Construction Career Days (AZCCD): a multi-day event for high school students to explore careers in the trades by participating in hands-on activities, like actually operating heavy equipment and welding. I served on their board in a marketing role, concurrently with my service for the ABA.

Through these roles, I learned valuable skills that advanced my skills, enhanced my support for my employer, and that I still apply to my work today:

• Targeting hyper-specific audiences that can be tough to reach, like high school students

• Researching new audiences to expand marketing, like the current unemployed or under-employed

• Connecting with local media to promote the mission of the non-profits

• Coordinating large-scale events

• Driving increases year over year in dollars donated and number of donors

• Tracking and analyzing data, translating into measurable action plans

And because of the networking opportunity, I also found my next role at Wilson Electric.

My son was in second grade when I chose to move back home to St. Louis. At that point in my life, I didn’t have time to serve as a board member. However, I still found ways to volunteer through my employer’s corporate events, employee engagement networks, and I served as a board member on our PRIDE employee resource network for communications. I met people across the firm through this participation, and I credit that investment to my move from investment banking to the corporate technology division.

When my son was a few years older, I reconnected with a group that I had volunteered with in high school: the National Council for Community and Justice (NCCJ). I accepted a board position for marketing with NCCJ. A few years later, NCCJ merged with the local non-profit Diversity Awareness Partnership (DAP), forming the Gateway Empowerment Institute (GEI) to expand upon their resources to provide education to business leaders, adults, and students on initiatives to encourage community inclusion through conversation and education.

Today: St. Louis Public Radio’s Generation Listen Council

Over the last six years, my day job demanded hours that impacted my free time so I was unable to commit to a board position. However, I volunteered with my employer and other non-profits for specific events.

I have always followed our local National Public Radio (NPR) station: St. Louis Public Radio (STLPR). I saw an ad in one of their email newsletters for their Generation Listen program. I hadn’t noticed it before, but they were recruiting volunteers to serve on their board to coordinate events and drive public awareness of public media and independent journalism. I fully support this mission!

I submitted a request to join the council and I was accepted. I plan to use my skills in marketing and public relations to help promote their mission to engage younger generations in public media and encourage intergenerational conversation.

Through this volunteer opportunity, I’ve met – and will continue to meet – members of the community. That’s networking. Maybe one of those connections turns into employment, but more importantly: I’m using my new free time to support a cause that I am passionate about. I haven’t been able to do that outside of my employer in nearly a decade.

Get involved

• Find a local non-profit that you care about and sign up to volunteer.

• Get friends together to attend an event, like a trivia night.

An easy way to find volunteer opportunities is to look up your local United Way chapter.

• Look for areas of interest: education, housing, physical health, finance - and so much more!

You can even use sites like Eventbrite and Meetup to search for volunteer events. Of course, there’s always Facebook - just follow the non-profit’s page and you’ll get alerts about upcoming events!