3 Completely Self-Interested Reasons to Volunteer

Yes, there are plenty of compelling moral and spiritual reasons to give financially and volunteer with a non-profit or social cause.  

This post is not about those things. It is entirely focused on the self-interested aspects of giving of your time.  In fact, this is a shameless appeal for more involvement from our most talented marketers and leaders...the kind of people who read this blog.  

There are thousands of outstanding non-profit organizations, none of them have the resources they need to accomplish their goal.  They all need your money, but what they really need is your time.  Not simply a casual 1/2 day with a group from work but a long-term commitment to dig in and make an impact. Making that kind of commitment is a sacrifice, and beyond being a calling, here is why you should start tomorrow.    

1) Build experience in areas you do not get use often at work.    At a non-profit you will be working with much smaller teams than your day job, which means you will be hands on with the work and able to take some risks.  If you make a mistake in the process, it will not show up in your performance review, or impact your pay--and you will learn along the way.  If your day job does not let you drive social media marketing, find a non-profit that needs to expand in this space and jump in.  If you are developer who wants to learn more about an emerging technology, find an organization and volunteer to build or update their Web site.  Many experts in the areas you want to learn more about will give you free advice to help a good cause.  Listen, experiment, and learn.  

2) Meet some interesting and connected people.  The people who show up to work at a non-profit are driven and focused on a cause larger than themselves.  They are wonderful people, and you will enjoy working alongside them.  As you work closer with the board of directors and major donors you will frequently interact with highly talented business and government leaders.  Often fascinating people, they are also priceless mentors and connectors.  These are unique opportunities to interact with people you would normally just read about in the media or watch from a distance.

3) Add something interesting to your resume.  I interview a lot of people for jobs who have very few achievements they can talk about outside of work.  When I meet someone who has taken on responsibilities in non-profits they tend have more interesting stories to tell.  That makes them unique memorable.  The more they have taken on and achieved outside of work, the more they come across as driven, results-oriented people with initiative.  

Five years ago I volunteered to read some essays for children from military families who wanted to go to Space Camp.  It was intended to be a one time thing, but then one of them made me cry.  After that I was hooked.  Today my involvement with the organization is closer to a second job, but it is the most rewarding work I do.  

There are unlimited options to choose from, ranging from non-profit organizations of large global scope, to smaller teams looking to make an important impact just in your local area.  Pick one and jump in.  

Comments

[Linda Trout]

Excellent post, Matt!