Volunteering—particularly with an industry or professional organization provides an opportunity to develop leadership skills in many ways. Seasoned professionals will often find time to volunteer and contribute in specialized ways, but if you’re looking for a reason or tips for getting started in finding the right path to becoming a volunteer, here are a few prompt questions to consider. Do you want to:

…make it better around where I live?

…meet people who are different from me?

…try something new?

…see a different way of life and new places?

…do more with my interests and hobbies?

…do something I’m good at?

…make an impact on others outside of family or the workplace?

There are several reasons and ways to contribute in your community, but here’s my Top 10 reasons to volunteer:

1. It’s good for you. Volunteering provides physical and mental rewards by reducing stress and can make you healthier by improving mood and emotions, like optimism and joy.

2. It saves resources. Volunteering provides valuable community services so more money can be spent on local improvements. The estimated value of a volunteer’s time is $15.39 per hour

3. Volunteers gain professional experience and you test out a career path before pursuing full time.

4. It brings people together. As a volunteer you can assist in uniting people from diverse backgrounds to work toward a common goal and build camaraderie and teamwork.

5. It promotes personal growth and self-esteem. Lending your expertise to community needs can help foster empathy and self-efficacy.

6. Volunteering strengthens your community.

Supporting families (daycare and eldercare)
Improving schools (tutoring, literacy)
Supporting youth (mentoring and after-school programs)
Beautifying the community (beach and park cleanups)

7. You learn a lot about how your local government works to solve community needs. Through working with local non-profit agencies, volunteers learn about the functions and operation of our government. Volunteers gain knowledge of local resources available to solve community needs.

8. You get a chance to give back. People like to support community resources that they use themselves or that benefit people they care about. Whether it’s a beach clean-up, fostering pets in need or helping elderly neighbors with household chores, there are many ways to contribute to improve the lives of those closest to you.

9. Volunteering encourages civic responsibility. Community service and volunteerism are an investment in our community and the people who live in it.

10. You can make a difference. Every person counts and lending your leadership and expertise will set an example for colleagues and other community members.

Leading from the Front

Many of our Victory Strategies teammates are experienced leaders in a variety of industries and I’ve learned that many of them volunteer for organizations that have a special meaning for them. Here are a few examples of how VS members are serving in non-profit organizations and contributing their time and expertise while making a real impact in their communities.

Lamont Gourdine has been a member of the Veterans Breakfast Club for more than two years. “The organization is special to me because it addresses the stories of our Veteran community. Oftentimes, some of their sacrifices go unnoticed and this organization is a way of helping veterans tell their stories and for the population at-large to understand their journey!”

Website : https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/who-we-are/

Bryan Stewart has been a mentor with Veterati for more than five years. He’s considered a “Veterati Rock Star,” a label for those who have completed more than 100 hours of mentoring connections from the platform. “This is important to me as part of my life’s mission is to pay it forward by serving others who have served. I want to be the person I wish I had access to as a mentor when I was transitioning from the military. If I can help one person not make a mistake that I have made or go faster, further, and be more fulfilled with their post-military career, it will have been worth it.”

To learn more, go to: www.veterati.com.

Scott Campbell serves on the Board of Directors for Portraits for Patriots, a 501C3 that provides professional headshots for transitioning military members along with veterans. “Professional photographers do this work for free in support of our transitioning and former military members.”

Learn more: www.portraitsforpatriots.org.

Scott also serves as a mentor for The Honor Foundation, providing advice and mentoring for transitioning special operators moving from the service to private sector opportunities. www.honor.org

Kim Campbell serves on the Board of Directors for the Special Operators Transition Foundation (SOTF). As an A-10 pilot, she supported ground troops for more than 20 years and this was a way to continue that purpose and passion. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for what our special operators have done for our country as well as the unique skills and abilities they bring to the table.”

SOTF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to helping Special Operations Forces (SOF) veterans transition from the military into their next successful career. Learn more: www.sotf.org

Mike Uyboco serves with an organization called Samaritan's Purse who are known as "first responders" when a hurricane, famine, COVID outbreak, etc. occurs. Most recently they moved to help in Ukraine. I was fortunate to be able to use some of my military derived talents to help in the planning and execution of their humanitarian operations over there this past summer. Learn more: https://www.samaritanspurse.org

Mike also serves on the Board of Directors for a camp called Idyllwild Pines and has been involved with them for just over two years. They do a great deal to help the next generation of our youth grow and develop during some of the most pivotal years of their life. “I have always enjoyed mentoring and have a particular interest in developing the next group of leaders, teachers, doctors and plumbers.”

Setting the Example

Many large companies in corporate America have highlighted volunteerism as part of their company culture to encourage workers to participate and even provided incentives. Below are a few companies that have been recognized for advocating for volunteerism within their workforce:

Patagonia gives employees throughout the worldwide operations a number of interesting opportunities to support environmental work. 55 Patagonia employees have traveled to Chilean Patagonia at company expense to spend three weeks helping to restore a former sheep ranch and create what will soon become Chile’s newest national park. Since 1993, Patagonia employees at their headquarters and store in Ventura have staged an annual 5K community fun run with all proceeds going to local environmental nonprofit groups.

Microsoft is committed to providing affordable and relevant technology solutions to nonprofit organizations around the world, offering grants and discounts on cloud products, as well as nonprofit-specific solutions like Fundraising and Engagement and digital skilling. Tech for Social Impact is based on a social investment model, where incremental revenue is reinvested in nonprofit sector innovation and social good causes, including affordable housing, skills and employability programs, and technology donations.

LinkedIn engages employees year-round in charitable giving and volunteer opportunities focused on coaching and mentorship of seekers working directly with LinkedIn’s network of nonprofit partners. LinkedIn consistently proves that aligning its company’s purpose with its mission of connecting the world’s professionals is achievable.

Intel celebrated the 25th anniversary of Intel Involved in 2020, the global corporate employee volunteer program. Since the program’s launch in 1995, Intel’s employees have donated their skills, technology expertise, and more than 18 million hours of service to tackle environmental challenges, improve education and help meet community needs around the world.

3M supports initiatives that increase student interest in STEM and business to help build a diverse pipeline of future leaders. For example, the 3M Visiting Wizards program shares the magic of science with students through demonstrations and hands-on experiments. More than 800,000 students have seen science applied in demonstrations ranging from catapults to cryogenics.

Leaving a Lasting Legacy

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

Charity can have some of the most impactful influences on our life and it gives us the ability to notice the world around us. Giving isn’t only about what it does for others; it is also about what it does for us.

Authored By: Amy Forsythe, Managing Director