By Gabrielle Rapke Hoffman

Nearly 27% of adults in America volunteer through a formal organization, with that rate increasing to 42% among college graduates. Across the board, women volunteer at a higher rate than men. Although some people volunteer for purely altruistic reasons, the social, psychological, and career benefits of volunteering should not be underestimated. When I refer to the career benefits of volunteering, I’m not talking about volunteering at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving. I’m talking about an ongoing commitment to a specific organization that will allow you to gain valuable leadership experience, try your hand at new skills that may benefit you professionally, increase your visibility in the community, and expand your network.

In this article, I will examine the career benefits of volunteering, and provide recommendations to help you determine which volunteer opportunities are most likely to provide those benefits.

How can volunteering benefit your career?

Obtain leadership experience. With the flattening of corporate hierarchies, opportunities to hone management skills are becoming increasingly scarce. At the same time, one of the most important ways leadership lessons are learned is through trial and error. Taking on a leadership role in a nonprofit can be an excellent way to gain or deepen your leadership experience. I once became President of a nonprofit after the previous President moved out of state. Membership had dwindled to only 30% of what it had been in prior years, events were poorly attended, and the Treasury was low on funds. In less than 2 years as President, I rebuilt the organization to over 80 members. Volunteering to lead this nonprofit out of a challenging time taught me many valuable professional skills: building and managing an executive board, regaining the trust and interest of disappointed members, developing a leadership pipeline, marketing the organization, seeking donations, delivering speeches to large audiences, and much more.

Gain visibility and recognition in the community for your existing skills. Use your professional skills to help a nonprofit. For example, if you are an Accountant, volunteer to serve as Treasurer of a nonprofit organization. New contacts you make through volunteering will become aware of your skills, which could translate into business or job opportunities. Also, if at work you only are responsible for one facet of a project in your area of expertise, volunteering may allow you to have autonomy over an entire project much sooner than you would be able to at work.

Develop new secondary skills that could benefit your career. If you are seeking to complement your professional profile with new skills, consider seeking them in a nonprofit setting. Anyoli Font, Provider Relations Manager at MedTrust Network and President of the Kiwanis Club of Miramar/Pembroke Pines, Florida, shared “Through my volunteer work, I was able to fill all the gaps on my resume.” At her job, Anyoli mainly works alone. Anyoli credits her volunteer experiences for the opportunity to develop skills such as teamwork, running meetings, public speaking and planning large-scale events.

Test your aptitude and interest in a different area before making a career change. Imagine you are a successful Engineer, but have been thinking about seeking a position in the Sales division of your company. Why not volunteer for the Development Committee of a nonprofit, and see how effective you are at obtaining donations first? The nonprofit will be glad to have your help, even if you are not experienced in the area. While you determine whether Sales is a good fit for you, you will gain confidence, take on a new challenge, and ideally, also raise funds for a worthy cause in the process.

Expand your network and sphere of influence. It could be argued that women network differently from men. They focus on nurturing relationships that may prove beneficial in the future, while men tend to network only when they need something. Women’s networking style could prove very conducive to nonprofit settings, where teamwork and long-term relationship building are the focus, as opposed to immediate “give and take.” It goes without saying that volunteering will expand your network substantially, enabling you to get to know people whose paths you probably would not cross as part of your daily routine. You are likely to meet and potentially build relationships with top executives, civic leaders, and other members of the business community who are also interested in the same cause.

Obtain a new set of mentors who see your potential and encourage you to stretch yourself. When others in your organization and in the community begin to recognize your potential, they often will allow you to see strengths and capabilities that you did not see in yourself. Anyoli Font shared a story of a woman who joined her Kiwanis Club. This woman had always wanted to be a leader, but did not believe she was qualified for a leadership position. Anyoli encouraged her to run for Treasurer of the club, and she won the election. Were it not for Anyoli seeing leadership qualities the woman did not see in herself, she would not have achieved her leadership position.

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By Michelle Hendelman, Editor-in-Chief

One of the best ways to gain tips and advice for advancing your career is to pick up a few tried and true career strategy books. While it is helpful to keep your bookshelf stocked with business related reading material year-round, the summer months are a great time of year to catch up on those books you keep meaning to pick up, but simply haven’t had the time to.

Choosing the right books that will actually provide you with solid and actionable takeaways can be tough. Your time is precious, and if you are using valuable hours out of your day to read a career book, it better be worth it. This is why we have compiled a list of the top five career coaching books by the people who matter to fully immerse yourself in this summer. These books have all been recognized by thought leaders and influential business people as top notch advice books from which anyone can benefit.

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Last week, the Families and Work Institute presented its Work Life Legacy Awards, marking ten years celebrating work life pioneers. The FWI, led by President and Co-Founder Ellen Galinsky, has spent the past few decades studying how families are affected by the demands of our rapidly evolving workplace.

During her remarks at the event, Galinsky recalled, “Dare to dream. Those were the exact words said to me by a gentleman at one of our founding companies, the Salt River Project.”

She continued, “And dream I did.”

Galinsky described the challenges the FWI faced as it grew, for example, convincing the Department of Labor it was the right group to take on the next iteration of its Quality of Employment Survey, first published in 1977, which, she remarked, “had been laying fallow for 11 years.” By 1992, the FWI had published “The National Study of the Changing Workforce,” a follow up to the QES, and has published a new version every four or five years.

The workforce and workplace are both rapidly transforming, and the FWI’s research has been an integral part of the conversation around shifting roles and responsibilities at work and home. But it didn’t happen overnight, Galinsky explained. At each phase of the organization’s growth, its members had to take a risk and reach higher.

“Turning dreams into reality is pretty hard,” she continued. “All of these dreams were – to use a corporate phrase – stretch opportunities.”

Galinsky’s remarks reflect that while the FWI is now considered a mainstay within the work life space, its success has been driven by passionate people overcoming obstacles and working toward a vision, much like the other trailblazers who were honored during the evening.

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