Spread the word.

photo by drp

Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find it out.

Frank A. Clark

Click through to listen to Arianna Huffington’s 23-minute talk on work-life balance, self-doubt, relationships and giving back, given at the 2008 WEB Women in Business? conference. It’s worth a listen.

photo by mickyates

In Part 1, I discussed how volunteerism is cool again.  In this post, I will share some of the direct personal benefits of community service.

A long term commitment to volunteering for a cause you believe in is more than a line item on your resume. Here are 5 reasons you should find a 501c3 to support with your time and energy.  Since there are almost 2 million of them in the US, there’s at least one that matches your interests.

Networking

There’s no better opportunity to meet friendly people in your community.  If you’re new to town, charity work introduces you to locals with at least one thing in common with you — your own cause celebre.

While volunteering, you also might find yourself crossing paths with others in your industry.  While tutoring underserved teens or teaching Fido to sit before adoption day, you might meet someone at a competing firm with an opening that peaks your interest or find another client for your business.  If you’re exceptionally ambitious, you might research where key executives (at your company of choice) volunteer, so you can intend to make their acquaintance over your “shared” love of Hungarian culture.

Leadership skills

I’ve already discussed the implication of early and steady development of leadership skills in part one.

Since non-profits rely on volunteers to keep the mission alive,  these students would have real world, quantifiable experiences. Imagine helping raise $1 million to fight cancer or doubling membership numbers for an organization before the age of 21.  Accordingly,  it might give college graduates a chance to bypass the entry level grunt work that yields corporate churn and help allay Boomer concerns about inexperienced twenty somethings looking for a fast track to management.

New and existing skills put to use

Volunteers typically look to apply skills they already have. If you work in PR, you can hone your pitching skills garnering some media coverage of local charity events.  If you’re in business development, perhaps you can offer to cultivate potential cause marketing relationships and other partnerships.  Sales professionals might just find they can help with fundraising if they apply their schmooze skills to corporate giving decision makers.

I’ve found the opportunity to learn new skills even more satisfying.  Knowing I wanted to move out of research, I looked for gaps in the offerings of Step Up Women’s Network, an organization I regularly volunteer with.  In focusing on how to extend their brand on the web, I put together a proposal looking at the best sites to target and how competing groups use the space.  Since then, I’ve worked to implement some of those proposed ideas.    So I now have a great example of my ability to identify a weakness, strategize potential solutions and implement the best ideas using limited resources.

And who can’t benefit from improved communication skills.  Volunteering at events turns you into an ambassador for the organization.   Successful liasing with guests and members could yield important donations and sponsorships for the organization.  These interactions make you more prepared to handle clients and senior management at the work place.

Local recognition

People like to be validated for their efforts.  That’s why the local chamber of commerce, leadership groups, and, very likely, your favorite charity acknowledge the contributions of community members throughout the year.  Just being nominated means an invitation to the festivities swirling with potential business contacts.  Whether or not you take home a certificate, your name is out there as someone committed to the ideals of the group.  And being associated with a commitment to philanthropy and improving your community is NEVER a bad thing.

Feel good fuzzies

At the end of the day, it just feels good to do something positive.  Trust me, you’ll sleep better knowing that you’ve brought a smile to a cancer patient’s face or that those three dogs that would have been euthanized have new homes because you sold their adoptive parents on the joys of pet ownership. Being a Big Brother or Sister to a kid living on the poverty line helps you to count your own blessings and put your problems in perspective.

Sure, being altruistic can seem selfish at times, but all the best relationships are two-way streets.

How has volunteering impacted your life?