Take any myriad of problems: You just got out of college and have no job experience but plenty of debt. You’re stuck in a job you dislike with no way to advance. You want to change to a completely different field. Or you want to develop a skill you’re unlikely to be able to learn at your current job. All these have a similar solution: Volunteer.

Maybe you don’t have any problems; maybe you’re just nice. Maybe you just moved to a new town and want to meet people who have similar interests or skills. If at one point in your life, anyone ever reached down with a hand to help you up, perhaps it is your time to give back.

Ok so you know of some position you could volunteer for but, it’s such a bother. Why should you? “But Kat, I’m selfish. What’s in it for me?” Well, plenty to be honest.

NETWORKING

No networking event will allow you the quality of connections that volunteering will. I nag my mentees about getting contact information and following up with a thank you to anyone who gives them advice. Then the natural next step: Find them on LinkedIn. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to an interview and been able to say “Hey you work with _____ ______. I knew him from [handing out surveys at Earth Day; helping run press conferences for the Indiana Charter School Initiative; School Corporation Vision Committee; voter registration drive]. It’s not from jobs all the time, but it sure leads to them.

I’m an adamant people that the best people volunteer. We live in a great nation with vast resources and it is because of the sweat of people who weren’t getting anything quantifiable in return that we are able to enjoy the abundance around us. Putting yourself among go-getters and people who reach upward positions you to be there when the rocket takes off instead of standing on the sidelines wishing. You network with better quality people when you volunteer than when you just attend or observe. No they don’t always know every skill – many of them are there to learn as are you – but they’re all there to attempt self-improvement which puts them heads-and-tails above their complacent counter parts.

MENTORING

I often say my only real skill is the confidence to admit I don’t know what is going on. Of course you have to word that in a way that reflects you are taking ownership of learning what you don’t know. But honesty has a strange way of making people trust you. And I’ve never had an instance where I reached out to someone for a question, or coached my mentees to do so, and someone refused to answer or at least point them in the right direction. It shows initiative, interest and passion. New York City sees the value enough that it just facilitated a small business mentoring program that launched this week.

VALUE

Maybe my curiosity came from growing up in the shadow of Notre Dame’s dome where everyone was a professor, or a professor’s kid or a person somehow connected with higher learning, but I find discovering new things improves your quality of life. What would you pay to learn that new skill or obtain that certification you know would get you to the next bigger office? How about nothing because you can step up to do it on the job, just not the paid job. Don’t discount the financial value of volunteering to advance a career.

Stepping up also has documented health value. There have been studies to suggest volunteering combats depression. Don’t underestimate the value of mind-body health and its impact on your bank account. A positive attitude opens far more doors than a very well-thought but solution-less complaint.

SO?

“Ok, Kat, I’m sold. Now what?”

Using completely necessary quotations, I’m what can be called a “volunteer junkie”. I pretend it’s because I’m helpful but really, I can’t stand to see something that matters to me being done the wrong way. Or watching good organizations struggle for resources when I have extra cycles (ok, sometimes even when I don’t really have extra cycles but I’m getting better at that.) If you don’t have a passion, please just sick back down on the couch.

For me, it started with being a helicopter mom who hall-monitored during Sunday school, then cheer parent because I liked to braid 18 six-year-old’s hair at 6am before competitions. Fast forward to marching band, competitive choir, theater makeup and now I’m mentoring high school students to get into college or honor programs in colleges, internships or funding. Before that ends, I’ll have ramped up at the PMI of Central Indiana Chapter to help contribute coordinating their monthly and annual events. I’ve nagged those people sufficiently enough to procure an interview as a result of the networking I've done at two evening events, And I haven’t even done anything but prove I have a genuine interest and intent to better their organization. All I wanted was a mentor!

Last but not least let me mention the most moving volunteer task I ever had was the one I was least willing to do. My diocese served the Indiana Women's Prison and I was terrified to walk in and serve that holiday dinner. But the smiling faces that thanked me just for looking at them like human beings was life changing. No I didn't get any job leads from that (yet), but it certainly made me value what is important to me and not take for granted what a good support system is worth. There I go again with pitching networking...

DO THIS:

1. Figure out what you’re passionate about.
2. Take a real inventory of your time. Just because you feel tired when you get home isn’t a reason not to volunteer. You sleep better when you’re fully engaged.
3. Find a need that you’re interested in (see my local Indianapolis suggestions below)
4. Be vocal about what you want, why you are there. You deserve to get what you are looking for if you are putting in your time and talent. But own going and getting it, whether it’s experience or a mentor, follow through with your own goals.

In one way or another I’ve helped with each of these, so I can personally vouch for their credibility. Let me know if you want other suggestions, contacts or to ask questions.

Forget Angie, here is:

KAT’S LIST OF GREAT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Interest	Charity	Hyperlink
Business	PMI, Central Indiana	Project Management Institute’s local chapter, monthly educational and networking events, mentoring, career development, certification assistance. Their big event is “PDD” Professional Development Day where several notably successful speakers, educators and local executives gather to discuss how project delivery can be improved in this area.
Health	American Cancer Society, Relay for Life	Whether you like running, walking, hate cancer or even just like dogs, Relay for Life and Bark for Life are amazing causes and a ton of fun.
Ecology/Environment	Earth Day Indiana Festival	In April, on the White River. This is an easy one to drag other people to.
Women	Dressed for Success	provides clothing and other services for women leaving difficult situations and seeking financial independence.
Children	Girl Scouts of America	They do more than make delicious cookies. They send kids to school. They drive grassroots efforts to help real kids not masses of people standing outside grocery stores but real girls with real needs.
Animals	F.A.C.E. Spay/Neuter Clinic and F.I.D.O.	Face keeps our city from being overrun with cats, and keeps those cats (and dogs) from spreading diseases. They’ve reduced the number of animals euthanized in this city despite the city getting bigger. Both my kids volunteered here from cleaning to prepping animals for surgery. F.I.D.O. (Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside) provides services for dog owners who don’t have resources to bring their family members into an area safe for them in all weather, like flea medication, dog houses, etc.
Arts	Indianapolis Film Festival	Seriously have you guys seen their Roving Cinema? If not, then don’t go check it out because it sells out and I don’t want you to keep me from getting tickets. Fabulous.
Politics	Register Voters	I once just brought voter registration forms to work and posted an envelope outside my cube the week before the cutoff date with a sign that said "Cutoff Date, are you registered to Vote?". I sent them in without reading anyone’s personal information though I assume it was probably mostly people who knew me. Also check out Rock the Vote, or your local candidate’s or party’s offices. If you care about it, go do something about it.

What am I missing? Ideas? Not because I don't have enough on my plate, but then I am volunteering. Are you?

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