Volunteering to Employment

I just read a great YNPN blog entry by Lisa Thalacker Joyslin about transforming volunteer work into employment. She had some marvelous tips on how to approach it. Almost anyone looking for a job in the nonprofit field will tell you that networking and the people you know is your fastest way into a job. Employers are getting hundreds of competitive resumes for every opening. Employers are looking more favorably on volunteer experience as a way to distinguish between applicants. If there is one tip I could give someone about turning volunteering into employment it is: volunteer within the cause you want to be employed. Don't worry so much about volunteering for the organization you want to be employed at. The nonprofit world is small despite the fact that we have thousands of organizations in the state. If you are able to get on the right committee or task force you will soon be meeting other professionals and volunteers within the cause and probably some from the organization you really want to work for. And don't stop with just volunteering within the cause. Make sure you are going to educational events, networking events and fundraisers that other organizations are putting on. Because you believe in the cause it will be obvious that you are authentically there beyond just searching for employment. You will stand out.

Volunteering for employment is the long game. It is not a shortcut to a job. Volunteering gives you opportunities for skill development, leadership opportunities and experiences beyond what you have been educated, trained or paid for in the past. Reflecting on my past five years as a manager for the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota I can see that I have had the opportunity for mentorship and growth within my position. But because I also took time to take on leadership roles in other state wide organizations I have turned five years of experience into 15 years of experience. This added experience has given me tools to apply to my day job and it has also given me clarity in making decisions about my future. If you only do what you are paid to do your professional growth will be slow. Accelerate yourself as a professional and volunteer. You will reap great rewards for yourself, and who knows it may get you a job too.