Benefits of Volunteering
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By Hylan Joseph
In my career and life, I’ve had the benefit of being a member of several organizations that were member-driven. As members of these organizations, we get to access the benefits of the organization. With the Coffee Technicians Guild, some of those benefits are the Slack channel, member-driven content, the semi-annual CTG Summit. But there is a whole other world out there when you volunteer.
I think back to another organization I’ve been a member of for several decades, the American Zoological Society. As a member, I receive discounts to visit zoos nationwide, a monthly newsletter and some cool swag. As a volunteer, I could be a docent at a zoo. I was able to see, up close, and feed a senior aged silverback gorilla with zoo staff guidance. To this day the experience has stuck with me.
The CTG is still a young organization. We have some great member benefits that include networking, online communication, and self-published content. But what makes our organization great and will help us to grow is our volunteers.
Some Benefits of Volunteering
Volunteering can offer opportunities to practice skills in a relatively risk-free environment. It can be more effective to practice a skill than to read about it or study it in a classroom. Volunteering is a great place to experiment, practice and try out new techniques and skills.
Volunteering is the perfect place to develop new skills. Serving on a volunteer committee or board is a great way to learn group dynamics and teamwork. Serving as a committee chair increases facilitation skills. Planning and implementing a major fund-raising event can develop goal setting, planning, and budgeting skills. Supervising and training other volunteers helps to develop supervisory and training skills.
Volunteering can help you expand your horizons and explore new career options. Group work fosters teamwork and offers opportunities to learn more about different perspectives. If you are thinking of a career change, volunteering is a perfect way to explore new fields. Sometimes a volunteer experience can lead you to something you never even thought of or help you discover a skill or interest you were unaware of.
Volunteering gives you visibility.
Volunteering can be renewing. Sometimes we simply need a break in our routine, and volunteering around a personal interest or hobby can be fun, relaxing, and energizing. That energy and sense of fulfillment can carry over to a work situation and sometimes help to relieve work tensions and foster new perspectives for old situations.
Volunteering can create leaders. By watching those around you, you can begin to identify the qualities of leadership that you admire and you can develop those qualities in yourself. Managing a group of volunteers is not the same as managing employees – volunteer groups are often groups of peers and they respond more to leadership than management
Volunteering demonstrates workplace, management, customer service, and leadership skills that can be documented on a resumé. Work experience is work experience, with or without a paycheck. If you are developing new skills or thinking of pursuing a new career, volunteer work can give you valuable, practical experience.
We’re looking for volunteers. This year we have several ambitious initiatives that required time and creative input. Below I’ve included a link below to sign up as a volunteer. We could use your help.