Value of Volunteering: Helping Yourself While Helping Others

As readers of this blog may know, I have two professional roles: One, as a business-owner and entrepreneur with my company, TalentGrow; the other, as a volunteer on the Board of Directors of my professional association, the Metro DC chapter of ASTD (the American Society for Training and Development).

As 2009 President, I am very proud of the work we've done and the tremendous efforts of the talented volunteers all around me who made it all possible. Just last week, we held our annual Volunteer Recognition dinner celebration during which we thanked all those who have volunteered in some capacity to help our chapter operate - we do it on 100% volunteer fuel!

I think 2009 has been a very successful year for Metro DC ASTD. In a tight market and a contracting economy we've managed to keep our membership steady (actually, it grew) and continued to provide quality programs to our constituents to achieve our mission of enriching their knowledge and skills and increasing their impact in their workplace. We added a lot of new virtual ways to do that via social media, webinars, and podcasts, which garnered us an award from the National ASTD. And we've continued to keep over 6,000 workplace learning and performance professionals informed about events in our area that can help them grow professionally - help their talent grow!

The Volunteer Recognition event featured a panel of experts who discussed the value of volunteering to enhancing one's career, a subject I've previously discussed here and here. One of the attendees, Andrew Welch, who volunteers with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, summarized some of their key points nicely on his blog. 

 

How have your volunteer experiences enriched your career this year? What new opportunities are you going to seize to grow your own talent in 2010? I would love to hear about it in the comments!

Top Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyradk/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Bottom Photo credit: Ali Green

Comments

[Andrew Welch]

Thanks for the mention and for your comments on my related post at http://andrewdwelch.blogspot.com/2009/12/help-yourself-while-helping-others.html. I appreciate them!

In answering the question you pose above, I think that my experiences in the Coast Guard have absolutely enriched my private life career and enhanced my value to other organizations. Not only have the challenges I faced as an instructor building out our student development program at The College of William and Mary been some of the greatest (and most rewarding) I have faced in human performance, but the completely unrelated experiences I have had in marine safety and environmental protection have demonstrated a willingness to operate outside the box. Wrap challenges in career adjacencies and working out of your comfort area with a great leadership experience, and I think you have a winning package whether in your full time job or in a capacity in which you volunteer to serve.

Working on new ideas for 2010... your own development, and that of your organization(s) are processes that require long-term commitment and a lot of discipline!

Again, many thanks for sharing your thoughts in this post.

Best,
Andrew

[TalentGrow]

Well put, Andrew - thanks for your comment! I find myself referencing my volunteer-based leadership experience and challenges all the time in my 'paid' work. It's a value-add for sure!

~Halelly

[Michael Randel]

I started volunteering with a sustainability oriented group in Bethesda this year. It is been a great experience! Not only am I helping them address important community issues, I am getting great use of my professional skills as well as the opportunity to meet and interact with interesting people...

I plan to continue this during 2010.

[TalentGrow]

Fantastic, Michael - Thanks for sharing your example and experience! That's exactly what I have experienced, as well! ~ Halelly