Graffiti is a transferable skill - and other key business wisdom I learned while volunteering
I remember being struck by Geovannie's description of his walk home from school.
"I know where all the dumpsters are on the way to my house - I jump behind them when the bullets fly by."
 At fourteen years old, Geovannie (known as "Geo") lived in one of the most notorious and crime-filled housing projects in San Francisco. I met Geo while volunteering with a non-profit martial arts organization that recruited "at risk" youth for programs. When I met him, one of his most well developed skills was writing graffiti or "tagging" on the walls of buildings throughout the City.
Geo taught me that the skills of a tagger are to create a distinctive symbol; place it where your intended audience hangs out, know your competition and outsmart your rivals for great spots; always think of new, creative ways of making your name known; and maintain a consistent presence in high-exposure places.
Hmmmm . . . sounds suspiciously like marketing to me!
Mind you, I do not advocate defacing public property for skill development, but I found Geo's skill set amazing. The more I got to know him, the more I became aware of his razor-sharp mind, incredible charisma and ability to talk with anyone, from tough street kids to business people.
He took an interest in my business, and so in addition to training martial arts and playing music, he also would sit in my office and watch me work. He asked all kinds of questions about what I did, and I ended up hiring him to help out with a large training event at a corporate site.
Geo helped me with my "at risk" areas
One of Geo's greatest strengths was telling it like it is, or as he likes say, "keeping it real." He wasn't afraid of anyone, or if he was, he didn't show it. I learned a lot about fearlessness from Geo and used it when I met with executives in the early years of my business. I would sometimes feel a wave of fear and inadequacy before going on a sales call or to an important meeting. Sometimes I had to tell executives what they didn't want to hear for the benefit of their organization. In business, like on the streets, if you don't keep it real, there are serious consequences. Geo's strength and poise inspired me to have confidence in myself and say what needed to be said.
How can volunteering dramatically increase your skills so that you get closer to your life's work?
The biggest hurdle people face when trying to break into a new field or career is how to develop the skills and experience required when they don't have the opportunity to develop them in their current job. It is like the catch-22 of establishing credit - if you don't have any they won't give you any, but you can't get any until you have some. Frustrating, isn't it?
Enter the world of volunteerism, where all kinds of work needs to get done-there just isn't a lot of money to hire people to do it. This is a perfect situation for you!
What are some great transferable job skills that you can develop as a volunteer?
Presentation skills. I have taught hundreds of people presentation skills and the number one thing that almost everyone is afraid of is making a fool of themselves in front of their colleagues. The key to becoming a great speaker is to speak from your heart and practice, practice, practice. It is much less intimidating to deliver presentations on topics you are passionate about in a setting outside of work rather than in a conference room filled with colleagues or hostile prospects.
Coaching skills. Many people are interested in the field of coaching, but don't know how to break into it. There is a great need for experienced mentors in the non-profit world, and you can actively practice and reflect on your coaching skills as you mentor in your volunteer role.
Marketing and PR skills. Most non-profits have a major need to reach out to their target population and raise awareness of their cause, but often don't have the time or resources to do so. You could help create a whole marketing and PR plan that would be a great learning experience for you, and could make a huge impact on the organization you are working with.
Fundraising skills. Some people think they have to have wealthy friends to get involved in fundraising, but this is far from the truth. There are many creative ways that you can help raise funds for good causes that include organizing special events, grant writing, mail campaigns and fund drives.
Networking skills. Many interesting people are involved with good causes and organizations. If you want to "get out there" more and don't feel comfortable with traditional networking events, you can really learn a lot from interacting with people who share an affinity for the same cause.
Leadership skills. You often are given much bigger leadership roles in a volunteer capacity than you would in a job setting, particularly early in your career. Recognizing you as a fresh-faced college graduate, a company may be leery of giving you a team to lead, but when you tell them that for the last 3 years you single-handedly led a team of 20 college students to the Amazon for study tours of the rainforest, and can describe all the leadership skills you learned while doing so (teambuilding, delegation, motivation, influence, organization, conflict resolution), they may think differently.
These are just a few samples of excellent transferable skills that you can learn while volunteering.
Before you start your search for a volunteer opportunity, please get over the notion that when you volunteer, it is selfish for you to get anything out of the relationship.
Regardless of who you are volunteering for, I guarantee that they are not weak, helpless or in need of saving. I think there has been a lot of misrepresentation in fundraising and volunteer recruiting efforts (think Sally Struthers commercials) that portray children or people in need as hopeless, powerless victims. They are not. I have found that the people you are helping will feel better and more respected if they know that you are in a reciprocal relationship - you are using your skills to help them in their situation, and they are helping you to gain new skills in yours.
How do you choose which organization or cause to volunteer with?
- Reflect on things you have always been passionate about.
- Have you always loved raising babies? Volunteer to work with young mothers who don't have access to experienced, supportive mothers and grandmothers.
- Love filmmaking? Offer to create a short promotional or fundraising video for a cause that you feel passionate about. Your short film will get lots of exposure as they use it to promote their cause, and you will have something to show in your portfolio.
- Feel frustrated by the apathy displayed by people when it comes to voting? Head up a voter registration or education drive for the next election.
- Feeling despair when you hear about young people killing each other on the streets? Work with an after school program or help start a midnight basketball program in your neighborhood.
- Feel intensely blissful in a park or natural place? Get involved in efforts to preserve and protect it.
- Research the organizations or people that are aligned with your passion
- In any field, including the non-profit world, there are well-run organizations and not so well-run organizations. I always crack up when people say "I want to get out of the politics of the corporate world and join a non-profit where there aren't any." Hah! There are politics, egos and crazy organizational dynamics in every setting that has human beings in it. Don't confuse the mission of the organization with the way that it is run. Carefully read about, study, and ask for recommendations from friends and colleagues before you sign up to volunteer. Otherwise, you will spend more time dealing with difficult dynamics than focusing on the work you signed up to do.
- There can be many organizations serving the same population that have different emphases or programs. Do your research and make sure you find one that matches your interests, values, and skills, and is supportive of helping you develop your skills.
- Pinpoint the specific skills and experience that you want to develop
- The more specific you can be about the skills you want to learn, the more likely you are to develop them. If you have a goal of delivering 20 presentations to different sized groups, let the organization know so that they can help you do it.
- Decide how much time you can commit and stick to your commitment!
- If you overextend yourself, you will find that it just makes you frustrated and irritable. At certain points in my life, I have gotten extremely carried away with my volunteer efforts and even worked myself into a state of extreme pneumonia. Thank god I have gotten older and wiser. Learn from my mistakes - take baby steps! You can only give when you have energy to give, so don't get yourself in over your head.
- Volunteer for a specific period of time, then evaluate the results before signing up for more.
- Have an open dialogue with the organization to see if your efforts have indeed been helpful to them. If not, perhaps there are other things you can do, or another organization that would benefit from your skills. It is all about reciprocity - you will put a strain on them if they have to spend too much time holding your hand, and they will put a strain on you if they only have you doing things that do not help you gain new skills.
I chose to volunteer with youth because I believe that all young people are powerful, creative, wise beings that just need love and support to grow and prosper. In the ten years that I volunteered, I gained a gigantic truckload of extremely valuable and marketable skills that I later put to use in my business. But the best payback?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Not a Get a Life Subscriber yet? Click here to subscribe.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Geo recently called asking for corporate contacts for a mentoring organization for "at risk" youth he was volunteering with. A college graduate, he wants to pursue a PhD in economics with a focus in Latin America.
Does it get any better than that?
All the best,
-Pam
Pamela Stewart
Ganas Consulting
1155 S. Power Road, Suite 114
PMB 110
Mesa, AZ 85206
480-663-3252
pcs@ganas.com
© 2005 Pamela Stewart, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from the Get a Life eZine in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution. Please also notify me.
|
