Unlocking Skills Through Volunteering – IEEE Spectrum

Since the early 2000s, I’ve been actively volunteering for nonprofits and local community organizations including my children’s school’s parent-teacher organization. There I worked with teachers and other parents to plan and implement annual programs that enriched the students and the school community as a whole.

Through my work, I’ve realized that volunteering isn’t just about giving back; it’s also a way to learn new skills. Every hour invested adds tangible value to one’s personal and professional growth.

My experiences have shown me that membership-based organizations such as IEEE that offer volunteer opportunities should position and market them as top-tier member benefits. Even if not all members volunteer their time, the availability of the opportunities and the inspiration drawn from participating can be powerful catalysts for a more vibrant and committed community.

The merits of volunteering are universally known and acknowledged. Its powerful capacity to reduce stress and boost feel-good hormones such as dopamine is widely touted, as noted in a Forbes article by Garen Staglin, the cofounder of One Mind at Work. However, the impacts of volunteering extend far beyond the typical benefits of building a résumé, acquiring skills, and feeling a sense of fulfillment. The deeper value lies in its ability to enhance professional growth and personal development in less apparent ways.

The pros of volunteering

Here are five ways in which the “why” of purpose can fuel the “how” of growth:

1. Opportunities for collaboration. Volunteering provides an arena for collaboration, bringing together professionals from industry and academia, for example, in tackling shared goals. The dynamic interchange is where true growth happens. It’s not just about what gets done; it’s about the invaluable experience of working with diverse minds to solve problems—an experience that accelerates development in all areas.
2. Incubator for leadership. In an organization such as IEEE, where volunteers are shaping its structure and future through committees and governance bodies, the environment is ideal for developing high-impact professional skills. Volunteering instills leadership skills—including strategic thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to inspire others—that can be utilized in one’s professional (and personal) life.
3. Sharpening decision-making abilities. Volunteering lets you sharpen skills that are sometimes difficult to improve in the structured confines of a typical job. Working outside the usual professional hierarchy, volunteers get a chance to sharpen their critical thinking and decision-making skills with greater autonomy and a clear, mission-driven focus. A volunteering task, such as judging submissions for awards and scholarships, can hone analytical and fair-judgment skills. Planning conferences and events can help develop organizational, project management, and problem-solving abilities.
4. Intellectual expansion. Volunteering is a fantastic way to boost your intellect and uncover hidden potential. Through collaborative problem-solving and organic knowledge-sharing, one can tackle complex issues. As you move from one task to the next, the skills can build on each other, creating a compounding effect that rapidly enhances your abilities.
5. Staying current, relatable, and confident. A cumulative benefit of volunteering is that it can serve as a professional refresh for one’s skills and perspective and can expose you to new technologies and trends outside of your field. You can learn to connect and communicate more effectively across generations and backgrounds by working alongside a diverse group of people. The collaborative environment also can provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate expertise in new ways and receive peer recognition, which in turn can reinforce your professional value and boost your confidence.

Volunteering isn’t just for young professionals; it can be a catalyst for people at every stage of their career. It can boost mid-career professionals’ confidence, enabling them to hone their skills and tackle new challenges. For senior-level professionals, volunteering can expand their networks, providing fresh perspectives and collaborative opportunities outside traditional silos.

Any organization that provides volunteering opportunities is providing members or employees a valuable chance for an active investment in themselves.