The rewards of volunteering

I serve as the communications manager for a government agency. I also volunteer public relations support to a local non-profit school dedicated to supporting students with learning disabilities.

The staff and board appreciate my services – or so they tell me . It’s mutual however, because I get an awful lot out of it as well:

• I’m treated as a valued member of their management team
• I’ve met new people and made new friends
• I’ve honed my skills and experienced what it would be like to work as a PR consultant full time
• I’ve also made a number of contacts which may help me down the road

I didn’t think about any of this when I initially offered to help. I’d recently completed a six month intensive program in public relations through Royal Roads. It was a great program and I was anxious to put in practice some of what I’d learned. I happened to share this with a friend over lunch. One thing led to another, and I ended up volunteering and am happy I did.

I could  list more benefits, but you get the idea. Helping others helps YOU!

If you are presented with an opportunity to volunteer your time to a worthy cause think about how you will be helping others, but remember that you will be rewarded for your efforts too.

Photo credit: kevindooley