Why Wait Until April for National Volunteer Month by Michael Camden

July 18, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Community Relations 

Every April, organizations and institutions around the country promote opportunities for all ages to volunteer in  support of events, campaigns, and activities for non-profits, churches, government, and academic institutions.  But why wait until April? And what happens after April? It would seem apparent that volunteers are needed year round.

Volunteering can be fun, motivational, and rewarding. Of course it can also be time consuming. There are many diverse ways for us to put our valuable time to work for others. Donate blood to the Red Cross. Organize a clean the neighborhood day. Join your civic league. Run or bike for a charity like the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  Take care of animals at the local shelter. It is a drop in the bucket to join organizations that do great works all around our region. Once you join, then step up and take on a leadership role on boards and committees. You will feel doubly worked and doubly fulfilled.

There are so many ways to put your talents to work for the good of everyone. You say you have no talent. What if you lack a certain talent that you would like to gain? Volunteer so that you can learn a new skill, while building your resume at the same time.

There are many great reasons to volunteer. Help others and feel great about yourself. Teach others and develop leadership and team building skills. Benefit from professional and social networking. Support the community. Experience the pure enjoyment and satisfaction!

Find your passion and get involved today. Most of us would agree that we are passionate about our children and their education. What better place to volunteer than through the Parent Teacher Association at your local school. The $5 membership fee helps fund programs throughout the school year. Equally important is your time: volunteering to sell refreshments on movie night, chaperoning your child’s class on a field trip, reading to an enthusiastic audience, landscaping the school grounds, or sponsoring a fundraising event. The list is endless. You and all of the children benefit from volunteerism in our local schools.

According to the March 2014 edition of The Voice (the Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organization’s newsletter), the city of Virginia Beach acknowledges over 20,000 volunteers with a monetary value of $20,661,040.

As we close out the month of April and National Volunteer Month, please share your time and talent feely.  Still I hope to see you out there doing your part 12 months a year! In fact, a great opportunity occurs on May 17 with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup. Events are being planned locally, regionally, across the commonwealth and the nation. Together, we all can make a difference.

An avid volunteer, Michael Camden is the Enrollment Coordinator for the Hampton Roads site of Troy University. He may be reached at michael.camden@troy.edu.

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Communicating Community

June 29, 2010 by · 3 Comments
Filed under: Public Relations 

By Susan Long-Molnar, President

Why is the content from so many web sites canned from some industry source? Back in a day, we advised clients not to use canned newsletters, as the material sounded so impersonal and gave little credibility to building a brand. So why should people ignore this advice when it comes to web sites? This is just another distribution channel (although very influential today). Regardless of the media, the message is like perception…all there is.

Are businesses and their employees really not doing anything in the community because of the slow economy? Although they may be doing less, it is highly unlikely that all efforts to give back to the communities they serve have been squelched. No, more often, we find that there just isn’t enough imitative, time, or know how within companies to communicate what they are doing.

Whether you use a newsroom, press release or community page, your company should be sharing your events, pro bono activity, speaking engagements, sponsorships and fundraising activities, regularly. Don’t be afraid to start it because you don’t have something new to say all the time. We encourage, identify topics and prepare content for our clients. Create an internal survey monthly to gather your potential community news.

Do you have an employee with a particular interest, hobby, sport, or charity which could be a highlight on the web site?

Are you sponsoring a professional organization’s outing? Promote the event, share why you are sponsoring, and anything unique in your participation.

Is someone speaking at a community event soon? What is the topic? Share a description of the organization.

Conduct a survey of your employees on how they feel about the company’s contributions in the community? Share the results you feel are appropriate.

Who is on a community board or committee? Interview and share why this group is important and what are the individual’s goals.

Interview the leader of a charitable organization, share the article, and provide a link to the organization.

And the list goes on…There are more reasons to share than to not do so. Make sure you have a good mix of news and that most of what you are doing is truly helpful to the community. Go for it…as you will not only be helping communicate what is important to your company, but you just never know where you will influence others to support a charity or initiative.

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