There are all kinds of community service organizations and projects that could benefit from the support of your company or a group of people in your company.
Why not initiate a company project? Find out how many other workers would be interested.
This not only helps you and your fellow co-workers feel good about yourselves and your work; it can also generate excellent publicity for your company.
Do your homework Begin by doing your homework.
Figure out what would best suit your co-workers and your company.
Discuss it with them.
Ask your supervisor what your business would be interested in supporting.
Consider the logistics of including everyone who would want to participate and make a plan you think the majority of your co-workers would support.
It would be helpful to avoid religious and political organizations to be as inclusive as possible.
Instead of volunteering your professional talents, maybe your co-workers would benefit from doing something completely different from their duties at work.
Your supervisors might want to start with something that actually benefits the company, just to get comfortable with the whole idea of community service.
Open a few internship positions through your local community college and offer to supervise a college student who may, one day after graduation, be a future employee.
What follows are just a few examples:
* Organize a committee to help plan fundraising events in your company.
Use the money collected throughout the year for a needy family during the holidays.
* Plan a holiday party.
It doesn't have to be in December in fact it might be better if it is not a religious holiday since everyone else is doing something then.
Perhaps Labor Day or another holiday invite people in a nursing home or children in an economically deprived area.
* "Adopt" a particular class at a school or the whole school.
Hold special learning days, teaching them about what your company does and how they might plan for a future in your career field.
Take them on a special field trip or a picnic.
Each one of your co-workers could really make a difference in a child's life if your company were to help with schoolwork for an hour per week.
* Help adults with life skills such as budgeting, acquiring new job skills and, most importantly, literacy.
In almost every area of interest a person has, local agencies have already set up programs with participants hoping for volunteers to show up.
* Have your company join Habitat for Humanity.
That agency and others have all the organizational plans and materials ready for your company to participate.
Companies can join in these programs for just a day or weeks at a time.
* Your company could form a cooperative educational effort with other businesses.
Each company can contribute something to an overall program that enriches the live of people in less fortunate circumstances.
Individual volunteer effort As an individual, you can volunteer your skills to a nonprofit organization.
Are you an accountant? Help with records and bookkeeping.
Are you in advertising or public relations? Offer to create effective fund-raising campaigns or public service, spot, radio and television commercials.
Are you a teacher or a writer? Many underprivileged children and illiterate adults could benefit from your help in learning to read.
You can find hundreds of ways to use your job skills creatively to help others, and make your work feel truly rewarding.
The possibilities are endless! Jane Boucher is an author and professional speaker with offices in Reno and Ohio.
Reach her at 775-853-0226, 937-416- 9881 or janeboucher@mail.com.
Her Web sites are www.janeboucher.com and www.janeboucher.org
