Why volunteer activities should be a part of every career development plan

Volunteering can be a powerful way to make a difference for causes you care about with an added benefit for your career: It can help supercharge your professional growth!

Countless studies and anecdotal evidence support the idea that volunteering is good for professional growth. A recent article on Indeed.com expertly explains seven benefits of volunteering for your career:

1.     Volunteering can add experience to your resume.

2.     You can expand your network.

3.     Volunteering can help you avoid job gaps on your resume.

4.     You can learn and apply new skills.

5.     Volunteering can help you increase your job confidence.

6.     You can showcase your fit for open positions.

7.     Volunteering can help prepare you for a career or role change.

Add these benefits to the fact that volunteer service helps create positive change, and it’s really a win-win situation to add volunteer activities to your career development plan.

At Bank of America, we observe the month of April as our Global Service Month, when we celebrate our passion for year-round giving and volunteering. The focus on volunteerism this month got me thinking about the learning and career growth opportunities that I’ve personally experienced by getting involved in the community. Here are a couple examples of how volunteerism has helped me develop skills, grow my network and add depth to my career:

Facing and conquering fears

After graduating from Auburn, even despite numerous presentations throughout my academic career, speaking in front of a crowd was not my idea of fun. It was downright scary and was an activity I avoided — until I started volunteering for a local organization that ran youth development programs. 

I was really inspired to help these kids, and I had the chance to speak with large groups of them. After the first presentation, I could see how much they appreciated what I had to say. Middle schoolers can be a tough crowd, so I really took the time to prepare and practice my presentations to make sure the talks would be engaging and entertaining.

As a result, I got much better at presentations, and way more confident. My fear of public speaking diminished, and I grew to love the storytelling aspect of a good presentation. And this skill has been essential to advancing my career ever since.

A testing ground for entrepreneurial skills

Around the time I moved to Charlotte in 2014 and was getting acquainted with my new team, I learned that one of my coworkers had a teenage son with Down syndrome. She shared how she was trying to find solutions to keep him socially engaged and thriving within the community after he graduated high school.

I could personally relate. My brother Andy also has Down syndrome, and my family grappled with these same questions before he graduated. Back then, there weren’t many options where we lived in Birmingham, Alabama. The solution for us was to form The Exceptional Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to serve individuals with special needs in our community.

Realizing the need for similar services in Charlotte, my coworker and I rallied a handful of other families and teammates who participate in the bank’s Disability Action Network and we established the Next Step Clubhouse.

Being involved in the evolution of these nonprofits gave me the opportunity to stretch my entrepreneurial wings by building organizations and programs from the ground up. It has also expanded my network by connecting me with incredible individuals who support and benefit from this work.

These two examples highlight the career growth opportunities I’ve experienced from volunteering, though the benefits go far beyond professional benefits!

All of this contributes to why I believe it is so important for employees to volunteer regularly. And I’m grateful to be a part of an organization that encourages and enables employees to make an impact. At Bank of America, employees can receive up to two hours of paid time off per week to volunteer and earn volunteer grants for their service. It makes it easy to incorporate volunteerism into plans for career growth!

How have your volunteer experiences helped you grow professionally?

Happy Global Service Month!

— John