Why Volunteering Is Important to Me Personally and Professionally

Authored by?Don Nguyen, Manager, Accounting at Alteryx?

One of my favorite benefits of working at Alteryx is the?20 hours of volunteer time off (VTO)?each employee gets each year.?I enjoy?VTO?because?I?can?volunteer as?part of?a team activity or as an individual?for a?personally important cause.?Further,?volunteer events don’t just happen on the weekends. We’re encouraged to take time away from work, which allows us to recharge while also making a difference.??

I'm passionate about my continued involvement in a mentorship?program. I attribute much of how far I’ve come personally and professionally to strong mentors of different ages, experiences, and backgrounds.?Being able to pay that forward,?passing?along what I have learned to future generations?of leaders?is a privilege.?Mentoring?is also?an?opportunity?for me?to learn from and hear their stories.?It’s the details that count, so even if you have gone through something similar, there is room to be open and present. Of course, an additional?benefit is another?excuse to visit?my college?campus?--?who doesn’t love to relive their glory days???

I also really enjoy volunteering with my team.?Living in Orange County, California,?affords an abundance of natural landscapes to enjoy.?At Alteryx, we feel?responsible for maintaining and preserving?these?areas so that we (and those to come) can enjoy them.?The organizations we partner?and volunteer with?do great work.?My experience volunteering with them has?allowed?me to connect?personally?with my team?for?the?common good, while?also?getting?better acquainted with?employees?from other departments.?Having?opportunities?to?listen and learn?from other passionate and like-minded individuals is?a?rewarding?endeavor.??

As with most things in life,?commitment and repetition bring a sense of purpose and satisfaction.?Volunteering keeps me grounded and serves as a reminder of our interconnectedness. Making a difference?for?another individual, organization, or community is a multiplier effect that will benefit you no matter how tangential it may seem on the surface.??

This mentality of paying?it?forward?also?shapes my perspectives as a people leader. The transition from individual contributor to people leader requires an acute understanding that while individual development and growth are paramount,?you now have direct and indirect reports. Successes and struggles are collectively shared,?and suddenly,?your individual actions?do not move the needle as?they?did before.?Being invested and guiding?your team’s?growth?more than?pays for itself.??

I am?thankful?for the leadership that Alteryx is charting?in this area. It is my hope that this?catches on and becomes?secondhand?at?other companies