Volunteer Power

Next Tuesday I’m scheduled to speak at an event with my friend Kay Mathers from Girls, Inc. Sponsored by AdFed Suncoast and the Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, the event is called Super Tuesday with an opening session starting at 8:00am and breakout sessions throughout the morning.

The title of our session is The Power of Volunteering. This week’s post is the first draft of my presentation.

Over the years I have served in many organizations. In high school I was a member of several different clubs including the National Honor Society, the National Art Honor Society, and numerous math clubs.

As you may recall, academic clubs are about education. Their primary purpose is for participants to share knowledge about a specific subject. And like most organizations, academic clubs provide opportunities to volunteer and serve the members of the group.

Here you can see I served as treasurer during my senior year in high school. And yes, I wore both glasses and braces in 12^th grade. Not a fond memory.

The power of volunteering as a high school student had a significant impact on my life. Not only did participating in academic clubs offer an opportunity for nerds like me to socialize with other people, but it also helped me graduate with honors and earn an academic scholarship for college.

As an adult I continued to volunteer throughout my career. When I was the Director of Marketing for Quest Solutions I served on exhibitor advisory committees for two of the largest construction trade shows in the world, CONEXPO-CON/AGG and World of Concrete. The experience gave me an opportunity to network with marketing professionals from industry-leading companies like Caterpillar, the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment.

I was also able to influence the floor planning and execution of major industry events, which ultimately had a direct impact on our ability to sell our software to the contractors who attended those shows.

When I started Milestone Marketing Associates one of the first things I did was join several local business associations. I was a member of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance for several years. I volunteered with the Chamber Partners for a year, which is essentially the welcome wagon for new members, and I served on the Chamber’s Communication Council for several years.

When I was a member of the Business Alliance I served on the Events Committee for several years, twice chairing the golf tournament, and I volunteered on the Public Relations Committee for one year.

While participating in those organizations did not generate a significant return on investment in the form of new clients for Milestone, I was able to increase my local network by several thousand contacts, raise awareness for my new business, a build a great reputation for getting things done.

I still belong to the Suncoast Technology Forum and AdFed Suncoast. I am a past president of both organizations, and I currently serve on the STF Board of Directors. Benefits of these groups are similar to general business associations like the Chamber and the Alliance, but in both cases the groups are more narrowly focused.

STF is for technology-related businesses and tech-minded people. Its purpose is to shine a light on the local technology community with a goal of diversifying our economy. AdFed is an organization for creative professionals. In that group we focus on topics and trends that affect advertising and marketing.

I’ve always said there are three reasons why people join these groups:

• The first is professional networking. Whether or not you’re responsible for sales, there is value – and power – in building a strong network.
• The second is professional development. Some professions have very specific requirements for continuing education. Others simply benefit from learning more about what they do. Knowledge is power.
• The third is professional recognition. Everyone likes to be appreciated. Whether that comes in the form of winning awards, certificates of completion, or plaques on your wall, keeping score is powerful.

Beyond academic clubs and business associations, most people think of community service when it comes to volunteering your time. Service organizations come in all shapes and sizes. From broad-based, global groups like United Way, to mission-critical national associations like the American Cancer Society, to civic-minded local establishments like churches and homeless shelters, every nonprofit relies on volunteers to make a difference.

When I was an up-and-coming young executive my father encouraged me to join Kiwanis. If you’re not familiar with Kiwanis, then perhaps you’ve noticed one of our little blue signs with a big white K located near the entrance of cities and towns all over the world. Or maybe you were a member of Key Club in high school, which is part of Kiwanis.

Kiwanis International is a global organization of members dedicated to serving the children of the world. With chapters in 80 countries and more than 600,000 members in its family of clubs, Kiwanis raises more than $100 million and volunteers 18.5 million service hours every year.

Ironically I joined Kiwanis for selfish reasons. I was 28 years old, far younger than the other members of my club. My wife and I married a few years earlier, but we didn’t have kids yet. I was working on Siesta Key for the software company I mentioned earlier, and I had recently become a partner.

My career took off at a young age, and I felt like I needed to mature. I became a charter member of the Siesta Key Kiwanis Club for personal growth. I wanted to learn how to become a better leader, get better at public speaking, and understand how nonprofit organizations worked –Roberts Rules of Order, 501c3 tax exemption, stuff like that.

But somewhere along the way I caught the service bug. Giving back feels good. Whether you’re raising money for a foundation so you can support a worthy cause, or donating your time in the service of others, volunteering makes you feel good about yourself.

It took a while. I have served on and off our board of directors for 15 years now. I was president of our club in 2006-2007, and I attended the Kiwanis International Convention with my father that year, which was held in Montreal. I remember one of the speakers talking about his Kiwanis Moment. He described an epiphany when he realized what being part of Kiwanis really meant to him. He told a heartfelt story about helping an underprivileged kid who thanked him later years for saving his life.

Listening to his story I realized I hadn’t had my Kiwanis Moment. I felt badly. I had been a member of Kiwanis for six years at that point. Was there something wrong with me? I began to question my commitment to serving kids in my community. I had two kids of my own by then. Perhaps it would be better to spend more time with them.

When my term as president was over I focused my volunteer energy on our club’s Service Leadership Programs, which are the sponsored youth versions of Kiwanis. In elementary school it’s called K-Kids. In middle school it’s called Builders Club. In high school it’s called Key Club. And in college it’s called Circle K. There’s also a special kind of Kiwanis Club for disabled adults called Aktion Club.

A couple years later, after a smaller Kiwanis Club folded, our club had an opportunity to sponsor the Pine View Key Club. We jumped at the chance. Up to that point we had only supported a K-Kids at Philippi Shores Elementary School, which didn’t last, and a Builders Club at Sarasota Middle School.

I’ll never forget calling the incoming president of the Pine View Key Club to introduce myself as the liaison from their new sponsor. On the call I met a bright, well-spoken young lady, who was bursting with energy. I asked about her goals for her year as president, and she said they were building a school in Bangladesh. Taken aback by her bold statement I jokingly asked, “So what’s the going rate for a school in Bangladesh these days?”

Without missing a beat she said, “Thirty Thousand Dollars.” She went on to explain how they were going to raise the money through various fundraising efforts and matching grant programs. And she was even more excited when she described the school, how it would be built, and the fact the project had to include a well because the people in the village had to walk miles back-and-forth each day for water.

I was astonished. These were kids. Albeit smart, over privileged kids attending a school for gifted students, but they were still teenagers. That was my Kiwanis Moment. When I realized just how far giving back can go. My club was making a difference in our community. Her club was making the world a better place.

Now that’s an example of the Power of Volunteering.

Until next week,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.