As we near the end of Student Volunteering Week, we’re looking at how volunteering opportunities can effect real change in your career journey, from applying to jobs and developing crucial skills.
We asked Guild staff to share their volunteering experience, from how volunteering has helped in their career and the impact it has had both personally and professionally.
Hannah Fowler, Societies & Volunteering Manager -
During University I volunteered as Secretary of Help the Homeless Society which taught me some invaluable transferrable skills such as teamwork and communication. I also then began volunteering with WHISC in the city centre which helped me understand the vital role charities and the third sector play in supporting local communities. I volunteered at WHISC during University then used my Volunteer days here at the Guild to go back and support their fundraising efforts where I helped create a campaign called "Walk in her shoes" which looked at the average steps of all different types of women, from mothers to women seeking asylum, and used this as an incentive to seek sponsorship for steps they take in a day!
The skills I gained from this, really helped in my current role as Societies and Volunteering Manager as I work closely with Charities so can understand their day to day workings and can see how valuable it is for our current students to have an active and vibrant volunteer platform. The skills volunteering provided me have absolutely helped me in my job role now, and the sense of satisfaction it brings, is like no other.
Michael Donnelly, Facilities Assistant - I've been volunteering at Freshfields Animal Rescue for the last 3 years. Getting outside in green spaces and walking dogs as been so beneficial for my mental health. It helps give a bit of structure to my week and of course I get to meet lots of lovely dogs.
Sian McGreary, Director of Marketing - I was secretary of my boys Primary School PTA (Parent Teacher Association) for two years before Covid. As a small team of four we organised a range of fundraising activities and coordinated events for the children. We raised £10,000 over that period and this enabled the school to purchase a range of equipment for classrooms, a number of new iPads, paid for coach transport to the Christmas pantomime trip and the end of term class parties. It was a completely different way of working for me as I’d never volunteered or worked with volunteers before so I learnt lots very quickly and really needed to adapt my style! It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone but was really rewarding being able to see the direct impact our work had on the school.
I am now a Trustee at a Charity called Vegetarian for Life. Again, I’ve learnt so much from doing this, not only have I developed professional relationships with a completely different group of people and learnt from their styles and backgrounds, I’ve been able to see how another charity operates and how they are governed. I’ve also been developed as a trustee with legal responsibility for the work they do.
Ruth Dalton, Deputy Director of Membership Services - I’ve been a Trustee at WHISC for 6-7 years now and I love it! It’s been a difficult time for small charities, and it's not getting any easier, but I’ve appreciated the experience I've gained in supporting the charity to develop a new strategy and to help them re-establish their purpose. I’ve been grateful to volunteer alongside inspiring and passionate women, and to see the impact that the charity has on the city.
I’ve also volunteered with What We Did Next, an amateur musical theatre company, and I’m currently their Secretary. Taking on a committee role has given me the opportunity to combine my love of theatre and organisation! It's been great to provide opportunities for others to do what they love and has helped me to discover a love for producing that I didn’t know I had!
Angela Thomas, Finance Manager - I was Treasurer for my daughter’s swim club for 6 years up until 2021. I found it really rewarding knowing that something that I do in my career could easily be transferred to assist a club where every penny counts. I trained many other volunteers in the role so when I left I knew that the club was able to save money by not using external accountancy services.
I am now a finance trustee for a charity called Q’tine which is based in Manchester who make original theatre, performance and public events. Both of these volunteering experiences have helped me progress in my career, pushed me out of my comfort zone and increased my confidence. They gave me insight into how the board develop strategy and make decisions that ultimately affect the shape of the charity.
If you’re interested in boosting your CV, developing transferable skills and working on causes that matter to you, you can find all our volunteering opportunities here