3 Reasons Why Being a Volunteer Leader Helps Your Business
One of the great things about joining a professional development organization is that you can get hands-on leadership experience as a volunteer; experience which, they say, will serve you well in your “real” job. Certainly that’s a selling point for such organizations and in the PR/communications field, organizations such as IABC and PRSA thrive on it.
What kind of leadership skills do volunteer leaders actually gain though? And do these skills actually benefit them in their careers, or are they simply good volunteer leaders because of skills they’ve acquired through their day jobs?
At the end of the day, is being a volunteer leader—with all the time it takes—worth it?
I recently started my term as President of IABC/Washington after having previously served on the chapter board as VP, Professional Development, for three years until a couple of years ago. Before moving to the DC area, I served on the board of San Francisco Bay Area Publicity Club and now, in addition to my duties at IABC/Washington, I volunteer on IABC International’s Accreditation Council.
Filed under Business, Career, Networking, Shonali Burke | Tags: Career, grow smart business, iabc, iabc washington, jill foster, leadership, Measurement, pr, SFBAPC, volunteering | Comments (7)The Business of Business Cards
Last week I spoke at Communitelligence’s “Rethinking Corporate Communications 2009″ conference just two days after the GrowSmartBiz conference. GSB was a veritable smorgasbord of networking and ideas, with Steven Fisher’s presentation on killer business cards definitely a highlight.
So when I met Mahmoud Arafa of designframe at RCC and saw his business cards, I couldn’t but help think of Steve’s presentation. Check them out.
And this is the back.
Why GrowSmartBiz Rocked
Though I was excited about attending the GrowSmartBiz conference yesterday (to which I was invited as “Media/Blogger,” which was very cool for me), I did feel a little grumpy about getting ready and heading out early. That’s what happens when you work from home. After reading about Mayra Ruiz’ trek from West Virginia, though, I’ve resolved to never complain about doing so again (well, I can try). I only had to drive about 10 minutes to a Metro station and endure a not-unpleasant trip on only one Metro line. Mayra, you’re dedicated!
I live-tweeted during the conference, so I’m not going to recap all of that here. But here’s why I think GrowSmartBiz rocked:
1. Great food. When you attend a lot of conferences, you know what a difference a hot breakfast can make. Eggs, breakfast potatoes… the works. And it was nice to be able to sit down and eat without trying to balance your plate, bags, etc., on your lap. I even got to meet the folks from Indique (can I get an Amen?) during breakfast. Sweet.
2. For the most part, the panels were engaging. You can read great recaps/POVs here and here, to name just a couple. I had to divide my time between the conference and the “Learning Center,” so I missed parts of some panels, but I had as much fun hanging out there with people like Raj and Rebecca Malik, Robin Ferrier and Mike Dougherty, to name just a few.
Filed under Communication, Shonali Burke | Tags: crt/tanaka, grow smart business, growsmartbiz, indique, jill foster, joanna pineda, mayra ruiz, mike dougherty, priya ramesh, raj malik, rebecca malik, robin ferrier, roy dunbar, senator mark warner, shashi bellamkonda, steven fisher | Comments (8)
