NVW2012: Celebrating our volunteer superstars!
It's National Volunteer Week, and we're celebrating two of our great volunteers who have been contributing to one of our latest projects.
We're in the middle of National Volunteer Week 2012, and it's great to see not-for-profit organisations on Facebook and Twitter sharing how their volunteers are making a difference. This year's theme, "volunteers - everyone counts" makes the point that every single volunteer is significant to the organisation and cause they're a part of. Without them, many organisations wouldn't be able to do what they do.
We're no different!
The Connecting Up Directory of Australian Not-for-Profits and Charities wouldn't be around if there weren't diligent volunteers updating and adding content everyday. Without them, it wouldn't be what it is today.
Two of our volunteer superstars, Kirsty and Bhargav took a bit of time out of their busy work, life and volunteering schedules to tell us why they love volunteering and what it means to them.
Kirsty Tanner
Kirsty blogs over at Vegan Tasmania, and has been volunteering with Connecting Up for a couple months. She shares how volunteering gives her a sense of achievement and a way to make new contacts.
Why is volunteering important to you?
Volunteering is important because it gives me a simple and effective way of giving back to the community and supporting not-for-profits throughout Australia. If I can I spare some time every week to help others then why wouldn’t I? Not only does it help worthy causes it gives me a sense of achievement and community.
How does volunteering with Connecting Up benefit you in your professional career?
Through Connecting Up I have gained experience with data entry and can show potential employers that I have a great work ethic, can work independently and possess time management skills. I have also gained wonderful contacts that can vouch for me and be a point of reference.
What do you like most about volunteering with Connecting Up?
Connecting Up is doing fantastic things for the not-for-profits in Australia, volunteering with them means that I can help to establish a better online presence for them and in doing so help many different non-profit organisations in a single day.
Bhargav Badala
Bahrgav has recently moved to Australia and started volunteering with us last month. For Bhargav, volunteering is a chance for him to learn new skills, making new contacts and learning more about Australian culture. Here's what he says about volunteering:
Why is volunteering important to you?
Volunteering is important to me because I can give my knowledge and skills back to the society, I get to know the people of Adelaide and their culture and I can get local reference of people I am working with and build my network.
How does volunteering with Connecting Up benefit you in your professional career?
It will help me gain the knowledge on various communities around the city wherein I could see if I can join those clubs and increase my contacts and grow my network. It also helps me get an understanding of various communities present most of which I have never heard of.
What do you like most about volunteering with Connecting Up?
I like the work environment at Connecting Up; it is a fun place to work. I have met people from various background and multiple ethnicities, which make working more of a learning of different cultures.
