Good for you!
Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report May 2019
Research shows volunteering builds personal and professional skills—and keeps the pounds off!
Important STLE programs, such as our annual STEM Camp, wouldn’t be possible without volunteers.
STLE reaches the end of its annual business cycle in springtime. Board of directors terms conclude, committee members finish up their work, and most local sections go on hiatus over the summer.
So this is a great time to recognize the volunteers who make the organization a success as we pursue our
Connect, Learn, Achieve value proposition. STLE’s volunteer contingent includes more than 300 people who hold a variety of positions and contribute in many different ways. To everyone who supports STLE, we say, Thank you!
Saying thank you is important because volunteers and their employers are willing to provide services for no financial or social gain. But while volunteering is, by definition, an altruistic activity, there’s also substantial evidence in the not-for-profit world that people who share their time and expertise with organizations like STLE also realize some professional and personal benefits that should not be overlooked.
In a recent blog post, Peggy Hoffman, president of association-management consultancy Mariner Management & Marketing, cited research that documents the three primary ways volunteerism works to the benefit of an individual donating their time and effort.
Example No. 1 stresses that being a volunteer is a training and professional development experience. “Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills in the workplace such as team work, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management and organization,” according to Hoffman. This can be a compelling point to stress, especially when seeking company support to become active in STLE at the local or national level.
For students and other individuals looking to join a company in the tribology and lubricants business, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field. A LinkedIn survey conducted several years ago confirms this second example. The study found that volunteer experience can give job candidates an edge with hiring managers: 41% consider volunteer work equally as valuable as paid experience and 20% had made a hiring decision based on a candidate’s volunteer contributions.
This is a good reminder that volunteering builds your network of contacts and references and demonstrates your energy and interest in learning, according to Hoffman.
On the personal side, research points to evidence that volunteering can do wonders for your health, self-esteem and confidence. In her blog post, Hoffman cites one report which found that people who volunteer more than 100 hours a year are some of the healthiest people in the U.S. Another study maintained that volunteers tend to live longer and are more likely to take care of themselves in general, including keeping their weight under control.
The common factor behind these benefits seems to be that volunteering connects you to other people. This tends to lower stress and contribute to an overall sense of happiness.
STLE welcomes volunteers at all levels. The upcoming annual meeting in Nashville offers a great opportunity for those attending to join a technical committee and contribute to program plans for the 2020 meeting. Local sections also are eager to bring aboard people willing to help with everything from meeting program plans to golf outings.
For other ideas, check out the volunteer opportunities page at
www.stle.org. It includes a list of available positions and an expression of interest form that you can submit electronically. We invite you to step forward and be a part of the STLE volunteer team. Good for us and, just as important, good for you!
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.