Listing volunteer experience on your résumé can make the case to an employer that you have the skills needed to complete the job if you don’t have an extensive work history or are switching career fields.

Employers are increasingly looking to hire individuals with a social conscience and who show a demonstrated commitment to their community. With a lot of well-qualified people competing for the same job, talking up your volunteer efforts can also help you stand out in a crowd of people who may have similar education and work histories.

Tips for Putting Volunteer Work on Your Résumé

If you have volunteer experience that you’re not showcasing to prospective employers, start by jotting down details about your volunteer history, including the organizations you worked with, the timeframe you worked with them, important projects you worked on and the skills you gained from the experience.

Start to shape your list by implementing the following practices:

• Integrate volunteer and work experience. If you’re using volunteer experience to flesh out a limited employment history, combine these sections under one header called “Experience” instead of listing them separately. Never place your volunteer experience at the end of your résumé, where it’s likely to be viewed as less important.
• Include descriptive titles. Instead of “volunteer,” come up with a more accurate description of the work you performed. For example, if you tutored elementary school children, call yourself a “tutor.” If you coordinated a food drive, list your title as a “project coordinator.”
• Talk about results, not just responsibilities. Employers want to know more than the literal tasks that were assigned to you during your time as a volunteer – they want to know how you performed at those duties. Provide concrete examples and numbers that illustrate your ability to excel and achieve results.
• Incorporate volunteer work in your online profiles. LinkedIn, the Internet’s largest professional network, recently added new volunteer fields to its profile options, giving job seekers the chance to add volunteer positions, causes they care about and organizations they support. A large number of employers are using the site to find and screen job candidates, so make sure you have a profile and that it accurately reflects your abilities.

Don’t forget — when talking up your volunteer experience, traditional résumé rules still apply! Check out Goodwill’s top ten tips to write a résumé at any age for more advice on preparing a professional document that will help you get your foot in the door at a company.

Looking to build your volunteer experience? Search Goodwill volunteer opportunities online or visit VolunteerMatch to view all positions in your area.

Virtual volunteering is a great way to build your skills and strengthen your résumé. Virtual volunteers lend their time and talents from the comfort of  home and on their own schedule. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection — either at home or at your local library.

Professional Benefits of Virtual Volunteering

By finding a virtual service project that complements your interests and skills, you can take control of your professional development. Additionally, these projects help build your skills, résumé and professional networks.

As a virtual volunteer, you’ll also be showing potential employers that:

• You’re self-motivated.
• You have good time management skills, since you set your own schedule.
• You can commit to and finish a project.
• You’re comfortable communicating in written form since email is the primary form of interaction.

Virtual volunteering opportunities aren’t just for the computer-savvy. Organizations are in need of all kinds of help. You could look up news articles about a certain topic, you could write thank you letters to donors, or you could create logos for marketing materials. If you have the expertise, you could help design and maintain a web site, write grant proposals, or program web applications or  software. If you’d rather do work that doesn’t require a computer, consider something simple, such knitting hats and scarfs for a cause or making phone calls.

Find Online Volunteering Opportunities

If you’re ready to give virtual volunteering a try, you can locate opportunities on VolunteerMatch, Serve.gov or AllForGood. Short on time but still want to make a big impact? Try microvolunteering, which engages a group of online volunteers to complete a project. By volunteering your expertise to accomplish bite-sized pieces of a larger endeavor, you’ll help make a difference to nonprofits in need. Visit Sparked — the Internet’s leading microvolunteering site — to check out current projects.

Interested in virtually volunteering with Goodwill? Use our locator to find the headquarters nearest you and contact them to see how you might lend a hand from the comfort of your own home.

FATHER Project

Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota’s FATHER (Fostering Actions To Help Earnings and Responsibility) Project helps metro-area fathers who are low-income, non-custodial dads to become more involved in their children’s lives. The FATHER Project’s mission is to assist fathers in overcoming the barriers that prevent them from supporting their children economically and emotionally.

Since 1999, the FATHER Project has been changing lives for Minnesota fathers and their families. The FATHER Project believes that the positive involvement of both parents is important to the healthy development of children and increases their chances of leading a safe, happy childhood and growing into mature adults.

Setting an Example for Success

Mike, a current FATHER Project participant completed parenting classes at the FATHER Project and recently obtained full-time employment as a customer service representative. With help from the program, he has been able to establish paternity and visitation for children, establish reasonable child support payments and re-obtain a drivers license.

Mike began working with a mentor named Marcus in March of this year to set goals, work on life skills and address personal self-management issues. They meet every Wednesday at Goodwill/Easter Seals’ offices for at least one hour per week. Marcus has also helped him become more comfortable talking with others and dealing with and expressing his frustrations in a professional and constructive manner.

Marcus is actually a former FATHER Project participant himself. He has completed the leadership group at the Father Project, and he requested to be a mentor in the Second Chance Mentor Program.  He volunteers his time at the FATHER Project assisting with facilitation of leadership groups for current participants.

Paying It Forward

Like Marcus, your knowledge and experiences can help someone else succeed. You can help someone make positive changes in their life. If you live in the Minneapolis, MN area and are interested in becoming a volunteer mentor or would like more information about the FATHER Project and the Second Chance Mentoring Program, please contact Jay Carter at (651) 379-5867 or e-mail him at jcarter@goodwilleasterseals.org.

Goodwills around the country offer programs and services to help fathers succeed. Learn about initiatives in your area:

Contact Your Local Goodwill

Save the Planet One Item at a Time
In 2009, donors helped Goodwill agencies divert more than two billion pounds of usable items from landfills. In 2011, you can help divert even more items from the landfills near you by donating your gently used clothing and household goods.  Items you might not think of can also be donated or recycled. Consider the following list of common household items you can recycle:

1. Computers/laptops. Do you have an old computer or laptop in your house?  Don’t throw it away.  Goodwill partners with Dell on the Dell Reconnect program, a residential computer recycling program that offers you an easy, convenient and responsible way to recycle your used computer equipment. You can drop off any brand of used equipment at participating Goodwill donation centers in your area. It’s free, and you’ll get a receipt for tax purposes.
2. Batteries. Batteries contain dangerous metals that can contaminate our soil and water.  However, there are organizations, like Call2Recycle, that are making it easier than ever for you to help keep those toxic AAs out of our area landfills.
3. Cell phones. We all have old cell phones sitting in our drawers, left behind after we upgraded to the newest model.  Powered by batteries, cell phones are just as harmful when tossed in the trash.  Organizations such as, Recycle My Cell Phone and United States Environmental Protection Program’s eCycle Cell Phones program, are making it convenient for individuals to keep those cell phones from cluttering houses and polluting the planet.
4. Toner and ink cartridges. It can take anywhere from 450 to 1000 years for your toner or ink cartridge to break down in a landfill. There are tons of business and organization, such as InkRecycle.org and Staples, that are collecting cartridges.

Want to help?
Keep items from ending up in a landfill by organizing a donation drive in your community.  The Donate Movement®, powered by Goodwill, challenges all of us to donate conscientiously and responsibly.  It provides a step-by-step guide to creating a successful donation drive in your community.  Help bring awareness to your community by finding out how you can volunteer or donate at your local Goodwill.

As Goodwill Industries International’s national volunteer specialist, I often hear stories about the dedicated volunteers giving their time at Goodwills in the U.S. and Canada.  However, one program has allowed one financial institution’s employees to turn their skills into a life changing volunteer opportunity.

Teach a Man to Bank

With the generous support of  the Charles Schwab Foundation, Goodwill Industries^® of Central Indiana is completing its first year of a financial education program called Good Assets. Good Assets offers Goodwill^® employees financial education classroom instruction, as well as financial coaching.  The amazing part of this program is that it is powered by volunteers who conduct the classroom instruction and provide one-on-one coaching with individuals.  Charles Schwab has deepened its commitment by providing many volunteers to help serve as instructors and coaches.

Good Assets has several volunteer and participant financial coaching relationships that are producing changes in behaviors. One Schwab volunteer and participant duo is currently attending the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University together weekly, as well as meeting to work on other financial goals.

The participant commented that she could not have been matched with a better volunteer.  She enjoyed that they had similar interests and were able to relate to one another. The participant had been so inspired by her experience with Good Assets that she wanted to help others achieve financial stability by volunteering.  She is now trained to be classroom instructor and will be helping her coworkers join her on the path to success.

A Time for Thanks

In honor of National Volunteer Month, I would like to thank the Indianapolis Charles Schwab volunteers and all of the Goodwill volunteers that create change in your community.  Goodwill  programs could not provide many of our services without your help.

Locate a volunteer opportunity nearest you using our volunteer search tool.

Being unable to read makes many aspects of life difficult, from ordering on a menu to completing applications for jobs.  Many Goodwill® agencies provide resources to help individuals increase their reading proficiency, but one Goodwill is going a step further to help its community become stronger readers.

Creating a New Generation of Bookworms

As a provider of welfare transition services in West Central Florida, Goodwill Industries-Suncoast has seen the effects of illiteracy on adults.  Their response to this issue is a program called BookWorks. Goodwill’s BookWorks program brings together volunteer readers and children from low-income households to promote childhood literacy. BookWorks is designed to instill a love of books and reading, and to encourage self-sufficiency. The ultimate goal of BookWorks is to break the cycle of illiteracy and help children succeed in tomorrow’s workforce.

Volunteers like Kitty Cappelli read to preschool children at Head Start centers and other locations, and then present each child with a book of his or her own to take home. This program reaches children in six counties in West Central Florida:  Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Polk and Marion. Last year, the program gave more than 29,000 books to preschool children who may not otherwise have had them.

Take Action

Whether through donating books or donating your time, you can help someone build their literacy skills and be successful in life.  Want to support the BookWorks program?  Goodwill’s BookWorks is holding a drive to collect children’s books through March 15. If you are interested in participating, contact Goodwill-Suncoast. Want to support a literacy program in your community?

Visit America’s Literacy Directory »

In November, GoodGuides® visited the UCLA campus with two of our youth mentees who aspire to be doctors. The campus tour invigorated us all, and the academic environment provided unspoken encouragement and promise to our youth who had not been exposed to such tangible possibilities for their future.

But the journey proved to be enlightening in many ways beyond academic possibilities. One of the girls had never seen the ocean. A visit to the Santa Monica Pier was in order. Navigating the hustle-and-bustle of Santa Monica traffic, I looked in the rear-view mirror to see both of our youth staring up in awe at the towering skyscrapers lining the boulevard.

We arrived at the promenade and made our way to the end of the pier just in time to see the sun set.  To watch the sunset reflected on the faces of two awestruck teenagers was truly a remarkable experience. I knew this moment would be one of many that remained etched in their memories for years to come — hopefully one they could reflect back on from the vantage point of successful adults.

As we walked back to the car, Ria scurried up to walk alongside me. Normally shy and soft spoken, Ria erupted into conversation. ”I had never thought about how much is outside of Bakersfield. This has been so awesome!” she exclaimed.

The drive back to Bakersfield was a silent one, with my fellow mentor asleep and the youth staring silently out the windows. I smiled to myself, imagining the flood of thoughts that occupied their minds and reflecting upon how this one experience impacted their lives, regardless of where those lives take them.

In November 2009, Goodwill Industries International, along with 56 Goodwills in 38 states, kicked off the GoodGuides® youth mentoring program. Today, more than 3,100 youth have been matched with mentors. Across the country, youth, families and referral sources report positive changes in the lives of youth from mentoring.

Perfect Pairings
Elizabeth came to the GoodGuides program very skeptical of what the program had to offer.  She was struggling in school, and her anger  sometimes got the best of her. She wanted that to change.  Elizabeth also recognized that her friends were not having a positive impact on her life.

In August, she was matched with her own mentor, Monica.  Monica has a variety of interests, including playing sports, kayaking and creating jewelry.   During the initial meeting between Monica and Elizabeth, they realized their most significant common interest – the medical field.  Monica works for a local hospital as a Sterile Processing Technician, where she  cleans and sterilizes surgical equipment.

Today, both Elizabeth and Monica say they have been pleasantly surprised at how much they have in common. Elizabeth finds  going to the hospital and learning about Monica’s job fascinating.  She can’t wait to go home and tell her family what she sees and learns there.  Elizabeth has also become more involved in school this year, working as a teacher’s aide.  She has made an effort to avoid her friends from last year who were exerting negative peer pressure on her.  She also reports that she has learned more effective ways to handle her anger and is noticeably smiling much more since being matched.

Monica also finds the experience to be enjoyable since she is the youngest in her own family and never had a younger sibling to be a role model to.  When asked what she would tell potential mentors, she said, “I really didn’t think I would have time, but my boyfriend had me go to the GoodGuides meeting with him and I’ve found that 4 hours per month is not hard to find.  It is fun doing things I already do with someone else.”

Find Your Perfect Match
Youth across the country have improved their relationships with family, adopted better attitudes towards school, and reported a decrease in aggression because of their experience with their mentor.

Want to make a difference in a young person’s life?  Contact the participating Goodwill in your community and speak with a program specialist to find out how you can become a mentor.

In 2011, hard-working individuals and families are eligible for up to $5,666 in an EITC tax refund. That money can translate into countless opportunities: a mortgage payment, a college class, a doctor’s appointment or a new vehicle — the possibilities are endless.

Be a VITA Volunteer

To help workers claim the EITC and other tax credits, the Internal Revenue Service’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to low-to-moderate income working families with the help of trained volunteers. Goodwills across the country are currently training hundreds of volunteers to help members of their community to prepare their taxes this season.

“I really do think it impacts the community, and I like to give back,” explains Paulette Johnson, a VITA volunteer. “Even though I don’t have a lot of money, I like to share my knowledge and time.  It is really rewarding when people come in that weren’t expecting to get money back.”

By volunteering as a VITA tax preparer in your community, you can gain free tax training, earn a certification from the IRS and gain applicable skills to advance your career.  “We have had several of our VITA volunteers get jobs because of their tax preparation experience here at our site,” says Kirby Kaple, financial services specialist at Goodwill Industries of Southern Rivers (Columbus, GA).

This great volunteer opportunity can help you:

• Learn about up-to-date tax preparation rules that can lead to a job with public or private organizations.
• Build data entry skills that apply to numerous job positions in the workforce.
• Gain experience in customer service and one-on-one client consultations.
• Demonstrate a commitment to community service and help you leverage your volunteer work with prospective employers.

Even if you aren’t interested in tax preparation, VITA sites offer many volunteer positions that can enhance your résumé and help members of your community:

• Speak a second language? Help taxpayers of all languages take advantage of free tax preparation as a translator.
• Are you a smart saver?  Promote financial best practices and products to help clients make the most of their tax refund and build their assets.
• Know your way around the latest technology?  Provide computer and software support to help your local VITA site run smoothly and get refunds back to taxpayers fast.
• Have great organizational skills? Serve as a receptionist to greet clients, file paperwork and schedule appointments at your local VITA site.

To find your local VITA site and learn about VITA volunteer opportunities, go to VolunteerMatch or contact your local Goodwill.

Discover if you or someone you know is eligible to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Thus began my first mentoring role — tutoring one of the students and engaging him in activities. I remember feeling proud when he passed a test we’d studied for together,  or when I was able to teach him a new way of solving a math problem. The experience taught me the rewards of empowering others to achieve their potential, and marked the beginning of my passion for mentoring.

The Power of Mentoring
We all, at one point in our lives, either mentor someone or have a mentor.  When you started at a new school, did an upperclassman or friend show you the ropes?  When you started a new job, can you remember a person who taught you the tasks of your position?  We have all had someone to help us along the way.  Why not give back to someone in your community?

Inspire Someone in Your Community
Goodwill GoodGuides® is a national mentoring program at 56 Goodwills in 38 states serving young people between the ages of 12 and 17. These young people, such as Christopher Rizzo (pictured above), are matched with adults or peer mentors who help the youth realize their potential and prepare for their future. The goal of the GoodGuides program is simple: empower young people to make positive decisions, and help them find good jobs and careers.

In the course of this year, I have heard countless stories of how mentoring changes the lives of not only the mentees, but also for the mentors.  Being a mentor allows you to  share your experiences, develop your leadership skills and, most importantly, be an inspiration in someone’s life.

I challenge you to take part in your community and become a mentor.  Check out our GoodGuides page and contact the participating Goodwill near you to learn how you can change a life.

You can impact in your community in different ways. Through Goodwill®, you can volunteer to review résumés, conduct mock interviews, be a financial coach or mentor a youth. In addition to giving your time to make a difference, you can also give your gently used clothing and household items. By organizing a simple donation drive, you can change lives in your community.

How Does Donating Make a Difference?

Let’s say you join the Donate Movement and hold a donation drive in your community. On that day, you mobilize just ten friends and family members to collect and donate the following items:

• 5 suits
• 10 pairs of shoes
• 10 dresses
• 10 shirts/blouses
• 10 pairs of jeans

As you drop your donation off at your local Goodwill, attendants would thank you and assure you that your good deed has helped someone in your community. But what is your actual impact?

By using the Donation Impact Calculator*, you can see how your above donation helps someone like Doyle McGee receive 7.2 hours of job search support to find employment and begin a new chapter in his life. The same donation could provide 6.8 hours of financial planning services to help an individual like Rudy Batilla achieve economic stability for his family.

Be the Change You Want to See

If this is the change you can create in one day, consider how much of a difference you could make in a week, month or year. Volunteer at your local Goodwill or join the Donate Movement to be a catalyst for change.

*The Donation Impact Calculator is patent-pending.