At The Table @ The Minneapolis Foundation

This post is by Katherine E. Friesz, Manager of Community Relations for Ameriprise Financial. Her work focuses on engaging more than 10,000 financial advisors, nationwide, in community involvement through effective communications and relationship building.

• In 2009, the Corporation for National and Community Service ranked Minneapolis-St. Paul #1 in volunteerism for the second consecutive year, with 38.4% of its population volunteering.
• Our state ranks third in volunteerism, which translates to 1.6 million Minnesotans who contributed nearly 170 million hours of service from 2006 to 2008, valued at $3.4 billion of service, according to the Independent Sector’s estimated dollar value of volunteer time.

OK, so we’ve got statistics to prove we’re above average. But that’s not the end of the story when it comes to volunteering.

Every year, around this time, I’m reminded of the unlimited potential of volunteerism. My colleagues and I are gearing up for National Volunteer Week in April. Meanwhile, the Fifth Annual HandsOn Twin Cities Volunteer Expo recently connected more than 130 area nonprofit organizations with the thousand or so visitors who frequent the Mall of America (MOA) on any given Saturday.

I’m no stranger to the MOA; its proximity to my South Minneapolis home and LRT access often make it my most convenient shopping destination. For the past couple of years, I have represented the Corporate Volunteerism Council – Twin Cities at the volunteer expo, and I can tell you that the energy in the mall is somehow changed for those few hours. Yes, the positive energy has much to do with the line-up of talented local community groups performing on the HandsOn stage and the participating nonprofits’ tireless dedication to strengthening our communities, but the impromptu conversations are really what get me.

At the Corporate Volunteerism Council booth, my exchanges with passersby usually begin with them scanning our member list, then telling me about the great time they had volunteering with their colleagues at work and the important need their company’s nonprofit partners meet. (Music to a corporate volunteer manager’s ears!) Many employers use volunteerism as a teambuilding and retention tool, and, increasingly, skills-based volunteerism, which leverages a person’s specific talents and training, is finding its way into professional development plans and performance reviews around the world.

The conversations eventually turn to other ways in which these people give back – maybe as a mentor, a coach or through their faith community – on their personal time and why they volunteer. Suddenly the statistics have names, the power and potential of giving by doing are personified, and HandsOn’s (and Gandhi’s) call to “Be the Change” walks among us.

The year is still young. Challenge yourself to volunteer. Together, we can effect change – one person at a time.

Related links:

• Corporation for National and Community Service
• Independent Sector
• HandsOn Network
• HandsOn Twin Cities
• Corporate Volunteerism Council – Twin Cities

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Corporate Giving, Volunteerism