Applied Purpose’s Post

🌟 Exciting Update! 🌟 After taking some time for reflection and engaging in volunteer work, I've decided to embark on a new journey that aligns more closely with my passion for making a positive impact. Transitioning from the corporate world to the nonprofit sector has been a fulfilling decision for me. Starting April 15th, I'll be stepping into the role of Workforce Development/Volunteer Coordinator at Habitat for Humanity. It's a role where I can leverage my 20 years of experience in recruiting and hospitality to contribute meaningfully to the community. During my recent period of volunteering, I've had the opportunity to work closely with organizations like shelters and Foodlink, which serves pantries across 10 counties. Through these experiences, I've identified a pressing need for hygiene products in these communities. While food drives are common, there's often a lack of donations for essential hygiene items. I'm reaching out to suggest a new approach: consider organizing a hygiene drive. The need for these items is year-round, and it's a simple yet impactful way to support those in need. Companies with employees who travel frequently can encourage them to collect extra hygiene supplies from hotels and contribute them to the cause. To give you an idea of what's needed, here's a list of essential items: - Body soap/Body Wash - Hand soap - Toothpaste - Toothbrushes - Dish soap - Laundry soap - Feminine hygiene products - Deodorant - Household cleaner - Toilet paper - Tissues (full size and travel size) - Razors - Shaving cream - Foot powder (travel size for shelters) - Chapstick - Sunscreen (travel size for shelters) - Hand sanitizer If your company decides to organize a hygiene drive, I'd love to hear about it and see some pictures. Together, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need.

Easy like Sunday Morning This is such an uplifting post: on the Gresham Benevolent Fund Linked In page yesterday I suggested that we started a “ The week ahead” series of posts by which those who are “walking the walk” at grassroots level not just “talking the talk” in their Ivory Towers can share the sorts of initiatives that they are involved in in “ The Week Ahead”. Andrew’s post illustrates fantastically how people are just trying to do their bit every day without a great deal of fanfare nor financial support. I can’t get my head round how the UK Charity Sector has fixed assets of £173 billion ( about twice what HS2 will cost by the final reckonings ) ; annual income of £85 plus billion and expenditure of £83 plus billion and yet there is still such deprivation at street level. We have 136,000 Young 16-24 year old homeless for example as well as masses of other areas where urgent basic help is required. Infrequently Asked Questions (A) The British Public is generous but their donations don’t seem to be getting through to “ the Front Line”. And (B) the people that should be in the political honours lists like Mike and Marvin don’t get a look in. IFAQ #1 Why is that? (C) 10/10 Andrew post wise: things get done in spite of the Establishment and the System don’t they … not because of them. That needs to “ Change”! IFAQ # 2 What suggestions do you have Andrew to make things more efficient?

"Volunteering with Roundup River Ranch is like stepping into a world where being silly and playful is not just encouraged but celebrated. It’s a rare chance for adults to let loose and spread joy through playing." -Volunteer Grace During #NationalVolunteerWeek, we are celebrating and recognizing some of our dedicated volunteers, including Grace! 🫶Grace has spent countless hours volunteering at Roundup River Ranch, spreading camp love and joy wherever she goes! To anyone interested in volunteering, Grace has some valuable advice: 💛Embrace the experience: Be open to immersing yourself fully in the camp experience. Embrace the joy, the laughter and the silly moments. It’s a chance to let your inner child shine! Get messy, put your face in spaghetti, dance after breakfast! 💚Be flexible and patient: Volunteering at camp can be unpredictable, but that’s part of the adventure. Be flexible and patient, ready to adapt to changing situations and needs. Sign up for the opening campfire skit, even if you have stage fright! 🧡Prioritize connection: Take the time to connect with the campers, fellow volunteers and staff members. Building relationships and forming bonds is what makes the experience truly special. My camp friends have become not only my best friends, but truly a family. ❤️Celebrate the impact: Recognize the meaningful impact you’re making in the lives of the campers and their families. Even the smallest gestures can brighten someone’s day and create lasting memories. What you might see as a small moment, is a big moment to many of these families. Celebrate the bullseye (and the far misses too)! Read Grace's full interview at https://lnkd.in/gc4C33cb 🔗

🎁🌟 Looking for a Meaningful Way to Give Back this Holiday Season? Do you need a team activity? You can get a group together up to 6 people. Join us at Claremont Quarter's Gift Wrapping Event! 🌟🎁 Look no further! We invite you and your friends to come together and make a difference this holiday season by volunteering to wrap gifts at Claremont Quarter. We need your help more than ever, if you have a chance, please read the Hunger Report - https://lnkd.in/g3AJhevB Whether you're a seasoned gift-wrapping pro or a complete newbie, we have a role for everyone, and all we need is your cheerful holiday spirit. 📅 Details at a Glance: Volunteer Shifts: December 9th to 24th Location: Claremont Quarter Sign Up: https://lnkd.in/g-MtvFFY The shifts we're looking to fill are varied, and we are especially in need of assistance on the 23rd and 24th of December when things get exceptionally busy. By volunteering your time and skills, you can help spread joy this holiday season as we wrap gifts and brighten someone's day with your festive touch. 🌟 Why You Should Join Us: 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐲: Make a positive impact and bring smiles to those in need. 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲:Choose shifts that suit your availability from December 9th to 24th. We've designed shifts to be short and spread throughout the day and evening. 𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨:Your contribution will truly make a difference in the community. Don't worry if you don't believe you have wrapping skills – we'll provide the training you need to make it enjoyable and productive. Your support and involvement in this wonderful initiative will go a long way in brightening up the holiday season for many. Please consider sharing this opportunity with your friends and family to amplify our collective impact. If you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. Let's come together and create special moments that will be cherished by all this holiday season. 🌲🎉 #HolidayVolunteer #SpreadTheJoy #GiftWrapping #CommunityImpact #ClaremontQuarter

This #VolunteersWeek Volunteer Advisor Pádraig O'Grady talks about how valuable volunteers are to the National Park: People volunteer for many reasons, from giving back to their local area and developing new skills, to meeting new people and enjoying the physical and mental health benefits volunteering can bring. But, regardless of why people volunteer, the benefits are not just felt by the person, but also by the organisation they are supporting, and we are extremely lucky to be supported by a wonderful community of volunteers.   In 2023/24 our volunteers contributed more than 8,200 hours across almost 500 different opportunities, supporting dozens of different projects and initiatives. One of the major programs supported by National Park Volunteers was the Wild Strathfillan Nature Restoration Project, an ambitious landscape scale project focused on restoring degraded and fragmented habitats in the north of the National Park. Our volunteers played a key role in the initial setup and ongoing operation of the project’s specialist tree nursery in Glen Falloch, having dedicated more than 750 hours of time to it since October 2023, collecting and planting more than 36,000 seeds by hand. The first juvenile trees will be ready for transplanting into external holding areas this year, ahead of schedule. This would not have been possible without the dedication of our volunteers   While the Covid-19 pandemic had a huge and lingering impact on volunteering globally, we have begun to see strong recovery, with both the number of volunteers and number of volunteer hours beginning to increase. 47 new volunteers joined our program in December 2023, and they have since dedicated more than 2000 hours to volunteering, with 5 of them clocking up more than 100 hours each!  This level of commitment means we are on track to exceed 10,000 hours for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.   We have also begun to see an increase in the number of young people volunteering, with many driven by a desire to help tackle the climate and nature crises, and with demand for green jobs growing across Scotland, it’s a great way to develop skills for future green careers.   Earlier this year we adopted our new National Park Partnership Plan. This 5-year plan outlines the work that needs to be done to achieve our vision of a National Park that is thriving, nature positive and carbon negative. It won’t be easy, and we can’t do it alone, but with the help of our volunteers, we’re feeling good about the future! Find out more about our volunteer programme via the link in comments.

Finding Volunteering Opportunities The beauty of volunteering is that everyone can volunteer irrespective of age, educational background, gender, or financial status. When we look deep down, there is always something we can contribute individually to our community that can make a difference. 70% of corporate volunteers believe volunteering boosts morale in the workplace better than company events do, says a Deloitte survey. Identifying the right volunteer opportunities for you is very crucial because what fascinates everyone differs. This begins with identifying the causes you are passionate about. Do you love caring for people or pets? Are you intrigued by nature or nutrition? Answers to questions like this can serve as a guide in narrowing down your volunteering options. The next step is a self-assessment of your skills, knowledge, and experience that can help you contribute effectively during volunteering. Afterward, it would help if you carried out a time audit to determine the amount of time you want to spend volunteering. Once you are sure about the timing, you begin searching for volunteering opportunities in your community that align with your overall goals. Finally, you start formally applying for those volunteer opportunities you are interested in. To help get you started, here are five familiar places that have volunteer opportunities, according to Indeed: 1. Homeless shelters. Homeless shelters often have several volunteer opportunities, including preparing and serving food. 2. Animal shelters. Most animal shelters require the work of volunteers to continue to run. Opportunities at animal shelters may include dog walking and administrative help. 3. Home construction organizations. Some nonprofits build homes or repair existing homes for little to no cost. 4. Retirement homes. People in retirement homes often rely on volunteers for entertainment and learning. 5. Libraries. Many local libraries seek volunteers to contribute to the overall operations. #volunteering #volunteers #charity #community #nonprofit #giveback #donate #givingback #love #ngo #education #fundraising #makeadifference #support #socialgood #leadershipdevelopment #leadership #internships #workplaceculture #workplace #workplacewellness #companyculture #employeeengagement #leadership #humanresources #employeewellness #workculture #hr #workplacewellbeing #employeeexperience

This #VolunteersWeek, we are looking at Norfolk’s voluntary sector from different points of view. Today is all about family volunteering, and we’ll take a deep-dive into how we’re helping people who perhaps aren’t the typical volunteer get involved with volunteering… Our Nourishing Norfolk programme started in 2020, and we realised straight away that volunteers would be essential to drive the programme forward. Many of our food hubs are 100% volunteer run, and several have volunteer coordinator posts to foster beneficial community engagement from a broad range of people who often don’t engage with volunteering. There are opportunities for everyone to get involved across the programme. For young people, volunteering at a Nourishing Norfolk food hub helps build confidence, boost self-esteem and develop a sense of achievement. For those looking to get into work, hubs offer practical experience and new skills through volunteering. For people with green fingers, there is the opportunity to get involved with Nourishing Norfolk Growers to grow healthy food for their local hub. Furthermore, many individuals who use the food hub want to give back to the people and the place which has supported them to express their gratitude and make a difference in their community. Additionally, older people seeking connection benefit from the social interactions and sense of community that volunteering provides. With such a broad range of options and reasons for volunteering, it’s hardly surprising that whole families can be found volunteering at their local hub! Find out more about volunteering with Nourishing Norfolk 🔗 norfolkfoundation.com/grow

Some brilliant progress made on our #socialaction agenda in the last year through the #paidvolunteering scheme at Resource Futures. And developments being made to improve the scheme further for the year ahead. Read on for more information on how we've made it work. #employersupportedvolunteering #ESV #socialimpact #communityimpact #paidvolunteering #skillssharing #wellbeing

Guiding Nonprofits to Success: Staff Spotlight on Erin Webb   It's National Volunteer Week, and Erin Webb, program manager for custom training and education at the Edyth Bush Institute (EBI), knows all about attracting and managing volunteers for a nonprofit organization. She has a depth of experience in working with nonprofits including the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, Bridges of Light Foundation, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She came to EBI after taking a few professional development workshops with them and being impressed with their caliber and understanding of the nonprofit sector.    At the Edyth Bush Institute, Erin focuses on custom offerings and solutions. "An organization may reach out with a specific idea, challenge, or need and the beauty of custom programming is that I have the opportunity to be creative with the offerings and deliverables. I get to think differently about our sector's most challenging and pressing needs." When it comes to her work, Erin is passionate about being able to serve and help the nonprofit sector in Central Florida (where she was born and raised) and also throughout the southeast United States. "I love helping orgs feel supported and equipped to handle the world's biggest, most challenging work like homelessness, child hunger, and animal welfare, and making sure they have extra tools in their toolbox through our customized solutions so they can increase their impact".    Utilizing volunteers is a key component for many of the orgs Erin works with. She's seen the impact volunteers can have firsthand. "They can help get that org one step closer to fulfilling its mission in a way staff may not be able to or have the capacity for" Volunteers also help share the mission of an org and can strengthen the overall community feel of a shared goal. One tip Erin has for working with volunteers is to make sure there is clear communication. "Clarity is kind. Providing clear expectations is the most helpful thing you can do to set a volunteer up for success." She also emphasized the importance of thanking them and listening to their feedback.    One last note from Erin about nonprofits: "While they are doing this great work, it's important to remember that nonprofits are business and should be treated as such." When Erin isn't working, she loves spending time outdoors with her husband and dogs, going to the beach, surfing, and traveling to visit her sisters. We are thrilled to have Erin at EBI doing this important work and helping to guide nonprofits to success. #FiatLux   #CrummerBusiness #RollinsCollege #StaffSpotlight

🎉 Crossed paths with a fellow former middle school teacher today who was also volunteering at the San Antonio Food Bank. I feel this sense of solidarity with people who may not “teach” anymore but who have a teacher’s heart--I call 'em 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠. To me, 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 have an incurable love for learning new things, a drive to create learning experiences for others, and independently lead by example even if it costs us our ego sometimes (...Let me tell you, teaching middle school is humbling. I'd make myself look ridiculous just to make kiddos laugh😂🤣). Today, there were probably 30+ volunteers and we were building boxes of non-perishables that would ultimately be distributed to senior citizens. We assembled 35,134 lbs of food. Here are some of my takeaways from today: ➡ Figuring out how to work next to others efficiently, and with minimal hiccups and accidents, is the "name of the game" when you volunteer at the food bank. ➡ Every volunteer shift is with new people and different groups. ➡ *I couldn't help but notice that my fellow former teacher pal and I were both 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 others in our assembly line, 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 and giving thumbs up (I do this naturally but as a teacher, I had to be mindful that some of my students needed this reassurance because they struggled to decode social situations), 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 stations that needed more assistance than others, breaking down boxes to 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 the 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰 in our assembly line so folks had a 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡 to walk and 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 volunteers whose groups had independently figured out how to be efficient. 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑡. ➡ When I saw some high schoolers who needed some gentle guidance unpacking boxed milk cartons in a way that wasn't just dumping them on the table--making it tougher to grab--my teacher powers kicked on and I asked them if they knew that trick to get Jenga blocks out of the box where they're all lined up. Some of them knew what I was talking about, but then I showed them. I heard a lot of “ohhhhs” and "aaaahs" when I slid the box off, and it reminded me of teaching art and science. Even though I left the teaching field at the end of the last school year, I want to honor the profession because teachers are important. Today, I thought this food bank narrative might convey just how important teachers' skills are in working efficiently, safely, and in maintaining group cohesiveness. I am a 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 and I probably always will be until my last day on earth. I just won't always work as a teacher. If you're in San Antonio like me and want to volunteer at the food bank, here's the link to sign up! https://lnkd.in/gCijzbEY #teaching #honorteachers #thankateacher #volunteer #sharingiscaring #formerteacher #SanAntonioFoodBank #sanantonio #jobseeker #teachershortage #teacherskills #openforhire #teacherpowers #careerbreak #careerrefresh