Published July 2001

Volunteers gain skills, contacts while
helping others

By Kimberly Hilden
Herald Business Journal Assistant Editor

When Carol Nelson started in the banking industry 23 years ago, she wondered how people “got ahead.” So she watched the role models at her bank and took mental notes.

What she found was that along with banking expertise, volunteer activity played a part in professional success.

“What I saw was that what bankers do is ... they serve their community. It's what we are,” said Nelson, who recently was named President and CEO of Cascade Bank.

A longtime supporter of United Way, Nelson chaired United Way of Snohomish County's annual fund-raising campaign two years ago. It was a position, she said, that gave her a professional boost along with personal satisfaction.

“Some of the visibility that I gained in that role contributed to my selection as the CEO of Cascade Bank,” Nelson said, “because many of the people on our board of directors saw my work in the community during that time, and they really felt that I had the leadership and the vision that they wanted to bring to the bank in order to take it to the next level.”

Her experience isn’t unusual, said Lynn Youngs, Vice President of Donor Services for United Way of Snohomish County. She and a panel of women, including Nelson, discussed community involvement at the recent “Women on the Move” conference sponsored in part by the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce.

When she first got involved in the “community service business” in the 1970s, Youngs noticed that the majority of volunteers and community leaders were men. And when they attended board meetings or other United Way functions, “there was a lot of other stuff going on, a lot of networking and a lot of connections being made.”

“Over the years, we’ve seen more women become involved in business, and we’ve also seen more women become involved in community service,” Youngs said.

And these women are networking and picking up valuable skills while giving time to their communities.

Nelson, for instance, has learned that she can practice skills “in the volunteer world,” and then implement them in the workplace. She also has learned the value of getting people onboard to achieve a common goal — a principle necessary in both the volunteer and business arenas.

Volunteering also is a great way to explore career options as well as to gain job experience, said Susie Pool Moses, Manager of Community Volunteer Services for United Way of Snohomish County.

“I volunteered for the Navy-Marine Corp Relief Society for over 20 years,” Pool Moses said. “When I was working with them, I learned those skills of leadership and management. ... That translated directly into the job at United Way.

“And on my resume, instead of saying I volunteered at such-and-such, I translated those activities into working language,” she said. “So instead of ‘I volunteered on a board, or I volunteered to run meetings,’ I said, ‘I chaired meetings.' "

Then there are those intangible benefits: feelings of self-confidence and competence, increased community awareness and the satisfaction of giving back.

And, don’t forget, “volunteering is fun,” Pool Moses said.

To make sure the volunteer experience is enjoyable, it’s best to “figure out where your passion lies,” whether that’s in literacy, homeless issues or race relations, she said.

For banker Nelson, that passion led her to Campfire Boys & Girls, an organization of which she had been a member as a child, during a time in her life when she “really needed that, and it really made a difference,” Nelson said.

“And so as an adult, it brought me back to volunteer for that organization, and I spent eight years as a volunteer for Campfire in King County, and ultimately became president of that organization,” she said.

Along with personal interest, time is another consideration when choosing to volunteer.

“Don’t over-commit your schedule,” Pool Moses said.

For those with children, consider involving them in volunteer activities, enabling the family to spend quality time together.

“My children have begun volunteering at a very early age,” said Nelson, who has a 7-year-old son and an 11-year old son.

“They have planted trees. They have cleaned the park. They know what it is to be a volunteer, and they wear their little volunteer T-shirts with pride,” she said.

“But I think what we’re trying to do with them is help them have a sense of what it means to be a member of the community and how important it is for them to give back as well,” she said.

For more information, call the United Way of Snohomish County Volunteer Services at 425-921-3459, send e-mail to info@uwsc.org or visit the organization's Web site, www.uwsc.org.

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