Business Volunteers Unlimited Maryland giving away 82,000+ ways to feel good

[reprinted with permission from www.examiner.com]

“If you want more of something, give it away.”

A few weeks ago at an executive breakfast, Executive Coach Jack Skeen offered this bit of wisdom. He was speaking about Business Volunteers Unlimited Maryland (BVU), and a recent conversation with Nan Bambara, Director of Business Relations of the group, appears to confirm that his advice is right on the money.

Her group has “given away” over 82,000 connections between volunteers from the business community and the non-profits they help. But it turns out that the volunteers she helps to recruit, one business at a time, are getting paid for their volunteer efforts in ways they wouldn’t have imagined.

Bambara tells the story of the shy banking professional who was tentative about volunteering, assuming like many (according to Bambara) that volunteering was “not for people like me.” After several months of his once-a-month commitment to a group that helps deliver food to those in need, he found himself volunteering more often, enjoying the feeling of camaraderie and shared purpose. He also found it an ideal way to break the cycle of shyness that had kept him from so many social opportunities.

Turns out that “Mr. Shy” was a natural leader, with a knack for organizing, communicating and leading. After being coaxed into helping out at a booth the organization sponsored at a community outreach event, he’s been tapped as the group’s go-to leader for all their community affairs.

“His case is pretty typical,” Bambara says. “We hear a lot of ‘I don’t have much time – I’m really busy.’ But then, just as often, we hear ‘I get back so much more than I give,’” she adds.

Bambara counts on that “feel-good” factor as a major driver that keeps her volunteers fueled. BVU also counts on support from some of the Baltimore area’s largest corporations, whose executives appreciate that it not only helps their company build its reputation as socially responsible, but helps their employees feel good about the place where they spend so much of their lives.

Think there’s something here for you? Looking to feel good by doing good – and meet quite a few nice people in the process? BVU invites you to have a look at the kinds of opportunities that can change your life.

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