Career Benefits from Volunteer Work

Jennifer Kovacich

University of St. Thomas

May 18, 2004

My volunteer experience

Candy striper work as teenager provided self-motivation and hospital knowledge.

Public relations job lead to a professional communicator role in hospital setting.

Hospital setting introduced others with similar background and volunteer involvement.

Does volunteering benefit the careers

of professional communicators who

work in hospitals?

Surveys sent

205 surveys – Mailed to professional communicators who work

in Minnesota hospitals

Surveys sent and received by mail– Prepaid response envelope enclosed

Minnesota Hospital Association mailing list– 139 Minnesota hospitals

Who responded from MN hospitals?

President/CEO 24 VP/Director 36 Supervisor/Manager 26 Specialist/Senior Acct Exec 14 Coordinator/Acct Executive 10

85 female respondents 34 male respondents

Respondent demographics

Of 119 respondents:

– 88% are married or have a domestic partner.

– 71% are between ages 35-54.

– 96% are college or graduate school educated.

Respondent commitments

Of 119 respondents:

– 89% work in a paid job 40 hours or more each week.

– 76% volunteer twice a month or more.

– 60% have volunteered 11 years or longer.

“Volunteer work adds value to my career.”

42% strongly agree 38% agree 9% neutral 3% disagree

There was no reply from 8% of the respondents.

“Do you volunteer?”

111 individuals currently volunteer.

8 individuals do not volunteer at this time.

Actively volunteer 93%

Do not volunteer

7%

Volunteer work takes time

Seven respondents report not having time to volunteer.

One respondent prefers to make financial commitments rather than time commitments.

“It is important to be involved in volunteer work.”

Strongly agree 56%

Agree 41%

Neutral 3%

How benefits are perceived(check all that apply)

The respondents said…

• Provided opportunities for growth 57%• Assumed a leadership role 55%• Provided a larger skill set 54%• Other 25%

• Of the respondents, 7% saw no benefit.

Volunteer settings(check all that apply)

Church 70 responses Board membership 63 responses Nonprofit organization 56 responses School 54 responses

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows 20% of Americans volunteer for their church, school or another organization of interest.

Consider volunteer work

Volunteer work may be an obvious answer for anyone looking to grow in their career.

– 70% of volunteers in U.S. work a paid job; 89% of survey respondents work a paid job 40 or more hours each week.

– Most volunteers in U.S. are at least college educated; 96% of survey respondents are college or graduate school educated.

Does volunteering benefit the careers of professional communicators who work in hospitals?

Overwhelmingly, yes!

Recommendations

Broaden group to include entry-level and part-time professional communicators

– Minnesota Hospital Association list does not usually include these individuals.

– These groups may have swayed results.

Recommendations (for Minnesota hospitals)

Hospitals should offer volunteer opportunities and/or information to employees

– Responses show volunteer work can help develop skills for career growth.

– Responses suggest nearly 40% of Minnesota hospitals do not provide volunteer information to employees.

Questions or comments?