Everyday it seems there is a new technological way to get involved and it looks like today is no exception. Last week LinkedIn announced their latest tool, called Volunteer.linkedin.com, as a platform for volunteers to search for a volunteer fit by a variety of keywords such as; non-profits name, location,field of interest, etc…..For those of you not familiar with LinkedIn, it is best known as a corporate job networking site. In the past few years, I have to say it has become so much more and this is a perfect example.

I went to take a peak at some of the opportunities on LinkedIn and I immediately saw something for my husband. A non-profit organization called Bike and Build is looking for a board member who can help them 5-10 hours a month with marketing. My husband is a triathlete, avid cyclist, MBA and has been a VP of Marketing and is currently launching a product for the cycling/athletic market….so this seemed like a great fit.

What makes LinkedIn’s platform different from others is that LinkedIn realizes that your volunteering enhances your employment in a multitude of ways and that by volunteering in an industry that you area already involved with, such as cycling….you only enhance your resume, contacts and do the same for the organization that you are trying to help.

LinkedIn claims that,”41% of  hiring managers consider volunteer work equally as valuable as paid work experience when evaluating candidates and unemployed people who volunteer are 27 % more likely to be hired than people who do not volunteer.”

So whether you are looking for a job or a way to use your skills to help someone else, this just might be the place to go to find that connection to make your life and someone else’s that much better.

Charity Matters.

Copyright © 2014 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.