Did you know that becoming a Volunteer is a, great way to get your name out there and build your brand?

Are you a speaker/seminar leader or Radio talk show host? Are you in business or self employed? Have you ever thought about offering your services to a non profit to be a speaker at their annual conference or their workshops, or to volunteer for a project they might be doing?

Because non profit are finding getting grants MORE DIFFICULT, they are reaching out to find more volunteers to help them reach their mission and goals fot their respectiveorganizations.

Did you ever look at some of the benefits to YOUwhen you volunteer?

Are you aware that there are many professional benefits that can be gained through volunteering, that you can then use in your business or personal life? Things like:

Meeting and making new contacts

Over the years June Davidson and I have given of our time to make a difference,and because of the exposure we received other opportunities opened for both of us from the agency that we gave our time , as well as from the attendees who were at the event. The result to uswas we grew as a person, we learned more about the needs of our community, and we also ended up withopportunities for paid speaking, coaching and consulting jobs with other non profits. .That is why I always say “It’s all about SHOWING UP, as showing up is like a treasure map and you never know what treasure you will find. Believe me there is always a treasure of some kind that will open up for you, one treasure that I think of right away is that you touched a life and made a difference..

You never know who is in the audience or who is at the agency or who they know to refer you. So lets take a look at the statistics of individuals who volunteered in the US in 2009. , Are you one of those persons that volunteered ?.

VOLUNTEERING IN THE UNITED STATES–2009

Both the number of volunteers and the volunteer rate rose over the year ended
in September 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. About
63.4 million people, or 26.8 percent of the population, volunteered through
or for an organization at least once between September 2008 and September
2009. In 2008, the volunteer rate was 26.4 percent.

This data on volunteering was collected through a supplement to the Septem-
ber 2009 Current Population Survey (CPS). Go to this website for the Bureau of Labor statistics for more detail on Volunteerism http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.nr0.htm

Volunteering Among Demographic Groups

The volunteer rate of women increased from 29.4 percent in 2008 to 30.1 per-
cent in 2009, while the volunteer rate for men, at 23.3 percent, was essen-
tially unchanged. As in previous years, women volunteered at a higher rate than
did men across all age groups, educational levels, and other major demographic
characteristics.

By age, 35- to 44-year olds and 45- to 54-year olds were the most likely to
volunteer. Their volunteer rates were 31.5 percent and 30.8 percent, respec-
tively, in 2009. Volunteer rates were lowest among persons in their early twen-
ties (18.8 percent) and those age 65 and over (23.9 percent).

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, whites continued to volunteer at a
higher rate (28.3 percent) than did blacks (20.2 percent), Asians (19.0 per-
cent), and Hispanics (14.7 percent). Of these groups, the volunteer rate of
blacks and whites rose in 2009. AmongAfrican American’s it rose by 1.1 percentage points,
driven by an increase in the volunteer rate of black women.

Volunteer rates were higher among married persons (32.3 percent) than those who
had never married (20.6 percent) and those with other marital statuses (21.5
percent). Parents with children under age 18 were substantially more likely to
volunteer than were persons without children under 18 years of age, 34.4 per-
cent compared with 23.9 percent.

Individuals with higher levels of educational attainment were more likely to
volunteer than were those with less education. Among persons age 25 and over,
42.8 percent of college graduates volunteered, compared with 18.8 percent of
high school graduates and 8.6 percent of those with less than a high school
diploma.

So the next time someone approaches you to give of your time, perhaps you can look at how it will not only make a difference but enhance your life as well.

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Robbie Motter is the Senior Vice President of ASLA and runs the ASLA Contacts Unlimited Speakers Bureau, she is a certified national speaker/seminar leader, coach, marketing/pr consultant, author and radio show host. She also is the NAFE Western & Mid Atlantic Regional Coordinator Robbie also does a radio show on Diva Tool Box Radio called Diva Business Strategies for Success on the 1st Sunday of each month at 6pm PST and aslo is a co-host with June Davidson on Millionaire Mondays on Diva Tool Box radio the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 6pm PST here are the links for the show

http://tinyurl.com/y9vtv8e Diva Business Strategies for Success http://tinyurl.com/y3qavm2 Millionaire Monday