Brava

December 2011

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work up the ladder Give Back as a Group Put your business's best foot forward with a sampling of local opportunities Boys and Girls Club of Dane County Individual opportunities abound, but larger groups can create their own project with the club, using the skills and goals of the company. Visit bgcdc.org. Q A E& xpert 34 BRAVA Magazine December 2011 Dane County Humane Society A work team can volunteer together to assist with animal care or help out in other ways around the shelter. Visit giveshelter.org. United Way's Kathy Martinson helps plan for workplace bonding with a do-gooder twist By Kelsey Sorenson Habitat for Humanity Put together groups of three to eight to help with building projects, or individuals can help prepare and serve lunches to building crews. Visit habitatdane.org. We've all been to our fair share of company parties, but these days many have found a way for co-workers to bond while serving another goal: giving back to the community. As director of United Way of Dane County's volunteer center and 2-1-1 service (a help line for those in need), Kathy Martinson leads the Business Volunteer Network, which pairs area businesses with local volunteer projects. It's a match, she says, that's a boon in more ways than one. What kinds of benefits does volunteering as a group bring to the workplace? It's good for business, especially in terms of being known as good corporate citizens. The projects are also great for bringing an office together on a level playing field—the receptionist working alongside the president—while also serving as a sort of 'off-site training,' helping employees build individual skills and develop their professional talents. How can organizations work with the Business Volunteer Network to find a project that's right for them? Your involvement is as big or as small as you want it to be. To match partnerships, we try to look at the corporate culture, skill sets and what social issues a business is interested in to tailor opportunities to them. We prefer to facilitate a relationship with a nonprofit in the neighborhood of their workplace. What would you say to employers who are unsure if volunteering is right for their staff? Start small, because you can always do more—and there is always something for everyone, no matter your skills or interests. Most new employees expect community involvement, particularly the generation just entering the workforce who have often already been volun- teering in their youth. But it's never too late to start! Talk it over with your staff, they might have great ideas about where to start. Henry Vilas Zoo Madison's free zoo looks for helping hands with their behind-the-scenes work, in administrative, writing, edu- cational and maintenance capacities, as well as at their special events. Visit vilaszoo.org/support. Madison Parks Adopt a city park for the upcoming year and assist with the maintenance, clean- up and other jobs (while getting in a bit of fresh-air time). Or, organize teams for one-day projects preparing parks for use in spring. Visit the partner page on cityofmadison.com/parks. Madison Senior Center Help out as a team at one of the center's many events, or volunteer regularly in groups to enrich senior pro- grams in the Madison area. Volunteer opportunities range in commitment and skill levels for their many programs. Visit cityofmadison.com/seniorcenter. United Way of Dane County With connections to hundreds of nonprofits in Dane County, this organi- zation specializes in pairing volunteers with projects and can organize office-wide volunteer events. Visit volunteeryourtime.org. Photo by Shanna Wolf

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