Carving Out Time Now for Volunteering and Board Work Can Have Huge Benefits for Your Future  

Is it critical that one do volunteer work? Will it kill one’s career not to get involved with a Board of Directors role? What’s the point, other than to do good for others? Can’t one just write a check instead? Can’t I wait until I retire to get involved?

All of these questions may have occurred to us from time to time, but most of us are so busy managing home obligations, children, work life, etc. that the thought of adding more tasks to one’s schedule – and therefore becoming even busier – can be daunting.

But in a recent conversation I had with a mentor, the concept of volunteering was described to me in a way that completely resonated, and gave me an “a-ha” lightning-bolt moment!  For now, though, I’ll try to describe the part leading up to the lightning bolt moment, since it may sound familiar to many.

A Plan for Meaningful Projects Outside of Work

In my career, I have always been focused on doing my job really well, so that my resumé would become stronger and stronger, and then the next job would be a great career move — a sequence I repeated several times. But, ironically, during my working years, I’d never thought about also strategically building my retirement years.

Fast-forward twenty-three years or so, and I’m now in an executive role, thinking more and more about what happens after I decide to give up the daily, working world down the line — and asking myself  questions like: What is retirement, really?  Where one no longer has to go to work, and can stay at home all day, do long workouts at the gym, read good books, and catch up on movies and shows?  Or go to lunch with friends and spend time with grandkids and family?

The answers I have come up with lead me to the conclusion that while that may be retirement for some people, for those of us who have been Type A their whole lives, retirement unfortunately doesn’t end the Type A effect. In fact, it can get worse upon permanently leaving the office, as our brains long for intellectual challenge, and we desperately miss the fast-paced environment in which we lived most of our adult lives.

So what does this have to do with volunteering or being on a board? 

Find Work Now that Will Help Others – and Post-Retirement, Will Keep You Engaged

At some point in our careers, once we know our passions, it becomes time to get involved.  So while we’re still working, whether we volunteer one day a month; help fundraise; chair an event; or participate on a board where we aid the organization in meeting its strategic and financial objectives, it can be the beginning of what may become a full-time enterprise upon retirement.  (It doesn’t just have to be with a nonprofit either, it can also be with a for-profit startup company, or perhaps a publicly-held company that seeks board members or advisory panels on new products and programs, etc.)

The idea is that as you get to retirement, you already have a number of cool projects and organizations for which you have a lot of passion, and with which you can now become even more involved.  My mentor whom I was telling you about? Right up to his retirement, he had been involved with a number of companies, spending about ten hours a month volunteering, doing board and advisory roles.  Once he had actually retired, he was able to shift to 20-30 hours a month to these organizations, and still have lots of free time. In addition, he’s gotten kind of famous in his retirement, and is sought after by many organizations, even asked to speak publicly. A bonus: he’s now getting paid for these events, a nice financial supplement to his retirement income!

A Step-by-Step Guide to Being a Valuable — not Over-Scheduled — Volunteer

Finding the right volunteering assignments can take time.  Much like finding the perfect job, you may need to interview with a couple of different organizations to find the right fit for you. Some might only want fundraising experience right now, and, for example, you may not be interested in fundraising.

So it’s okay to reach out to a number of organizations and share your interests, meet with the directors, and learn more. It’s also really important that when you do find the right one, you don’t over-commit yourself: you don’t want to be in a position to not be able to deliver, and you definitely don’t want to burn yourself out!  Instead, follow this four-step plan:

1. What is Your Passion? Find an organization in which you believe and want to be a part of. Then reach out to find out what types of opportunities there can be for the number of hours per month/quarter that you can devote.
2. Interview with a Few Different Groups. Ensure that when you do find the right one, you only commit to what you know you can deliver.
3. As Time Goes on, Increase your Hours of Devotion. Or perhaps get involved with another organization or two in an effort to broaden your experience and increase your network — and of course, goodwill and passion.
4. Plan for Retirement. The result: when it comes time for your retirement, you’ll have enough involvement and connections to which you can add even more value thru spending more time with these groups. You can also connect with newer groups to have as much involvement as you’d like.

This plan of action will make you a well-rounded retired individual who is involved with your favorite organizations, can stay connected and network, and can mentor others regarding their long-term goals – all of which also means a happy, productive retirement!