Commercial Integrator February 2023 - 9

› Volunteering promotes and helps
maintain physical health. Recent medical
studies provide data showing that
those who volunteer have a lower premature
mortality rate than those who do
not. Volunteers tend to be more physical
active, find it easier to cope with everyday
tasks, are less likely to develop high
blood pressure and have better thinking
skills. Volunteering can also lessen symptoms
of chronic pain and reduce the risk
of heart disease.
Consider the Time Commitment
Hopefully, you have looked at the benefits
I've just set forth, and you're now
motivated to at least consider adding a
volunteering component to your lifestyle
commitments. This invites the question of
how much time can you afford to devote
and where you might volunteer. These decisions,
along with upfront due diligence,
are critical to a successful experience.
How much time should you volunteer?
Volunteering doesn't have to take over
your life to be beneficial. Research shows
that just two to three hours per week -
that's about 100 hours a year - can confer
real benefit both to you personally and to
your selected cause or organization. The
caveat here is to think of volunteering as
a commitment to be met. Think of it as
a contract and personal obligation, not
something to be entered into lightly. After
all, people will be depending on you.
Over the years, I've done a lot of
volunteer work. A common denominator
is that more people sign up to volunteer
than actually end up participating. For
some, it begins and (regretfully) ends as a
self-centered situation - in short, the notoriety
or " glamour " of just being listed as
a volunteer, committee member or board
member. But, for others, the benefits of
actually following through are, indeed,
win-win. And they come from a dedication
to meaningful participation. I don't intend
to be harsh, but, if you volunteer, please
participate. If you don't want to participate,
don't volunteer. The important thing
is to volunteer only the amount of time
that you're comfortable with. Volunteering
should feel like a rewarding hobby, not
another chore you must check off your
to-do list.
commercialintegrator.com
Where to Volunteer
Now that you have some idea of the time
you're willing to commit to volunteering,
there is the decision as to where to volunteer.
There is no lack of opportunity to do
so. Here are a few that are most visible:
› Community service
› Church service and outreach
› Charities
› Education
› Environmental
› Industry related
If you're donating your valuable time,
it's important that you enjoy it and reap
the benefit of your activities. Signing
up for something and only later discovering
that there are " dealbreakers " is
not a good place to be. Sometimes, an
opportunity looks great on paper, but
the reality is quite different. You will end
up avoiding what you belatedly realized
was unpleasant, and you'll end up not
living up to your commitment. To make
sure that your volunteer " position " is a
good fit, I suggest conducting some due
diligence upfront.
In particular, I suggest the following:
› Ask questions. You want to make sure
that the experience is right for your skills,
your goals and the time you want to spend.
Begin by asking yourself the following:
What causes are important to you? Do you
prefer to work alone or as part of a team?
Are you better behind the scenes, or do
you prefer to take a more visible role?
Then, with those answers in mind, explore
the cause or organization to see if it's a fit.
› Know what's expected. You should
be comfortable with the organization and
understand the time commitment. Consider
starting small so you don't overcommit
yourself at first. Give yourself some flexibility
to change your focus, if needed.
› If necessary, make a change. Don't
force yourself to stick with a bad fit or
feel compelled to remain in a volunteer
role you dislike. Talk to the organization
about changing your focus. Alternatively,
look for a different organization that's a
better fit.
› Enjoy yourself. The best volunteer
experiences benefit both the volunteer
and the beneficiary organization. If you're
not enjoying yourself, ask yourself why. Is
it the tasks that you're performing or the
people with whom you're working? Alternatively,
are you uncomfortable simply
because the situation is new and unfamiliar?
Pinpointing what's bothering you can
help you decide how to proceed. If the fit
is not right and enjoyment is not achievable,
then extricate yourself. Nobody can
benefit in a situation like that.
What You Want to Achieve
Ask yourself if there's something specific
you want to do or achieve as a volunteer.
To find a volunteer position that's right
for you, look for organizations or causes
whose scope matches your personality,
skill set and interests.
Ultimately, volunteering is about doing
something for the greater good...about
doing something bigger than you are
as an individual. President Kennedy's
inaugural address inspired us to see the
importance of civic action and public
service. His historic words, " Ask not what
your country can do for you. Ask what you
can do for your country, " challenged every
American to contribute in some way to
the public good.
I'll add the concept of " paying it forward "
to the mix. The simplest way to define
the expression " pay it forward " is this:
When someone does something good for
you, instead of paying that person back
directly, you instead pass on a good deed
to another person.
We live in the richest country in the
world. Our commercial AV and digital
signage industries are (and have been)
flourishing. We are well positioned to pay
forward our good fortune.
I want to wrap up with yet another
allusion to President Kennedy, who
paraphrased a well-known biblical saying,
" To whom much is given, much will be
required. " Give some thought to volunteering,
and then make good on that commitment
of time. A common theme for those
of us who volunteer and honor that time
commitment is that we receive more out of
it than we provide.
The greater good? You bet!
Alan C. Brawn, CTS, ISF-C,
DSCE, DSDE, DSNE, DCME,
DSSP, is principal of Brawn
Consulting.
FEBRUARY 2023 Commercial Integrator
9
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator February 2023
