People in the current workforce are likely to have protean careers (frequent changes based on a person's interest, abilities, and changes in the work environment). Today’s workforce needs a broad range of technical and interpersonal skills. To remain marketable, people need to constantly develop skills to be successful in both virtual and historical work environments. People feel more comfortable using new skills at work once they have practiced them thoroughly. Volunteering is a great way to use newly acquired skills, develop new experiences, and stay in sync with the latest trends in the area of interest. At the Class Consulting Group (CLASS), volunteers are provided unparalleled opportunities for professional and personal growth.
Organizations may support talent development through a variety of formal educational programs, assessment, job experiences and interpersonal relationships.
Formal educational programs may include workshops like short courses offered by consultants, universities, or lectures from business experts. Formal education helps people develop skills that are in alignment with changes in responsibilities and requirements at their current jobs. CLASS offers opportunities for volunteers to try out new skill sets, learn new technologies, and explore beyond the boundaries that are usually set in their workplaces.
Assessment is collecting information and providing feedback to help people develop action plans for self-improvement and future career paths. The most important use of assessment is to help identify people with managerial potential or to measure their current strengths and weaknesses. CLASS offers volunteers risk-free opportunities to try out new roles, experience leadership, and take initiative to solve community problems.
Job rotation helps people gain experience, appreciation for an organization’s goals, increase their understanding of different organizational functions, develop a network of contacts, and improve problem-solving and decision-making skills. CLASS provides a structured and time-bound path to volunteers. Volunteers can move from associate to manager to director level roles as they take increasing levels of responsibilities.
Interpersonal relationships help people develop skills and increase their knowledge about the organization. People need to understand business beyond their current role and cultivate valuable relationships with managers, co-workers, and customers. Mentoring and coaching are two pivotal aspects of relationship building. Mentoring relationships can develop as part of the organization’s planned effort to bring together successful senior leaders with less-experienced people. Some organizations use group mentoring programs, where people can learn from each other and from mentors. Coaching helps managers improve by identifying areas of improvement, setting goals, creating action plans, and providing regular constructive feedback. Through its team-based mentorship approach, CLASS encourages volunteers to take increasing levels of responsibility with each project and take initiative to solve managerial problems faced by nonprofit organizations.
CLASS offers a satisfying experience to volunteers by providing well-managed projects for well-defined problems and the entire infrastructure to make it possible. This ensures that the time, effort, and skills provided by the volunteer professionals are utilized to the best possible extent. Even if a volunteer is not planning on changing careers, CLASS provides them with the opportunity to grow critical workplace skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, and project and time management.
Whether you want to make an impact in your community or develop new skills, check out volunteer opportunities at CLASS here.
About The CLASS Consulting Group
The CLASS Consulting Group is a trusted advisor to the Board of Directors and Senior Leadership of Nonprofits. It is a boutique management consulting firm headquartered in the SFO- Bay Area that provides consulting services to senior management and the Board of Directors of nonprofit organizations and offers community leadership opportunities to professionals.
Since 2002 CLASS volunteers have been assisting nonprofit organizations in the SF Bay Area and supporting the communities in which we all live and work. Learn more about our mission and story.
Interested in finding more about our services for nonprofit organizations? Simply request a meeting and we’ll get in touch to tell you all about this opportunity and how our volunteer-run teams are helping nonprofits make the bay area a better place; one community at a time.