Volunteering to Support Change

As we celebrate National Volunteers Week and tying back to my article from the last newsletter about change management, I thought I take some time to talk about the value of volunteering in support of change management initiatives.

Volunteering is a noble act that has been around for centuries. It involves offering your time, skills, and expertise to help others without expecting anything in return. While volunteering is often associated with personal growth and development, it can also have a positive impact on organizational change management.

Organizational change management refers to the process of planning, implementing, and managing changes within an organization to improve its performance, efficiency, and effectiveness. It involves various stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, and partners. However, change management can be challenging, and organizations often face resistance, skepticism, and pushback from their stakeholders.

This is where volunteering comes in. By involving volunteers in the change management process, organizations can benefit in several ways. Here are some of the positive effects of volunteering on organizational change management:

1. Fresh perspectives

Volunteers can bring new and fresh perspectives to an organization's change management efforts. They come from different backgrounds, experiences, and expertise, which can help identify blind spots, biases, and assumptions that may hinder change. Volunteers can also offer creative and innovative solutions to complex problems and challenges.

2. Increased engagement

Volunteers are often more engaged and committed to the cause than employees. They are motivated by their passion, purpose, and desire to make a difference. By involving volunteers in change management, organizations can tap into this passion and energy, which can boost morale, motivation, and productivity.

3. Broader networks

Volunteers often have extensive networks of contacts, connections, and resources. By involving volunteers in change management, organizations can leverage these networks to reach out to new stakeholders, partners, and customers. Volunteers can also help spread the word about the organization's change efforts, which can increase awareness and support.

4. Upskilling through experience

Volunteers are often willing to offer their time and skills for free. This can help organizations help volunteers maintain or upgrade their skills in change management initiatives, which can be beneficial for both sides. By involving volunteers, organizations can allocate their resources more efficiently and effectively.

In conclusion, volunteering can have a positive impact on organizational change management. By involving volunteers in the change process, organizations can benefit from fresh perspectives, increased engagement, broader networks, and cost-effectiveness. So, if you are looking to improve your organization's change management efforts, consider involving volunteers. It may be just what you need to achieve your goals.

For PMI Ottawa Valley Outaouais, we recently conducted a couple of Volunteer Townhalls to help communicate the changes we will be introducing to the chapter structure and the plan going forward. We received incredibly positive feedback and will be communicated this to the members of the PMI Ottawa Valley Outaouais Chapter in the next couple of weeks.

With this, we always are open to anyone interested in volunteering with the chapter in various areas of finance, operations, administration, marketing, membership, professional development, and community support. Feel free to reach out to me directly or connect with our Volunteers Team at volunteering@pmiovoc.org

Thanks for reading!