Skilled volunteering: How agency workers can use their powers for good

As someone firmly in their mid-to-late twenties (29 and a half), this hasn’t escaped my notice. For many, this manifests as asking if their job helps anyone. I look at the Arctic Monkeys tattoo that permanently marked my 19^th birthday, and question everything.

Helpfully, everyone at Media Bounty gets five days a year to volunteer for whatever cause they fancy. After last year’s If You Think Something’s up, Bring it Up campaign, I put my time to use with Men’s Minds Matter. I now sit on the board, with my role focusing on marketing and campaigns.

75% of all UK suicides are by men. And so many of society’s problems, like the rise in toxic masculinity and violence against women, can be linked back to men’s mental health issues. Men’s Minds Matter exists to help change this. It was started by two mates, Clinical Psychologist Luke and lived experience expert Nigel. They do truly live saving work.

But this is an article about marketing. So I’m duty-bound to distil my discoveries on the volunteering journey into three learnings. Let’s have it.

1. Everything in perspective

While we’re busy making decks and staring at ourselves on Zoom, some people are out there saving lives. Rather than making my nine-to-five feel frivolous, I find it energizing. It reminds me I’m lucky to have a job where I’m having fun (almost) every day. But it also makes me feel grateful to be part of a company where I can use my skills for good. Which leads me to...

2. You’ve got the skills

Don’t forget about ‘skilled volunteering’. It doesn’t have to be just about donating your time. There are loads of organisations, big and small, that are desperate for your skills, too. Whatever you do in your 9-5:30, it can be transferred to a charity, from finance, to design, to community management.

3. Bubble bursting

I apologize for being the billionth guy in big glasses to tell you to get out of your bubble. But it’s true. You learn so much, and see a whole new side to things you never knew existed. Both about the nitty-gritty elements of how charities exist from day to day, but also about the subject matter itself. I learned a lot spending an hour a week with a therapist (even if we’re just talking about fundraising).

So, that tattoo from my 19th birthday was probably a mistake. But volunteering with Men’s Minds Matter wasn’t. It’s made my work life more enjoyable, more rewarding and more purposeful than ever. If you’re thinking about doing it – do it.

To get involved with small charities and organizations, just email or send them a message on socials. Alternatively, there are places like Patagonia Action Works that can connect you with a range of environmental causes that need skilled volunteers.