John's Skill-Based Volunteer Projects for 2011

[fearisnearhere]

I'll be finishing graduate school in a little over one month. I'd like to put my skills to good use right away in various volunteer/pro bono work.

Communications

• Develop a communications strategy for Indochina Sino-American Community Center (ISACC). Help the organization reach more clients, volunteers, and funders.
• Develop ISACC's website, steward its Google Grant, and manage its content. Help the organization attract more clients.

Fundraising

• Assist the Vendy Awards event committee with planning the 2011 Vendy Awards in New York City. Help raise money to provide legal assistance for New York's street vendors, many of whom are immigrants.

Education

• Lead a team of New York Cares volunteers. Teach 20 classes about the environment at P.S. 76 in Harlem. Help children from a low-income community learn sustainable practices.
• Lead a team of New York Cares volunteers. Teach 18 computer literacy classes at ISACC.Help immigrants improve their economic opportunities.
• Lead a team of New York Cares volunteers. Teach 18 ESOL classes at ISACC.Help immigrants effectively participate in New York City's daily life as citizens, consumers, and workers.

This is not even counting my side gig, in which I primarily serve older adults who want one-on-one computer tutorials or need to have their computer fixed. I consider this almost as a social enterprise because I charge below market rate and really do this out of the joy of helping someone, not so much because I can make a living out of it. Actually, now that I have so many clients because of word of mouth, I could, but that's another story.

Anyway, what's interesting is that, the more I volunteer, the more experience I gain and the sharper my professional and people skills are--and thus the more people I can help.