The Laid-Off Can Do Well Doing Good

This article was written in wsj.com by Diana Mattioli

Volunteer jobs are catching on among the growing ranks of laid-off workers, giving them valuable career experience and offering strapped nonprofits access to a bigger talent pool.

Charitable organizations say they are benefiting from a class of skilled volunteers ready to lend their expertise to a cause. And volunteering is giving out-of-work professionals the opportunity to develop skills, as well as network for job contacts in the process. For some people, it may even mean a new career when the economy does turn around.

Officials at Habitat for Humanity, like many others taking advantage of laid-off help, say they are looking for volunteers with managerial, public-relations and communications experience, in addition to volunteers who want to swing a hammer. “For us, we are really trying to use this time as an opportunity to emphasize to volunteers that we do more than building,” says Desiree Adaway, senior director of volunteer mobilization for Habitat, a nonprofit that builds houses for families in need.

Neva Geisler, director of volunteer engagement for the United Way of Treasure Valley, in Boise, Idaho, says this year’s volunteers are highly skilled and educated, with many having global work experience. “Some are fantastic resources that we could never afford to hire,” Ms. Geisler says.

To be sure, many nonprofits are struggling despite the influx of volunteers. A January survey of nearly 22,000 individual donors by Cygnus Applied Research, a market research and fund-raising company for not-for-profits, found that 17.5% of donors planned to decrease the value of their donations in 2009 and 30% were undecided.

“Things are really grim” for nonprofits, says Todd Cohen, editor and publisher of Philanthropy Journal. “The value of endowments is down, the value of individual investments is down, and nonprofit costs are up, as well as demand for services.”

Still, laid-off workers can make a difference. Laine Seaton, who was laid off from her development-management position for an Arizona nonprofit in December, now volunteers about 35 hours a week at five nonprofits. She says that beyond supporting causes she cares about, she’s been able to bolster skills that will help her find a new position.

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