In the summer of 2007, I had a revelation that changed my life. I was a professional basketball player training during the off-season at a local gym outside Atlanta, when I noticed some youth playing around. School was out for the summer, their parents were at work, and these kids did not have activities to keep them constructively engaged in their downtime. Basketball has always been instrumental in my life because it provided me many opportunities and taught me about teamwork, accountability and respect, and I realized that I could use my expertise to provide at-risk youth with the opportunity to learn these lessons as well.
I co-founded Back 2 Basics Kids Foundation (B2B) with the mission of providing inner-city youth the opportunity to discover and enhance individual skills through health and fitness awareness, teamwork, life skills, and expression.
I understand personally the power of volunteering for good. This is why, as the Executive Director of B2B, I was inspired to leverage LinkedIn’s Volunteer Marketplace to find the skills and expertise we needed to strengthen our organization’s capacity. Through the LinkedIn Volunteer Marketplace, we found two skilled volunteers—an experienced social media manager who has grown our organization’s social reach, and a Board member who brings a strong finance background to advise us on key financial decisions.
Like most executive directors of small organizations with big reach, I think about skills and resources quite a bit. With only two employed staff members and year-round programming, Back 2 Basics Kids Foundation would not be what it is today without our talented volunteers.
Our new volunteer Social Media Strategist has made a big impact in a short time frame. She manages all of our social media marketing efforts for our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts, and now she’s creating newsletter templates to keep our supporters, clients, volunteers and donors up to date on our latest news and events. She has made an immediate impact and created more public awareness about B2B.
Our newest volunteer board member joined just two weeks before our second quarterly meeting and has brought tremendous financial expertise to the table. By joining our fundraising committee, he will help with our year-round fundraising efforts, create and oversee administrative and program budgets, and spread awareness about B2B through his networks.
The LinkedIn Volunteer Marketplace has made it possible for us to access a diverse and qualified group of professionals eager to give back so we could find the right fit for our organization.
If you’re interested in using the LinkedIn Volunteer Marketplace to find skilled volunteers to manage your organization’s social media efforts as Yusef did, follow these simple steps:
- Click here for a pre-filled volunteer social media manager posting.
- Add in details about your organization to motivate professionals to apply.
- Post and share with your network.
Or if you’re interested in volunteering your skills and expertise, explore opportunities in the LinkedIn Volunteer Marketplace.