There are so many reasons to do volunteer work, and to serve on not-for-profit boards. One of those reasons is the knowledge and experience you gain from doing the work, as well as the knowledge and experience that you share.

There are really two schools of thought when it comes to board service. Some say you should only serve in roles that are outside of your regular line of work so that you gain new skills and experience. For example, if you're a CPA don't serve as the treasurer. The other school of thought says that you should leverage your strengths, and simply do what you're best at where you'll have the greatest impact. Depending on your needs and the needs of the organizations you're working with I think you can decide what makes the most sense on a case by case basis.

Regardless of your current professional status, almost any type of board service will give you the ability to demonstrate your current skills and talents. In discussions you'll able to refer to your previous experience to help guide your organization to better decisions. As you work closely with your fellow board members you'll develop bonds that will last a long time. If you really apply yourself you'll likely find that these board relationships become the core of your own network. This often happens because you share a passion, and you've had the opportunity to show that you're a credible professional.

Whether you choose to step outside your comfort zone into a new role or leverage your strengths, the new situations and challenges your organization presents will give you an opportunity think differently and try new things. The skills you'll develop in these roles and the experience you gain can be invaluable to your career growth. Not to  mention all of this work looks pretty good on a resume as well.

If you're not already working on a board I hope you'll seriously consider it. Talk to others who've done this kind of work and I'm pretty sure they'll tell you that you almost always get more than you give.

Happy Networking!

Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com