Volunteering for a Better Tomorrow
United Way BC’s iVolunteer program brings together over 400 agencies and more than 15,000 volunteers across the province, helping to fulfill countless volunteer opportunities every day. The platform makes it simple for agencies to post their needs and for volunteers to discover meaningful opportunities within their own communities.
In addition to being a resource for local agencies, United Way BC uses iVolunteer to find dedicated individuals to support various needs internally. Volunteers are vital to United Way BC’s work, whether they are assisting with events, providing administrative support, or contributing specialized expertise. Jyothsna has been volunteering with United Way BC to support with the development and implementation of Salesforce software.
For Jyothsna, volunteering just makes sense. As a recent graduate of the Solutions Development program at Conestoga College in Waterloo, volunteering with United Way BC is giving her the opportunity to expand her knowledge and skills, while giving her a strong head start in her career. “It’s helping me to gain hands on experience while making a meaningful impact on the community,” she shares.
Making a Difference, One Program at a Time
With previous experience in the field, Jyothsna has been supporting United Way BC as a Salesforce Administrator since the end of July, contributing 836 hours to date! As the organization adapts to an increasingly digital world, implementing Salesforce across a province-wide network is no small task. Having Jyothsna available to provide user support for both the project team and the grants management team has been invaluable.
Her supervisor and United Way BC’s Salesforce Developer and Superuser, Saikiran, shares the impact she has made, “I really appreciate Jyothsna’s hard work supporting us to implement grant management in Salesforce, I appreciate her dedication to work. She has been a valuable asset to the team, and we all appreciate her. She quickly learned a lot and was able to adapt to our workflow fast, which made things easy for me to train her.”
A Steppingstone for the Future
While she brought prior experience and knowledge to the role, volunteering with United Way BC has allowed Jyothsna to expand her skillset in new ways. “This has been really exciting, and it’s also inspired me to continuously learn and apply new skills. Like [grant] form assembly, I haven’t really worked on [grant] form assembly before in this volunteering opportunity. I have done a certification in [grant] form assembly now as well,” she shares enthusiastically.
Having already extended her volunteer commitment term once, Jyothsna’s time with United Way BC has now come to a close. She expresses deep gratitude for the collaboration and hard work of the team, recognizing this experience as a key steppingstone in her career. “I do know this my career starter. I will definitely remember this phase in my entire life, and I’ll definitely not forget. If I find any opportunities with United Way BC in the future, I’ll definitely apply to them.”
Reflecting on her journey, she acknowledges the many advantages of volunteering beyond just skill development, “Volunteering with United Way BC offers added benefits. It provides the opportunity to work alongside a supportive team most importantly and it also offers valuable exposure to non-profit work, while helping you build your skills in your career.”
Get Involved in Your Community
After her experience, she invites others to consider a similar path. “As a new graduate, I’ll definitely encourage someone to start their career with volunteering. It’s a great way to gain hands on experience, understand how the work environment functions, and learn how the community operates most importantly.”
Jyothsna’s story is just one of many that highlight the power of volunteering. Whether it’s building new skills, making meaningful connections, or giving back to the community, volunteers play a vital role in strengthening organizations like United Way BC. With hundreds of opportunities available on iVolunteer, there’s a way for everyone to get involved. Find a cause that inspires you, support your community, and register to volunteer today.
Get active in your community, volunteer at iVolunteer.ca!