Rather than clean up beaches or help out in soup kitchens, professionals offer their skills
Jennani Durai Straits Times 27 Oct 11;
FORMER art director Noor Azhar is a volunteer, but not in the sense that most would imagine it.
His brand of volunteering has less to do with cleaning up beaches or visiting the elderly, and more to do with just doing his job - but for free.
Volunteerism has a new face, with professionals increasingly choosing to offer their expertise rather than signing on with an organisation to help out in whatever way they can.
While the sight of lawyers giving advice at legal clinics may not be new, a number of professionals from different fields have been jumping on board the pro bono bandwagon.
Mr Azhar, 35, has conceptualised stage shows at fund-raisers and parties for non-profit organisations such as the Make A Wish Foundation - which grants wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening illnesses - and the United Nations Children's Fund, when he was an art director.
He joined the Singapore Polytechnic as a lecturer four years ago, and now helms a social enterprise at the school, where he facilitates students in doing the same.
At The Student Agency, he and a group of creative media design students produce videos, relaunch brands and think up witty slogans for the campaigns of non-profit groups and charities like the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC).
Their latest project involves creating a video campaign for the centre's upcoming International Volunteer Day event on Nov 26.
The group makes sure that 10 per cent to 20 per cent of its work is done pro bono for non-profit groups that require their specific skills. Fees are charged for other projects.
Said Mr Azhar: 'I thought it was important to inculcate in the students the idea of spending some time volunteering using their skill sets. You can do what you love and volunteer at the same time.'
NVPC chief executive Laurence Lien said the centre has seen more professionals wanting to volunteer their professional skills.
The types of skills that people volunteer are diverse, he added, ranging from legal and marketing, to emceeing and photography.
'Whether you're volunteering according to your skill set, or with a specific organisation, we've seen that giving becomes most powerful when people connect with a cause that they care and are passionate about,' he said.
'That's when their giving becomes more engaged and impactful.'
The Kind Exchange, a non-profit organisation that matches professionals with charity groups that need their expertise, has also seen a surge in interest.
'More and more people are realising that that's the way to go,' said Ms Sue Suh, director of community outreach at The Kind Exchange.
She said that people now think differently about volunteering.
'Once upon a time, when people thought about volunteering, they would think, 'I need to go to a soup kitchen, clean up a beach or build a house,'' she said. 'Those are all wonderful things to do. But increasingly, people have realised that they have professional skills that they could apply to volunteering, and that there are more opportunities for them to apply their skills to a good cause.'
Graphic designer and photographer Paul Williams, 35, is one volunteer who was matched by The Kind Exchange to several non-profit organisations that needed his expertise.
Since moving to Singapore three years ago, the Australian has volunteered his services for a charity drive by the Singapore Heart Foundation and a campaign for the World Toilet Summit, which focuses on improving sanitation conditions in Third World countries.
'I feel that I can offer much more to a charity with the skill set that I have,' said Mr Williams, who is managing director of creative graphic design company Bueno.
'As much as being a 'boots-on-the-ground' volunteer is helpful, charities tend to find it much easier to find younger people to collect donations than they do older people who can provide them with professional services for free.'
