In the early winter I was looking for a new volunteer experience, something to stimulate and inspire the Human Resources Professional inside me and something that I could actually use my HR skills and knowledge for. I was fortunate enough to stumble across the Sustainable Waterloo Region website as part of the green team at my workplace. I was excited to see they were in need of a Human Resources Manager. Never did I think it would turn out to be such a positive experience so quickly.
My goal was to gain Human Resources experience within a different organization, expand on my industry knowledge and get involved in a different professional community. I have been immersed into the Human Resources Management world of a non-profit organization that relies on many talented volunteers to reach the members of our community.
I have been so impressed and even astounded at how hard these volunteers work and their commitment to the organization and the common like mindedness they all share. The people of Sustainable Waterloo Region have the passion, the motivation and the drive to make our community a better place. They work tirelessly striving to ensure our RCI members have all the tools and support they need to accomplish their goals, while hosting several events throughout the year for RCI members and the community.
While we love all this, but from a human resources perspective this means there is a lot to do. Our volunteer philosophy is what we live by, so each role is different from the next focusing on the strengths and interests of our volunteers. We take the time to communicate very early during the interview process that our volunteer philosophy is at the core of the organization. Ensuring that our volunteers are engaged and committed requires a keen focus and lots of communication. Having that ongoing one on one time with a volunteer to ensure they are getting what they want out of the experience is key and it is something Sustainable Waterloo Region does well and as we grow will have to continue to do well.