Traditionally, the process starts by defining the brand purpose, known as the ‘why’. Values and the mission, the brands’ promises to customers are then built around your why. With these elements in place, your brand is ready to inspire your customers, to connect and engage them through your purpose and values

Until recently having a strong purpose and values, conveyed through revolutionary and consistent marketing and advertising campaigns, was enough to catch your target and gain their trust and loyalty. Recently something has change in the way brands must work on their branding strategies.

Now consumers are asking brands to embrace and get involved in global and social issues, turning the brands’ purpose into activism. Edelman research from 2019* showed that only 34% of consumers trust the brands they are buying from and 53% of them think brands “trust-wash”, meaning they are not committed to society as they claim. Exciting campaigns and purpose narratives are not enough anymore.

How then can you activate your brand purpose and show it to your customers? You must build concrete platforms to show your customers that you are committed to improving the world they are living in.

The fashion industry, with its personal connection to consumers, feels very directly how important sustainability is to consumers. Throughout the fashion industry, we constantly find examples of brands embracing social issues and screaming it via their marketing and advertising campaigns. Here are some great examples:

Timberland embraces and promotes sustainability in every facet of its business model, using not only environmentally conscious materials, like recycled plastic and regenerative leather, but sources them from suppliers which have a minimal impact on the environment, or use regenerative agricultural techniques. Timberland has also committed to plant 50 million trees by 2025, in partnership with different associations around the globe, and they launched the ‘Nature needs heroes’ manifesto, a call to action to their consumers.

Another concrete example is the Adidas ‘Run for the Oceans’ campaign launched this year in partnership with Parley, an organization that raises awareness about the beauty and fragility of the oceans. Participants can join the challenge in the Adidas Running app and run, walk or wheelchair to help clean plastic waste in our oceans. Adidas and Parley cleaned up the equivalent weight of 10 plastic bottles of ocean waste for every kilometer run between May 28^th and June 8^th, via the Adidas Running app – the brands committed to cleaning up to a maximum of 500,000 lbs. of marine plastic waste from beaches, remote islands and coastline.

So how can you effectively integrate sustainability into the brand building process described at the beginning?

In my opinion, there is only one way: Follow the fashion industry’s lead – Fully integrate sustainability into your brand ‘why’, and credibly build your mission and values around it.

We must keep in mind though, as marketers and communicators, that our brand reputation is now more than ever in the hands of our consumers, so we must be true to our promises. One negative comment is enough to jeopardize a brand and the internet has no mercy and no reset button.

Marta Mezzenzana, Global Brand Manager Police, Cerruti 1881 watches and jewelry presso International Luxury Group (ILG of Switzerland Ltd)

* https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2019-06/2019_edelman_trust_barometer_special_report_in_brands_we_trust.pdf

Everyone knows that the first step towards the successful introduction of any organizational change, big or small, is to explain why the change is needed in the first place. What many companies fail to appreciate, however, is that this “why” has two dimensions: the corporate and the personal.

The corporate “why” is easy: the benefits that the new strategy will bring to the organization as a whole. This can include gaining market share, increasing competitiveness, expanding to new regions, repositioning the brand, etc. What is often forgotten is the personal “why”: the arguments that appeal to the intrinsic motivation of each employee to adopt the change. Sometimes referred to as “What’s in it for me”, these arguments address the question “Why should I care?” by every person impacted by the change.

This individual dimension complements the corporate dimension, which tends to resonate with a few only, in particular those closer to the decision-making. The rest of the organization needs to understand how the change brings something of value to them as well – at least if we want them to change behaviour.

Take for example a company that decides to get rid of individual offices and move all its employees to open workspaces. This is likely to be received with resistance at best, and opposition at worst. This company would typically craft its messages around the benefits of breaking down silos, increasing collaboration, fostering knowledge-sharing, etc. As nice as they sound, these arguments won’t resonate with those who cherish their individual offices, because they tackle corporate aspirations, not individual motivation.

To appeal to employees’ intrinsic motivation, these messages should rather highlight what they can gain from the move. For example, to make “increasing collaboration” an appealing argument for individual employees, collaboration could be introduced as a desired behavior in the company’s performance assessment. Accordingly, employees would be rewarded for working collaboratively with each other. This would make the move towards the open workspaces coherent with the company’s performance culture, and therefore employees would have an incentive to embrace the change.

There are many other ways to appeal to the individual “why” in this particular example, but you get the idea: develop a coherent narrative as to why each person affected by the change has something to gain from adopting the change – and this may differ across the organization as some groups prefer collaboration more than others.

If the why is powerful, the how is easy

This important distinction between corporate and individual motivators explains why the changes imposed by the Covid pandemic were quickly assimilated by employees without much resistance. The huge sense of urgency imposed by the pandemic provided very powerful “why’s” on both fronts.

Covid-19 was a burning platform that forced companies to react quickly to adapt their operations and sustain their business (the corporate “why”). While this brought along a vast amount of change to most employees, we readily adopted new habits like mask wearing, hand disinfecting and home office without much resistance, because the individual “why” was very strong: being safe and staying healthy.

This sense of urgency is typically missing in the launch of corporate strategies. They are usually introduced after months – if not years – of profound deliberation, wide consultation and careful planning. By the time they are launched, the decision-makers are well ahead of the curve and ready for implementation, while everyone else is still figuring out what the new strategy is all about and why it is needed in the first place. Until everyone in the company finds their “what’s in it for me”, they won’t jump on it.

As communicators, we can contribute to the successful roll-out of corporate changes – from a small team’s reorganization to a large-scale strategic transformation – by ensuring that we convey not only why the company needs the change, but most importantly how each employee can gain something from it as well.

——————-

Victoria Torrano is a Communications Manager with 19 years’ experience working in an international financial organization. She is currently transitioning into a new position as Head of Communications and Marketing in the International School Basel.

So why do so many people hate networking?

Time. Shyness. As a consequence of the first two, many of us don’t think about networking until we need something. Walking into a room where you don’t know anyone, is uncomfortable. Reaching out to a neglected contact for a favor doesn’t feel right. Networks are about relationships, and relationships are reciprocal. The secret to making networking more effective and far more comfortable is to keep in touch with your network and gradually build on it – so you know a few people in the room and they are happy that you’re there.

What do you do if you haven’t stayed in touch with most of your network?

That is the beauty of this summer. We have all been neglectful for a long time. We had to be. It was the law! We have all spent too much time in too small a social circle. Acquaintances who haven’t heard from most people in a long time, will certainly be happy to hear from you.

Getting back in touch doesn’t mean overloading yourself with cocktails and coffee meetings; remember, some people are not ready to get back to face-to-face meetings. There are a lot of options.

Three easy ways to reconnect with your professional network

1. Scroll to the bottom of your messages (email, LinkedIn etc.) and send brief messages to the people you haven’t been in touch with for a while. Even at a rate of one / day, you will have reinitiated contact with 40+ people by the fall.

What kind of messages can you send?

A quick hello: “Hi. I was just going through my mailbox and came across your name …”

Catching up messages: Prepare an email to tell people what you have been doing and how you weathered the lockdown … and ask how they have been.

Share useful information: Forward an article that might be of interest. “I saw this article and thought you might find it interesting …”

Send a birthday message: or better yet, call or leave a voice message. (People like when you remember their birthday.)

Acknowledge a milestone or work anniversary:  Did you see one pop up on LinkedIn. Instead of hitting ‘like’, send a quick private message or email – it’s more personal and that tiny bit of extra effort will be appreciated.

2. Dedicate a few minutes a day to making better use of social media. Yes. Just a few minutes.

• Scroll through your social media feed with the purpose of acknowledging the contributions of your connections: Like, if that’s all you have time for, but try to write a brief comment or send a private message. If the content is interesting share it with your network.
• Pay special attention to original content: If a contact has shared some of their work, a blog post, article or video, fawn over it! They have worked hard on it – Thank them for sharing and tell them why you like it … and do them the favor of sharing it.
• Follow people you admire or find inspirational: Often their feeds will be well curated and full of high quality, interesting and shareable posts. Tip: for great articles and white papers that you can share with your network, try following some consultancies.

3. If you are ready for some next level networking, here it is. Go through your professional contacts and divide them into categories that tell you how often to contact them, based on how close you are, how close you want to be and how important they could be for your career. This can seem a bit mercenary, but it helps you focus your limited time, and it keeps you from becoming a nuisance to people who likely only see you as a distant contact.

Core contacts: These are friends, close colleagues, mentors and potentially important business contacts – people you would like to be in closer contact with.

Interesting but more distant contacts: These can be people you have an established relationship with, who you just need to ‘ping’ from time to time to let them know you are thinking of them.

Acquaintances: These people might be colleagues from years gone by, people in different geographic areas – people you want to keep in touch with, but whose professional paths aren’t currently crossing yours.

Here’s one way to segment your network:

For more about the concept of segmenting your network, check out, Never Eat Alone, a fantastic networking book by Keith Ferrazzi.

This summer may be the best network building opportunity we have ever had. I can’t think of a time when people have ever been so universally craving contact.

I wish you a relaxing summer of reconnecting.

Anissa Heyse

I am a Strategic Marketer & Scientific Writer and I work through my company, Savoir Dire Scientific Communication. I am proudly the Head of the Basel Communicators’ Network.

The pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of communicating science accurately, as well as the huge responsibility that scientists have in their roles as communicators.  For the vast majority science is a complex subject and the processes behind it are not well understood.  In this ‘post-truth’ world, it’s more important than ever for scientists to cut through the noise, communicate the facts and connect with audiences.

Science communicators have a wealth of experience and knowledge that can significantly help shape the conversation the scientific community is having with audiences in a positive and uplifting way.  We have an important role to play, and we must offer our support in whatever capacity that presents itself.  We also have a shared responsibility to ensure that accurate messages are being communicated and people are being influenced responsibly, so they can protect themselves and the health of their loved ones.

Science is now front and centre in our daily discussion, and in some ways, the appreciation of science has increased.   Many people who have no science background at all, are now happily discussing R numbers, the relative efficacy of vaccines, the protection afforded by different types of face masks and the specificity of diagnostic tests. 

However, the digital age has also brought a proliferation of fake news about science which is then amplified by conspiracy theorists and self-proclaimed experts. Inaccurate information frequently floods the mainstream media and flourishes on news feeds.  The stakes are immeasurably high.  We’ve seen catastrophic consequences of inaccurate information about COVID treatments leading to real harm.  For example, in Iran, a false claim circulated advising people to drink toxic methanol alcohol claiming it was effective at curing COVID infection.  As a result, thousands were hospitalised, and more than 700 people died.

The World Health Organisation Director-General has said “We’re not just fighting a pandemic; we’re fighting an infodemic” prompting them to create a global movement and call to action asking science and health communities to ‘promote access to health information and to mitigate harm from health misinformation among online and offline communities’. To support this the European Public Relations Education and Research Association has issued a statement calling for increased ethical and effective communications to handle the COVID pandemic, as they state there is a need to refocus our efforts against the consistent onslaught of fake news and conspiracy theories. 

Many of us in the Basel Communications Network work in science communications and are familiar with the special challenges that science and technical topics bring.  Many of us will be supporting scientists as they share their work with broader audiences.

The challenge is multi-faceted:

1.  The science itself is complex!  Let’s face it, most scientific topics are incredibly complicated, and science often has its own speciality-specific language and jargon.  Add to this the inherent uncertainty that exists within science and you have an immediate communication challenge.

2.  The digital age does not allow time for nuance!  The proliferation of online content means that it is increasingly difficult to get cut-through, and attention spans are extremely low, so we need to make important information stand out so it will be heard.

3.  The scientific ‘method’ approach to communicating can make things worse.  The sad fact is that nothing scientists or doctors have learned at university will help them communicate science in the digital world. The scientific ‘method’ approach with its background, method, results and FINALLY conclusion structure is too time consuming for the digital age, which is mostly focused on sensationalised headlines and click-bait. 

These are the topics that I’ve looked at specifically in my book Scientifically Speaking.  Time after time, at the end of a training session, scientists would say to me “Why don’t they teach this stuff at university?”.  And so, my book is really there to support scientists directly – particularly those scientists who don’t have direct access to communications experts. 

As experienced communicators we have an unprecedented opportunity to help the science community in improving their understanding of how they communicate about their science and most importantly, how to communicate it well.  I have worked in science communications for the last 25 years and I have seen how we as communicators can truly elevate the science conversation to a new level of understanding, whether it’s bringing to life data, showcasing research, raising awareness of rare diseases, illustrating the potential of new drugs, devices, and technologies, or improving patient access to care.

So, I’m calling on my fellow science communicators to reach out to their medical community and offer their expertise and support, especially during these challenging times.

Good science should never be badly communicated, especially when the consequences can be so significant. By supporting our scientists, we can ensure medical advice is reported accurately and responsibly to our wider communities, in service of better health and safety for all of us.

About Jo

Jo Browning is a communications coach dedicated to helping people understand the benefits of science and medicine.  For more than 25 years she has helped scientists and physicians speak with impact and authority about their work.  Jo began her career as a journalist before moving into communications, training and consultancy.  She studied English at Oxford University and holds a diploma in Public Relations and a Postgraduate diploma in Science & Society. 

Her book Scientifically Speaking: How to speak about your research with confidence and clarity is published by Practical Inspiration Publishing, and is available for pre-order now. 

Paperback: http://getbook.at/ScientificallySpeaking

** SPECIAL OFFER **

It’s currently available on special offer an eBook BEFORE if purchased before or on 7^th June 2021 for GBP0.99. 

eBook: http://getbook.at/ScientificallySpeak-eb

After 20+ years of writing everything from technical regulatory documents to strategy documents for big pharma, I published my first mass-market book, Living Singlish, which shows young women how to live fabulous, independent lives, in 2016. My current project is a cookbook, which will be packed with recipes for easy, tasty, gluten-free brownies, cakes and cookies. Mass-market writing really gets my creative juices flowing.

As a communicator, a varied portfolio shows the breadth and depth of your abilities. Writing on different topics for different audiences pushes you and shows the world what you can do. And it’s fun!

Writing for mass market is both similar to and different from corporate work. The similarities are simple. You have a goal: educate, inspire, amuse. You include a CTA: buy the item, change a behaviour. You target a particular audience.

The devil is in the differences.

Writing for the sciences, you build a message around facts, supported by data. You use a formal voice. You rarely use slang or emojis.

Your personal writing may be based on emotion, or describe an imaginary world. Your written voice has to fit that. Imagine trying to inspire someone to start a new exercise program in the same tone you use to explain highly technical study results. It just won’t work!

You need casual language, the active voice, and even (gasp!) emojis. This can take some adjustment. My first draft of Living Singlish read like a technical manual until I edited it while dangling my feet in the Rhine on a hot summer day. Changing my environment changed my voice.

Your new audience members may be lovers of romance novels or fitness enthusiasts. Whoever they are, write to their interests, in their language. You can’t rely on studies.  You have to know your tribe.

Yes, changing to a new kind of writing takes effort.  But it’s worth it. You’ll find yourself writing with passion and energy, rediscovering the joy of being in the flow. And who knows, it could even open up new career opportunities!

Marne Platt was a senior pharmaceutical executive, with experience in Regulatory Affairs, Medical Affairs, Marketing, Supply Chain and General Management. Her 3 books, including Living Singlish, are available on Amazon. Find out more about her upcoming fourth book, “Easy, Tasty, Gluten Free” at www.marneplatt.com.

• HR managers like passing on an interesting introduction too
• We are more likely to become interested in a video than yet another CV

3 ways videos will catch HR’s interest immediately:

1. HR managers face a stream of approximately identical looking resumes and LinkedIn profiles every day. Give them something different to pique their interest – get invited for an interview.
2. People want to know who they’re inviting for an interview. A video gives them a glimpse of your personality that a resume never could. This is especially true in Switzerland, where photos on resumes are the norm – for exactly the reason that managers want to see who they’ll be meeting.
3. Communication is a key competency for successful job performance – HR managers want to see that you can communicate and get your message across. Your video will show them – before they’ve even met you – that you are an agile and effective communicator.

Framing: See the video as helping someone get to know you

The idea of making a video can make some people feel like they are “selling” themselves or boasting. When you are making your video, keep the purpose in mind, or ‘frame’ the video as a way to allow us to get to know you. It truly is about giving us a chance to see if you fit the position, the company, and the team, in advance of meeting you.

Elements of an effective video resume / elevator pitch video:

Use any elements that feel authentic and help you tell your story:

Introduction – Who are you? How did you get to this point in your career?

What do you have to offer? – Why hire you? What could you bring to the team, the company?

What are you passionate about? What drives you? – This doesn’t come through easily in a resume. You can display your passion in a video.

What are your accomplishments? – Give specific examples.

Share references / accolades – Recommended but not required. Not suitable for all types of video.

Call to action – What should people do after they watch your video? (Invite you for an interview, contact you, connect with you on LinkedIn, share your video with contacts that could benefit from your skills.)

• Aim for a video between 30 – 90s
• Provide a short, professional looking link: Use a URL shortener like bitly.com

Types of videos:

Videos of you introducing yourself (Talking head videos): Your passions and personality come through clearly in this type of video; they feel honest and conversational. These videos are a way to deliver your ‘elevator pitch’ or a way to preemptively answer the dreaded, ‘So, tell me about yourself’.

• Need help writing an elevator pitch to use as a script?: Watch our Personal Branding webinar for some fantastic tips: http://bit.ly/BCNPersonalBranding

• Have a friend interview you and speak freely (you will edit down to the best parts at the end). Talking to a friend will bring a natural energy and warmth out of you. A friend could also prompt you to speak about strengths they notice, but you may take for granted.

Work sample videos: Show them what you can do. Have you given webinars, talks or produced videos or video content for work? Share it.

• We shared a work sample video above. It works.

Hybrid videos: As you would expect, these combine advantages of talking head and work sample videos. Here you edit together elements of you delivering your pitch and videos or still shots of work samples. You can use these videos to  display positive references that could sound boastful, being said by you, but are valuable to say and support your capabilities. Hybrid videos can give a more complete picture of you.

• www.invideo.io is a simple tool for making hybrid videos

Conclusion

Videos stand out in the sea of resumes and increase your chances of getting a meeting. A good video can give HR and hiring managers a clearer picture of you; showcasing your communications skills, creativity, and enthusiasm in way that resumes simply can’t.

In our experience, planning a little and experimenting a lot, goes a long way. Don’t get lost in the planning process if it means that you will spend too much time going down a never-ending rabbit hole. Plan something, create it, evaluate it, and adapt it. Then go share it. 

Please contact us on LinkedIn with any questions.

Dr. Evelina Ascalon is an accomplished Human Resources Professional with proven expertise in the human capital and management diagnostics arena. Experienced in global settings serving senior to executive level clients. www.ascalontalent.com

Anissa Heyse is a strategic marketer and scientific writer. She brings to her work, 5 years as a regular columnist at Laboratory Focus Magazine an MBA in International Business and over 10 years in the biotech industry. www.savoirdire.org

So yes, it has been almost a year, and this is getting old. The days of funny Zoom hats, quarantinis and secret joy over doing this workshop facilitation thingie in yoga pants are definitely over. Instead, we feel tired and confused by everybody’s and our own ever-shrinking attention span that seems to correlate with an ever-increasing grumpiness.

As communicators, while we can’t make any of this go away, we can make it a lot more bearable for our colleagues and ourselves. One year into Covid-19, our first responsibility is still to inform, to clearly explain how, when, and why the rules and priorities relevant for us change. We have learned that too much information can be quite stressful for many colleagues. We must admit transparently: We cannot foresee certain things at the moment, but we are aware of them, and our companies, governments etc., are working to find solutions.

Interestingly, this situation has led many of us to think more about the bigger questions: What are my goals in life? what do I want? What do I stand for? Being able to see this crisis as an opportunity can give some an energy boost … but put additional pressure on others.

Some people draw more energy from personal contact with colleagues than others. Very introverted people may enjoy and prefer the opportunity to work from home, even after a year. The current situation acts like a magnifying glass that further intensifies existing challenges. People who live alone might suffer more than usual from loneliness, while anyone who previously had difficulties mentally detaching themselves from work, may hardly relax at all anymore.

I have observed that a healthy attitude towards work can help to keep those mood swings at bay.  “I do my job as well as I can – no more and no less” is actually not a bad mantra. Doing our best every day is important. But the “best” is not a constant: on the days when we were less successful, we probably did our best anyway. Aside from our own performance, there are many other factors that play a role in corporate communication success or failure. Too many of us feel responsible for things that we cannot influence on our own.

Let’s be clear: communication is important, but it also has limits. As communicators, we can have a stellar day, but will not be able to pick all our colleagues up from where they are in their heads and hearts. And that’s perfectly ok.

P.S. First day of spring in 2021 is Saturday, March 20. Just sayin’.

Christiane Becker, a Science Communicator with training in Psychosocial Health, has been an invaluable source of reliable, comprehensive and non-inflammatory COVID-19 information for the Basel expat community. Christiane is an experienced, bilingual strategic communicator, focused on the hot topics of the life science and pharma sector: digital & data, research ethics, sustainability, and COVID-19.

It was the same friend who called me in May this year to ask if there was anything she could do to support me, having seen the impact the pandemic was making on the livelihoods of many freelancers.

I’m of course talking about my friend, Amy Stapleton, who has been responsible for developing the Basel Communicators’ Network from the small lunch gatherings organised by Ciba’s Valerie Chase many years ago, into the thriving community it has now become.

As we entrust the next phase of our network’s evolution into the capable hands of Anissa Heyes, it’s an appropriate point to reflect on where we’ve come from and consider where we go from here.

In my 20 years as a communicator in Basel, it’s been fascinating to witness the ebb and flow of commerce in our curious corner of Europe. Just as the majestic Rhine rises and falls with the seasons, Basel’s corporate landscape remoulds itself regularly.

We can mourn as the names of once-great corporations are reduced to existing only as the name of a tram stop. We can grumble as foreign enterprises gobble up, reconfigure and merge with our beloved Basel firms. But we’ll never stop the relentless corporate churn that is now an intrinsic part of our lives.   

Communications departments continue to shrink and expand, periodically spitting out and hiring employees. The balance between centralised and decentralised communications functions shifts constantly, in the familiar power struggles between communications heads and business heads. 

All of this creates a dynamic, interdependent and intimate ecosystem of communications professionals here in Basel. For a relatively small city, we swirl in a rich mix of highly skilled consultants, freelancers, in-house communicators and jobseekers.

This is why an organisation like the Basel Communicators’ Network is crucial, bringing together like-minded people who can support each other through every ebb and flow. Moving into our next phase, we have a tremendous opportunity to build on what we already have. How will we become more of a learning organisation? Increase the focus on career development? How can we create links with other communicators in Switzerland?

Expertly capable though she may be, Anissa won’t be able to tackle these questions alone. It’s down to each of us to contribute our ideas, time and enthusiasm to make the next phase as successful as the last.

My wish for the Basel Communicators’ Network in 2021 would be new opportunities for professional growth, and the generosity of spirit to cheer each other on in success and bolster each other when times get tough again. After all, this unashamedly dreadful year has shown us that kindness and generosity are the best approaches to get us through any amount of turmoil, not to mention the unprecedented use of the word “unprecedented”.

Good riddance to 2020. I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Peter Sandbach is a seasoned communicator with a passion for helping people to get their message across clearly. In 2017 he founded Basel-based Free Range Communications, which focuses on communication training, including presentation skills, storytelling and talking with the media. He is author of the book “How to Get Your TED Talk Banned”, an intriguing account of real events in Basel.

In these uncertain times, charities need help – so do our careers

With economic shutdowns, dramatic changes in how we work and the continuing rise of the gig economy, many of us are wondering how secure our jobs are. In uncertain times, it’s natural to focus on maintaining your salary and position and easy to lose sight of your longer-term career goals. Maybe the help our communities all need now is our chance to  do something really good for our careers and help our communities during a trying time.

At any stage of your career, you have something valuable to offer a charity

Regardless of age or career progression we can all offer: time, ideas, energy, money, or influence. Like any company, charities need people with all types of skills.

4 things charity work has to offer

1. Gain work experience: Accelerate your career

How many jobs have you not applied for because you didn’t have the right experience? Many volunteer organizations are small; they need volunteers to step up and fill in whichever vacant roll and perform a wide variety of tasks. Your current professional skills will probably get you in the door. I.e. Do you speak more than one language? You will probably be asked to translate, but perhaps you would like to try your hand at communications. If you show you’re willing, you could learn skills and gain experience, faster than you would in your paid career.

2. Expand your network: Make connections across industries

You will meet new people with a range of backgrounds and professions, and from every career level. Networking as a volunteer means that everyone you meet  gets to see you working for something you are passionate about – and they share that passion. Recommendations and references from volunteer work, can be among the best.

3. Explore a passion without the risk of a career change

Volunteering gives you a low-risk way to explore an interest or a career change. Discover you’re not as passionate about wildlife conservation as you thought you were, or did the find-raising projects you tried, just not feel right? Try another department or another charity. There’s a lot of good to be done.

4. You will feel fantastic

Offering help and working for a cause you care about, is uniquely satisfying and rewarding. Volunteering lets you feel a sense of connection to your community, that not many people ever experience. It’s a certain way to meet like-minded people and make friends.

How to find volunteer opportunities: It’s easier than you think

Here in Switzerland there are over 13,000 charitable organizations. America? 1.4 million. It’s not World Wildlife Fund or bust. Wherever you live, you will find a charity that matches your interests. Think about causes you could get passionate about and research charities working in those areas. Once you have narrowed your list, see if you have any connections in the charity or just call them up and ask to talk to the Volunteer Coordinator.

You have a lot to offer and a lot to gain.

Good luck and thank you.

Anissa Heyse