Anna Woolliscroft’s Post

During the just-concluded The Redeemed Christian Church of God Annual Convention, I had the privilege of anchoring the Day 2 program and contributing to content creation throughout the week-long event. Some days ago, Moyosoreoluwa Aladesuyi mentioned that all we had done in that week is a boost to our CVs—and I couldn’t agree more! As a member of the Anchors Department, we handle everything from program planning and anchoring to backstage management, content curation, and production. Other departments like Media, Transport, Hospitality, and Protocol are all engaged in tasks that closely mirror those in our professional lives. Executing these roles for thousands of people without a hitch is no small feat—and it is certainly experience worth highlighting. It is easy to underestimate the value of unpaid work—whether it’s volunteering at church, taking on freelance gigs, or supporting a community project. But these experiences build skills, strengthen networks, and reveal our capacity to lead and collaborate in diverse settings. Every task, no matter how small, sharpens our adaptability, problem-solving, and organizational abilities. Whether we are managing large-scale events or handling day-to-day responsibilities, these contributions shape us into well-rounded professionals. Never discard the value of those “small” efforts; they are often the unseen building blocks of a solid career foundation.

The Unpaid Volunteer Dilemma: Worth the Risk or Recipe for Burnout? As professionals, we've likely encountered unpaid volunteer opportunities. Are unpaid volunteer opportunities a stepping stone to success or a slippery slope to exploitation? The Pros: GAIN valuable experience & skills. EXPAND your network & connections. ENHANCE your resume & career prospects. DEVELOP emotional intelligence & empathy. CONTRIBUTE to social impact & community growth. The Cons: FINANCIAL strain & opportunity costs. LIMITED recognition & compensation. RISK of exploitation or burnout. INEQUITABLE distribution of unpaid labor. Is unpaid volunteer work a necessary evil or a vital part of professional growth? Have you navigated unpaid volunteer work? What were your experiences? #VolunteerWork #UnpaidLabor #ProfessionalDevelopment #SocialImpact #CareerGrowth #SelfCare #FairCompensation

For fourteen years I've provided a wealth of free resources for Volunteer Engagement Professionals. I'd value your support as I continue to do this in future. My latest blog article explains how. https://lnkd.in/efu66TiK

🚨Volunteer Nerd Post!🚨 It was great to be able to spend some time this afternoon connecting with other volunteering pro's at the Association of Volunteer Managers forum on working with emotions. For me, emotional labour is always a special topic. I remember reading the initial research as a fresh-faced volunteer coordinator back in 2018 and having a massive lightbulb moment, and suddenly it all made sense! The ideas of unregulated emotions, attachment to place/cause, and the differences to paid staff!💡 Since then it has been my go-to article, which I always rollout when talking about managing and supporting volunteers; so it was great to be able to revisit and discuss it today. I would definitely recommend giving it a read if you want a bit of academic theory, or checking out the toolkit if you want to see it in action! 🤓 Article: https://lnkd.in/ejwm5weJ Toolkit: https://lnkd.in/eWHa3Eyi

Networking doesn't always happen in formal settings – some of my most valuable opportunities came from casual coffee chats. 🌟 I got a 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 that later turned into a 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 – all over a coffee. 🌟 I landed a 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 by connecting with someone in the education field – again, over a coffee. 🌟 I’ve secured 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 simply through a conversation that started with "Let's grab a coffee." It’s not about the coffee itself, but the connections and conversations that lead to growth and opportunities. Here’s a reminder to reach out, share your ideas, and keep the conversation going. You never know where it might lead! #Networking #CareerGrowth #Opportunities #ConversationsOverCoffee #Mehran

Just recently, I was thinking about the volunteer management development potential in the sector, and identified a few dynamic components of the volunteer experience that can be gamified/simulated to facilitate learning and alignment. Amongst them is the 5I Motivation Progression chart that I had conceived, putting a rough proxy to the development of a volunteer, at the motivation level. 1. Ignorance - clueless and apathetic toward volunteerism 2. Informed - heard of it 3. Interested - curious about it 4. Invested - participating in it 5. Inspired - advocating for it True to my previous experience of designing “Where is Home, Truly (WHT)” to raise awareness for the refugee cause, I have come up with a preliminary idea to gamify the volunteer management roadmap, with a playable concept. I am not thinking to revolutionise the space, but I think if materialised, this will form a relatively low barrier resource to facilitate understanding and alignment in a highly diversified field which is increasingly being saturated with more content resources. If you are interested in facilitation, board/card games, volunteer management, and have a heart for wanting to do more, and don’t mind learning more about this initiative, please do not hesitate to reach out to me:) Gary Lim, Shou Jin Ng, Jun Jie Cheong, Gavin Loh, Priscilla Gan, Sandra Leong 梁雪儿, Hua Jun Ang, Sau Ho CHIN Let me know:)

📊 Numbers Matter When describing your accomplishments, use numbers! Whether in previous jobs or volunteer work, metrics make your contributions concrete and memorable. 📈 #CareerGrowth #ResumeTips #MomLife #NationalUpdateYourResumeMonth

Dear connections, "Thrilled to have earned certificates in Volunteer Management and Content Writing! Excited to continue honing my skills and making a positive impact. #ProfessionalDevelopment #Volunteerism #ContentCreation"

#OnlineFirst Big Fish in a Small Pond: How Overqualified Volunteers Act authored by Qing Miao, Chao Pan, Yuhang He & Jinhao Huang In a 2 study paper, the authors show that overqualification, a mismatch in which abilities far exceed volunteer requirements, remains widespread. Based on relative deprivation theory, the authors propose emotional labor as mediator. Both studies showed that volunteers’ overqualification reduced volunteer performance and increased burnout and turnover. https://lnkd.in/eqiwXQuJ

📊 Numbers Matter When describing your accomplishments, use numbers! Whether in previous jobs or volunteer work, metrics make your contributions concrete and memorable. 📈 #CareerGrowth #ResumeTips #MomLife #NationalUpdateYourResumeMonth