INTHEBLACK August 2022 - Magazine - Page 62
VOLUNTEERING
// G I V I N G B A C K
STORY KATIE LANGMORE
SKILLS
FOR
IMPACT
There are many great reasons to
engage in voluntary work and give
back to the community. With many
not-for-profit organisations facing
difficulties in the wake of the
pandemic, there is a growing need
for the skill set that accountants
can bring to the table.
T
he Australian 2021 Census revealed that nearly
three million Australians did voluntary work for an
organisation last year, yet many of us plan to help
out but never get around to lining something up. For
those who are ready to take the plunge and carve out
time for some pro bono work, here are five tips to help
you find the perfect role.
Above: Khaled Elhajj ASA
in Cambodia in 2019.
CHECK OUT WHO NEEDS YOU
One of the easiest ways to match your capacity with
the needs of an organisation is through a volunteer
search site. A useful first stop is Go Volunteer, run by
Volunteering Australia. On this user-friendly website, you
can pop in keywords, an area of interest, ideal location,
a day of the week you might be free and whether you’re
looking for a one-off or something for more or less than
six months. Put in your criteria and then select from a list
of roles, events and opportunities. Other handy websites
are Seek Volunteer – which simply asks what you’re
interested in and where you’d like to do it – and Ethical
Jobs, for which you list “volunteer” under work type.
62 ITB August 2022
CLICK HERE
TO ACCESS
CPA Australia’s
resources on
voluntary or pro
bono accounting
services
HEAD OVERSEAS
One of the strengths of the finance sector is that you
can take your skills anywhere. As Colombian Luisa
Mariela Diaz-Zeledon CPA once told INTHEBLACK of her
voluntary accounting work at a toy library when she first
arrived in Australia, “luckily, numbers are universal”.
There are a number of organisations that help
Australians find pro bono work overseas.
Australian Volunteers International has dozens of
assignments for six months to two years, which can be
accessed through its website or email alerts. Another
option is Accounting for International Development
(AfID), a UK-based social enterprise that helps accounting
volunteers take their skills abroad for two weeks to a year.
Giving Back interviewee Khaled Elhajj ASA applied
for an AfID assignment in 2019. After providing two
references and being accepted into the program,
Elhajj did a workshop in London and was asked where
he would like to volunteer. “When I read about the
Disability Development Services Program in Cambodia,
I decided to go there,” Elhajj told INTHEBLACK.