Volunteering

Organize with a group of students in your concentration. For example, students could collectively approach Omaha Healthy Start or the Baby Blossoms Collaborative to see if there is an event or other tasks that could use volunteers. 

If you see a major event of interest (symposium, conference, gala, fundraiser, etc.), look for a request for volunteers. If you don’t see one, email the organizers and ask if they need help with anything before, during or after the event. 

Look at job descriptions long before you start your job search and compare your resume with the most common requirements. If you consistently see a required skill or experience that you lack, find a volunteer opportunity that will help you meet that requirement. 

Sometimes organizations have last-minute volunteer requests. By keeping up to date on your email, you can jump on these opportunities.

Be specific when you reach out to organizations. These are incredibly busy people, so the more specific you can be, the easier it will be for them to reply. If you have gone through your resume and identified areas to fill, you should be able to identify appropriate types of organizations, and make these specific requests. 

• Good example: “I admire the work that you do at XYZ Organization, and I am wondering if you have any data needs that I could help out with. In my public health program, I have learned how to create databases, run analyses and develop reports, so would love to talk with you about any volunteer projects that could benefit from this expertise."
• Bad Example: “I am a public health student and am looking for volunteer opportunities to get more experience. Do you have any opportunities available?” 

One way to find volunteering opportunities is to use the Midlands’ Membership Directory. With a quick search, you can find potential volunteering opportunities in Nebraska and western Iowa.