Dean Stone, Workers Compensation Manager at NAB, volunteered for goodcompany to film and edit a series of short videos of skilled volunteering experiences, to inspire and to inform others about the benefits of skilled volunteering.

What first attracted you to gifting your skills to community groups?
I work for the NAB and was hearing great stories from them on what they were doing when gifting their time to skilled volunteering. I felt there was a need to document some of these stories and have a visual that people could log on to and watch real people talking about real experiences. I then met up with Penny van der Sluys at goodcompany who ran with the idea and we created a set of short movies about volunteers and the companies who receive their time.

The companies talked about how they engage a volunteer, what prompts them to request assistance and what value and benefits they have realised. The volunteers talked to us about sharing their knowledge or skill and how rewarding the experience was. They also discussed how this was great for their CV and experience, as they were able to go out and create something that the organisation really needed.

What have you got out of skilled volunteering, personally and professionally?
Personally, I found it rewarding just to visit the organisations that assist people in need, to hear their stories and how a skilled volunteer has lifted their business. It was really rewarding to hear that they had this problem that was fixed, which allowed them to focus on their service delivery. For example, “I don’t know how to help someone get off drugs...but I do know how to create a HR framework to help the company with their administration and let them get on with the very important work that they do”. Just to be able to hear these stories and see firsthand how skilled volunteers have had such a positive impact was amazing.

Professionally the task I undertook gave me a great balance to my normal job. I love videography, editing and mastering the final versions, so it gave me a great side line project to work on. It also may lead to more work for me in this area, as we were able to cut some very good stories and load them directly on to YouTube.

What impact have your skills had on the community group you are assisting?
I actually worked for goodcompany directly, so I can see that they now have a set of 4 mini-movies to use in their training of new volunteers. Similarly with recruitment of new skilled volunteers, where the person can log on, watch and learn from the experience of others. If an organisation needs a volunteer, there are great tips on how to turn an idea into a project and then into a volunteer.

What was the most valuable aspect of volunteering?
Seeing people with a skill in their area applying this to a not for profit. Both sides got so much out of it.

Was there a common theme in the volunteering experiences?
Yes, a few. First of all, allow people the time and expect things to go wrong. The not for profit companies understand things can go wrong, so stay in touch. Most people rated "having fun" as one of the main benefits they got out of it. The Skilled Volunteer knew what they were doing and fitted the brief, and the company really appreciated them being there. It appeared to me that once the connection was made and they both understood what could and would be done, they both really enjoyed the experience.

With over 2 hours of raw footage you must have heard a favourite quote?
Yes. For me it was Liz Brande from Taskforce who said "Volunteering pays the soul it doesn't pay the rent, so we have to be flexible with our expectations". Sally Davis (another NAB skilled volunteer) said "skilled volunteering was a highlight of my year".