Meet Angela Parker, 2015 VolunteerMatch Summit Speaker

Name: Angela Parker

Title: Co-founder and Senior Partner

Organization: Realized Worth

What is your session about?

Basically, it’s about how corporations and nonprofits can work better together. There are some simple understandings and practices that quickly increase the capacity of employee volunteering and giving programs while simultaneously increasing the competencies of the employees who are involved.

Companies and nonprofits are becoming savvier partners as corporate social responsibility becomes an expected element of business operations, but we’re still too far away from the results we should be seeing. Companies, communities, and employees should be experiencing measurable benefits from corporate volunteering and giving programs. The information and suggestions in this session will get attendees one step (or hopefully several steps!) closer to realizing those benefits.

Why should attendees care about this topic?

Truthfully, I’m not a huge fan of the word “should.” People don’t care about things just because they should. If that were the case, we would all be fit and thin and never drink too much and watch less TV. Instead, we care about the things that trigger certain rewards. We eat cookies because sugar releases a chemical concoction in our brains that makes us feel good. We watch movies because they connect us to a sense of story and a greater purpose. One thing’s for sure: We don’t care about things we’ve never experienced. If you have never personally experienced the transformative power of volunteering, you probably don’t care about this topic.Why should attendees care about this topic?

So, let’s back up. Here are some reasons you might care about this topic already – even if you don’t know you do:

Have you ever wondered why companies volunteer at all? Or how many companies have volunteering giving programs now? Or how volunteering can influence employee engagement? We’ll get into all of these topics in the session.

Curious about the latest volunteering and giving trends across nonprofits and corporations? Definitely something we’ll cover.

How about this: Do you want to laugh a little, get a little smarter, and hear some great stories? The best part of this session might simply be that you’ll enjoy yourself. And when we talk about the difference between transactional and transformative volunteering, you might even find yourself inspired.

Hope to see you there!

What is a professional achievement you are particularly proud of?

I suppose I can’t claim this as my own achievement, but I’m proud of my team’s commitment to Realized Worth. There was a time that it felt like “my” company, but now it feels like “ours.” Everyone carries the mission of the company as their own – they believe on a very personal level in the power of corporate volunteering. Each team member contributes significantly to making the work more effective and the company more efficient. Like I said, it’s not really my accomplishment, but I’m proud. Believing in something together is so much easier than believing alone.

To learn more about Angela, check out her biography on our Summit speakers’ page. And if you haven’t yet, register today for the 2015 VolunteerMatch Summit!