Directors of Volunteers

Do you aspire to become a director of volunteers? If so, volunteering at your favorite organization or charity is a great start. You could hand out water to runners at a local marathon, keep track of donations at a women's shelter, record printed material for the blind, or collect signatures on petitions that seek to encourage legislators to protect the environment. Visit the following Web sites to learn more about volunteer opportunities:

• Idealist: http://www.idealist.org
• VolunteerMatch: http://www.volunteermatch.org
• SCORE: http://www.score.org
• AmeriCorps: https://americorps.gov

Conducting an information interview with a director of volunteers at a local nonprofit organization will also give you a great introduction to the field. Ask your school counselor to help arrange an interview. Suggested interview questions include: What made you want to become a director of volunteers? What do you like most and least about your job? How did you train for this field? What advice would you give to young people about preparing for the field and being successful on the job?

Join student business organizations—such as Junior Achievement (https://jausa.ja.org), DECA (www.deca.org), Future Business Leaders of America (https://www.fbla.org), and Business Professionals of America (http://bpa.org) to develop your leadership and managerial skills.

Finally, reading professional journals, such as the International Journal of Volunteer Administration (http://www.ijova.org), will introduce you to important issues in the field.