Freek (Content Strategist at Philips Benelux) on the impact of doing good 

As far as I am concerned, Pro Bono Communication is a great example of skill-based volunteering. In other words; you volunteer your hours to help a social organization move forward in your field, i.e. where you can make the most impact.

And how big that impact is, you only experience that once you have experienced it. I was involved as a volunteer leader in a pro bono project for Meedoen in de Wijken, a language coaching initiative of Vereniging Humanitas. Meedoen in de Wijken has a long waiting list of participants eager to learn the Dutch language. However, this requires funding. The initiative has always been financially supported by the municipality of Eindhoven, but in the future it will become increasingly important to also attract companies as partners.

That's where but marketing and communications come around the corner. Because how do you tell the story of Meedoen in de Wijken, and why it's so important to participants? In a team of 10 marketing and communications professionals, we cut our teeth on this assignment over two half-days. One group worked on a presentation that Humanitas can use to win over potential investors, another group worked on the website and yet another team developed a storytelling format to beautifully visualize the stories of participants.

It is only when you are involved in such a project that you actually see how much impact you can make for a social organization, by applying your expertise in your own field. Many recommendations that may be almost obvious to you as a professional are very valuable to a social organization.

Plus; working in a team with professional sisters and brothers in a pressure cooker to deliver something beautiful within two mornings is also incredibly cool to do!