Marketers often turn to pro-bono or charity work to give back to the community, to use their skills for good or even just to get experience they can parlay into paying work. I can’t tell you why you should volunteer. However, if you do volunteer, I advise you to be like a watermelon: develop a thick but porous skin.
I am not even remotely above using pictures of babies to get you to read my blog
The watermelon analogy stems (sorry) from the realities of charities and not-for-profits. Most often, people work or volunteer in this sector because they have strong feelings about the subject, whether it’s the environment, religion, an illness or civil rights. Moreover, these people often have a difficult connection to that subject. This connection both makes the work more meaningful and more difficult.
You need a thick skin to take on some of the more uncomfortable issues, yet you still need to let some of that discomfort in to remind you of why you take on the work.