“I have left every volunteer opportunity I have ever had, richer than the time investment that I've put in"

How did you get involved in volunteering?

I think like many people who love volunteering, I was inspired by seeing people receive life changing results from charities. I'm an identical twin and my twin sister is disabled. And so I grew up in a family who had to ask for help in a number of ways to support her. At the same time, I wear hearing aids, but my mum is profoundly deaf and is a hearing dog recipient. And this really was a life changing gift, particularly as it signposts her invisible disability which people previously couldn’t see.

So being able to see the real life sparks of joy that charities can give, means that I have always had an inherent passion for giving back. I volunteered as a child, counting the collection money at church aged 8 (I was born to be an accountant!), setting up a village youth group and fundraising for charity (I won the Diana Award when I was 15). As I became self-employed, I became a proud trustee and director of the Association of Accounting Technicians, the governing body that I report to, helping to support the next generation of accountants.

What have you gained from volunteering? 

One of the most amazing things I have gained from volunteering is the networking opportunities. If I ever had a problem at work or an urgent issue to solve, the people that I would call are people that I have met through volunteering. People I would otherwise never have met. You immediately have something in common with these people, which is a shared passion, and the drive to do something about it. Plus, you meet amazing people with different expertise and skills from yourself. You just learn so much.

For me, volunteering is the best CPD I've ever had in my life. It's not me giving something away. I'm receiving, not giving. You'll join boards and you hear people talking about giving back. And I used to sit in those rooms thinking, I leave here full of ideas and inspiration. I'm coming back to my own business saying, we need to do this, this, this and this. It really is CPD on steroids.

And some of the best friends I have in the world have come from volunteering. Some of the best experiences that I have, some of the best skills that I have, have all come from volunteering.

What has been your proudest moment as a volunteer?

I started the first ever corporate bursary scheme in accountancy and so over the last three years we've changed 15 people's lives. People who can't afford to become an accountant but want to be. And for me it was an absolute no brainer that the minute that company was making profit, we reinvested that back into it. The scheme is now sponsored by FreeAgent, the accounting software, and they fully fund five people every year to become an accountant who wouldn't otherwise. This is so easy to do and it means so much. And for sure it has business benefits. I'm sure people see what I do and think, I want to work with you because I know where that money goes. For me, it just makes the world go round.

What has been the toughest time volunteering?

I was a street pastor for a long time and I think sometimes you are seeing the recipients of charity work at the most vulnerable points in their lives. And I think the depth of why people who volunteer feel so strongly about it, is the same reason that it's also sometimes incredibly hard. You're capturing people on a night that they might remember for the rest of their lives. And you may be making decisions that impact those people’s lives for a very long time.

What would be the one piece of advice you would give to finance professionals thinking about volunteering?

My mantra, which I'm sure will be on my headstone one day, is “you don't become poor by giving”. I have left every volunteer opportunity I have ever had, richer than the time investment that I've put in. Whether it is running a youth club being surrounded by 40 crazy teenagers ending the week with zero energy but really satisfied, or being on the board of AAT, wondering how we can make things easier for the next generation.I could tie back nearly every business success to a volunteer opportunity I've been involved with.

If I was employed and looking to progress I would say, don't pay for that CPD subscription, let me volunteer for a charity, get loads back and bring it back to my day job. You'll often be volunteering in a capacity more senior than your own employment and so actually, that's the shiny stuff I'd be putting on my CV. I'd love to see more people not have to take time out to do it, and see more employer funded volunteering schemes.