Volunteering Keeps the Guild Growing
The Guild’s mascot, Giant Pencil, joins us in thanking all of our fabulous volunteers!
By Jill Walters, Guild Social Media Coordinator
As a small nonprofit professional organization, the Northwest Editors Guild relies heavily on volunteers to keep our operations going. April is Global Volunteer Month and the third week of April is National Volunteer Week, so there’s no better time to learn about the ways you can help make a difference in the editing community by volunteering with the Guild.
Why volunteer?
“You never know when your skills will mesh with what needs doing, and you realize it would cost you less energy to help out than to try to find someone else or decline the task. That's because even if you feel really busy as a solopreneur and parent of young children, collaborating with others gives you energy.” – Beth Chapple, Seattle area, Guild volunteer since 2005
Guild members may choose to volunteer with the organization for any number of reasons. Some want to make a difference or give back to a group they have benefited from. Some want to expand their skills or try out a few new ones. Some just want to make new friends and network. Whatever the reason, people who give their time to the Guild almost always have a positive experience and gain meaningful connections.
Whether you’re able to volunteer several hours of your time each month, or you can only spare an hour or two here and there, the Guild offers a variety of regular, seasonal, and one-time opportunities to fit different interests, skills, and schedules.
What can you do as a volunteer?
“The Guild is by far the friendliest professional organization that I’ve been a member of, which made it wonderfully easy for me, when I was a recent certificate program graduate, to dip my toes into the volunteer pool. Any skill or knowledge I have been interested in contributing has been welcomed and put to good use, and the knowledge and support I’ve received from the Guild members I’ve worked with has been invaluable for sustaining my freelance editing career.” – Michael Schuler, Seattle, Guild volunteer since 2015
With volunteer tasks as simple as setting up chairs at in-person member meetings, or as involved as serving on the board of directors, there are a number of ways you can contribute to the organization. (Our in-person opportunities are obviously on hold right now due to the pandemic but will return eventually.)
We always need hosts for virtual and in-person coffee and happy hours, which is an easy and fun duty with minimal time commitment. If you have more time to give, consider becoming a mentor for the Guild’s Mentoring Program, offered for free to mentees, and share your knowledge with an editor who is just starting out. And if you really want to make a difference in the greater editing community, serving on the Guild’s board or on our biennial Red Pencil Conference committee are two fantastic ways to support the growth of fellow editing professionals as well as your own.
What if you have a unique skill that isn’t covered by our current volunteer opportunities? You’d be surprised by the myriad talents and professional skills our volunteers possess and can transfer to Guild activities. Members who previously worked as (or still moonlight as) lawyers, bookkeepers, tech wizards, graphic artists, educators, fundraisers, and even summer camp registrars have all contributed to the Guild as volunteers. Just get in touch with Alison, our volunteer coordinator, and let her know what you have to offer.
As a bonus, a few of the volunteer tasks with more significant time commitments could earn you a free year of Guild membership in the calendar year following your service. But the biggest takeaway is always the bond built with fellow editors.
Who can volunteer?
“I was a fairly new member in the organization when I first heard about openings on the board. I assumed since I lived in Los Angeles and hadn't even been a member for a full year, I wouldn't be eligible for a board position, but I was encouraged to apply anyway! I've found it very easy to become part of the community at Northwest Editors Guild. In addition to serving on the board, I also very easily started the monthly Developmental Editors Happy Hour, which gives me a fun social circle I can compare editing notes with. Even from hundreds of miles away, even during a pandemic, volunteering for the Guild has kept me anchored to a community and given me the opportunity to grow professionally.” – Alessandor Earnest, Los Angeles, Guild volunteer since 2020
The Guild was started by a group of volunteers in Seattle in 1997 and expanded to Portland and the rest of the Pacific Northwest over time. We wouldn’t be here today without the dedication and ideas from 24 years of volunteer work. Despite most of our past volunteer opportunities being restricted to those who could attend physical events and meetings in Seattle, Portland, and Spokane, the board had been exploring—well before the pandemic started—ways to include more remote volunteers who weren’t location-dependent. Flash forward to now and most of our volunteer opportunities can be remote or virtual. This means that any Guild member anywhere in the U.S. can volunteer in some capacity. (Sorry, Canadian edibuddies, but Guild membership is still restricted to the U.S.) No matter if you’re in Portland, Oregon, or the other Portland, or anywhere in between, you can volunteer for the Guild.
How can you volunteer?
Becoming a Guild volunteer is easy. Peruse our current openings and fill out the volunteer form on our website and our volunteer coordinator will be in touch to find the best opportunity for you. Why not give back to your favorite editing organization? You have nothing to lose and plenty to gain, and you will help others in the process!
