My organizations – how to highlight them on LinkedIn? I’m glad people bring that question to me. Giving back to your community through organizational involvement is good for the community and good for you. Sharing that involvement on LinkedIn benefits you and the organizations.

Not only are you sharing your skills and knowledge for a worthy cause, you’re differentiating yourself from your competition. Think of your volunteer involvement as part of your personal and professional brand.

You can use your LinkedIn profile to highlight the organizations to which you belong. Also, you can reference the organizations in your updates and articles on LinkedIn.

 

Benefits of Listing Your Organizations in Your Profile

  • Being involved in volunteer organizations shows your generosity of spirit.
  • Associating yourself with a well-respected organization may open doors for you professionally and personally.
  • Referencing the organization in your profile gives more visibility to the organization. By doing this, you may attract more members, donors and volunteers to the organization.
  • Involvement in professional organizations shows your commitment to your own professional development.
  • Listing your connection with an organization may lead to more people connecting with you on LinkedIn.

 

Ways to Include Your Organizational Involvement in Your Profile

  • List a leadership role in the organization as a position in the Experience section of your profile. Doing so is the best way to draw attention to the group and your leadership within it.
  • Include your volunteer roles in an organization in the Volunteer Experience section of your profile. It’s acceptable to “cross-list” between the Experience section and the Volunteer Experience section. My recommendation is limit your listings in the Experience section to leadership positions.
  • List the organization in the Organization section found under Accomplishments. Provide specifics in terms of your dates of involvement, types of contributions, and the nature of the organization.
  • As soon as you join an organization, be sure to add it to the list of your organizations.
  • Time-limited activities (such as participating in a fundraiser) for volunteer groups fit nicely into the Projections section. This section is also found under Accomplishments.

 

Reference Your Organizations in Updates and Articles

  • Promote upcoming events sponsored by the organization in your updates. Include a link to where people can learn more about the event and register for it.
  • Share photos of yourself and others from the organization taken at events. Be sure to mention others involved in the group using the @ before their name.
  • Periodically write an article about the organization. Include a brief description of the organization, how you got involved, and your role in the group.
  • Such articles could also include testimonials about the value that the organization brings to you and your business

 

What About You?

How have you referenced your membership and leadership in volunteer organizations in your LinkedIn profile? How do you draw attention to these groups in your updates and articles on LinkedIn?

 

About Joyce

 

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 45 and up, become more effective using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. She provides social media tutoring and training to business owners, business development professionals, authors, speakers, coaches, business consultants, job seekers, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.