Every pro bono project brings opportunities for employee volunteers to further their professional development. Recognizing and capitalizing on these opportunities starts with a conversation between employees and their managers. One simple step you can take to ensure that pro bono becomes an integral part of professional development at your company is to provide structure and guidelines for these manager-employee conversations.
Although professional development conversations should be tailored to your company unique performance management process, Taproot recommends that employees address the following questions when having conversations with their managers about pro bono and professional development.
Pro Bono Manager Discussion Guidelines
- What is the project that you plan to work on?
- What will your role be on this project?
- What is the approximate weekly time commitment, and how long will the project last? Will any of that work occur during normal working hours?
- How will this project contribute to your professional development goals?
- What skill sets related to your specific professional expertise (e.g., financial modeling, website development, or marketing) will you use and refine in this project?
- What soft skill sets (e.g., influencing, scoping, or presentation skills) will you use and refine in this project?
Need more tips on how to leverage pro bono as a professional development strategy? Connect us today.
This conversation should always be tailored to fit your company performance management processes, strategic priorities, team structures, and culture.
