April is our club’s Month of Public Service so we sat down with club member and public service trailblazer, Jonathan Hahn AB’99 to ask him about public service and what it means to him.

Q: Which organizations are you which you are involved?

A: WoodGreen Community Services is a multi-service organization with a 73 year history, which serves over 36,000 people each year at 24 sites across Toronto, and has an annual budget of nearly $30M.
One of WoodGreen’s most socially innovative programs is Homeward Bound, a holistic model that helps single mothers, many who are living in shelters, move from dependence on government assistance to employment and economic self-sufficiency.
The women in Homeward Bound work hard for their opportunities and earn their success by completing counselling, academic upgrading (through PTP, another organization I am involved with), a college diploma, and finding employment. 100% of the women who have graduated from Homeward Bound are employed, off government assistance and supporting their families in the community. Homeward Bound is the first program of its kind in Canada and has been so successful that research is being completed to replicate the model in Peel region. I am a committee member, raising money for Homeward Bound, focused on recruiting new donors at the $1000 annual level.
PTP, the organization that delivers the academic upgrading to the women of Homeward Bound, is a multi-service organization primarily focused on adult learners needing improvement in literacy and basic skills, job skills, and re-training. I am chair of the board.

Q: When did you first become involved in volunteering? What prompted you to start volunteering?

A: When I was an undergraduate at Harvard, I joined the Mission Hill after School Program through PBHA, with a few of my Pennypacker friends. Though I wish I had a better story, I ultimately believe peer pressure was the motivation for my initial involvement. Experiencing first-hand the difference I could make was what kept me coming back.

Q: What are some of the obstacles/challenges you have encountered in your work as a volunteer?

A: There are several, but the largest is mobilizing intent. Most of us want to contribute, and have a desire to give back, but taking that desire and turning it into action is not easy. “Bribes” –barbeques and drinks –may work for one-shot events, but most organizations are looking for longer-term commitments. Recruiting for participation (and, in a nuanced way, enforcing that participation), especially with folks who are growing in their career and starting families, represents the largest untapped potential donor pool. Volunteer organizations, Woodgreen included, are trying to find creative ways to encourage participation as a donor, committee member, or liaison, or community member.

Q: What are some of the benefits you have encountered in your work as a volunteer?

A: I enjoy the balanced perspective volunteering gives me. As I work in the private sector, it’s easy to over-dramatize issues around deals, compensation, and advancement, the things that represent maybe the final 10% of achieving happiness. Volunteering allows me to keep that perspective, and to help empower other people to believe in themselves, their organizations, and to push for the best for themselves. Watching these stories unfold over the course of months and years of involvement, and knowing you were part of that successful outcome, is fantastic.

Q: What advice would you offer to someone wanting to become involved in volunteer work?

A: The first step is to try and analyze the things that are important to you. Creative Visualization, personality profiles, and skills assessments will help you articulate both what you’re good at and what things are truly important to you, and are an important step as demands on time continue to increase. With this done, try and determine what causes interest you, and what geographic scope of influence you desire. In my case, I knew I was just interested in Toronto, specifically the East End, where I live, and I really value education and the opportunity to develop self-sufficiency.

Q: How do you balance work obligations with volunteer duties?

A: If you know what’s important to you, you can make the time. Most employers realize the value in contributing back, and I book events in my calendar as I would any other business meeting. For example, Cisco is actively forming an internal committee to look at how we can better match our employees’ interests, Cisco’s growth goals as a company, and non-profit needs, with outcomes expected early next year.

Q: In your opinion, what has been the most rewarding aspect of volunteering?

A: I’d like to suggest two things –the people, and the educational opportunities. When you see the barriers that many people are overcoming, and how an organization comes together to support that individual, it’s truly amazing. I also have learned so much; for example, before learning about Homeward Bound, I had little insight into government programs, how these intersect, and how socially innovative work --as public/private partnership --can work to close those gaps, demonstrate outcomes, and drive policy. Being part of driving those outcomes, part of what can feel like a true grassroots effort –is personally empowering on many levels.