WOMENS WAY Study Links Women's Leadership 'Power Skills' to Volunteerism

WOMENS WAY Study Links Women's Leadership 'Power Skills' to Volunteerism

Local study finds benefits for employers and employees in civic involvement

PHILADELPHIA, May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Leadership, communications skills, and resource development - often termed "power skills" in a business setting - are linked to early experiences for women in community service and non-profit volunteer activities. According to Power Skills - How Volunteerism Shapes Professional Success, a study conducted for WOMENS WAY, the nation's oldest and largest women's funding organization, and sponsored by a grant from The Comcast Foundation, these and other critical business skills, like problem solving, coaching/mentoring, and public speaking are developed and improved through volunteerism. The study was spearheaded by Markitects, Inc., an independent marketing service and research firm in Wayne, PA from June-August of 2005. The online survey and personal interviews focused on 90 professional women in a leadership capacity and sought to determine when, how and why they participate in non-profit and community-based endeavors.

-- 83% of participants reported that they acquired, improved or developed
their leadership skills due to volunteer participation, while 78%
reported improvement in their communications skills.

-- Other "power skills" improvements the study found were: 62% enhanced
problem-solving skills, 57% improved organization/multitasking and 53%
enhanced marketing skills.

-- At least 50% of participants have been involved in volunteer work for
more than 5 years, and 22% for more than 10 years.

-- Almost 40% of participants started volunteering before they were 16
years old, and over 55% were volunteering by the time they were 30
years old.

"The correlation of women's professional growth and development with their philanthropic involvement makes a strong business case to employees and employers about the importance of investing in community involvement as a professional development tool," said Melissa Weiler Gerber, Executive Director of WOMENS WAY. "WOMENS WAY hopes to encourage increased volunteerism and enhanced recognition of the myriad of transferable business skills gained through community service. Thanks to funding from The Comcast Foundation and the work of Markitects, we are able to communicate this message to the broader public."

The study served to pinpoint the benefits of volunteerism for women as well as ways in which the corporate community can leverage volunteerism for everyone's benefit.

-- Promote volunteerism as a cost-effective tool for career development
and training.

-- Recognize the "power skill" set gained from volunteer activities in
the hiring and evaluation process.

-- Make it easy for employees to volunteer, enabling the company to
profit from an energized, educated, well-rounded employee base.

-- Participate as a corporation in volunteerism because it builds healthy
communities and healthy communities that enhance business
opportunities.

"As a corporation who values community involvement and female leadership we are proud to support the 'Power Skills' study with WOMENS WAY and Markitects. In today's corporate culture it is critical that both employees and employers leverage the benefits of transferable skills as useful tools in the workplace and the community. Our Foundation is committed to growing such skills within our workforce so that they in turn affect their communities," said Diane Dietz, Vice President, The Comcast Foundation and Senior Director of Public Affairs, Comcast Corporation.

Findings show that volunteerism is one of the richest education and career development tools for professional women. The study participants were involved in more than one organization and sited specific reasons for volunteering including a desire to "give back," a personal or family tragedy, or a tradition of leading by example for the next generation.

"The "Power Skills Study" was crucial in identifying this important relationship between professional success and volunteerism. The results are especially significant for corporate America as businesses aim to create cultures where philanthropic involvement and mentorships are commonplace. This study provides tangible, measurable proof that such corporate behavior enhances leadership skills on both a personal and professional level," said Francine Carb, President and CEO of Markitects, Inc.

The full Power Skills study is available online at http://www.markitects.com/.

About The Comcast Foundation

The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 and is the company's chief source of charitable support to qualified non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs that work to create a positive, sustainable impact within our communities in the areas of volunteerism; literacy; and youth leadership development. Since its inception, The Comcast Foundation has donated more than $30 million to organizations in the communities where Comcast serves. More information about The Foundation and its programs is available at http://www.comcast.com/ under "In the Community."

About WOMENS WAY

WOMENS WAY is the nation's oldest and largest women's funding federation. Founded in 1977 by seven Philadelphia agencies, WOMENS WAY provides unrestricted, general operating funds to a network of organizations that improve and enhance the lives of women and their families throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey. Its supports include more than 450 businesses and institutions, 6700 individual donors and nearly 300 volunteers, touching the lives of over 260,000 women and girls each year.

About Markitects, Inc.

Founded in 1994, Markitects, Inc. is one of the Philadelphia region's premier, longstanding marketing and communications agencies. Through its unique Markitecture(TM) strategic branding process, Markitects has enabled over 100 organizations to successfully differentiate themselves, position themselves against the competition and capitalize on new business opportunities. Serving on several for-profit and nonprofit Boards of Directors, the company's CEO and founder, Francine Carb, has been recognized as one of Pennsylvania' Best 50 Women in Business.

Source: The Comcast Foundation

CONTACT: Kate Disston, The Comcast Foundation, +1-215-320-8793

Web site: http://www.markitects.com/

Web site: http://www.comcast.com/

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