Volunteer Activity

MGMT300 Leadership

Table of Contents

Introduce your activity………………………………………………………………2
How/why was this activity chosen? Did you “stretch your boundaries?” ………….3
Discuss your experience as it relates to at lease four of the unit topics……………..3
What did you learn about yourself that will enhance your own leadership potential from this experience, and why?...........................................................................................7

Volunteer Activity- The Underwear Affair

Introduce your activity

The Underwear Affair is an event that takes place in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver to help raise money for cancers below the waist, such as prostate, ovarian, and colon. Participants have the option to register for a fun five-kilometer walk, ten-kilometer walk, or a citywide “booty hunt” also known as a scavenger hunt. People participating in the events are encouraged to strip down to their underwear, or wear ridiculous costumes and attire. After the walk, run and scavenger hunt is over, the festivities continue with a hot meal, drinks and dancing for all participates and families. This year was the seventh annual Underwear Affair in Edmonton; approximately 1100 people participated in the events raising $625,000 dollars for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. This money will help support vital research, treatment, care and early screenings at the Cross Cancer Society and 16 other cancer centers in Alberta. In the last seven years The Underwear Affair has raised over five million dollars just in Edmonton alone, and will continue to raise money year after year, as the 2014 registration has already began (Scott, 2013).

How/why was this activity chosen? Did you “stretch your boundaries?”

I choose to volunteer for the The Underwear Affair simply because it’s a great cause, and relates to me personally. Cancer runs in my family, and I know how difficult it can be to deal with, and the struggles people go through. Being a part of uncovering the cure was something very special to me. This was the first time I have ever volunteered; it was a little out of my element. I volunteered with a friend so that made the whole experience more positive, exciting and enjoyable. The whole experience was so positive, The Underwear Affair was amazing, all of the volunteers were so friendly and helpful, everyone was there to help raise a lot of money for a great cause, and have a great time. I would absolutely consider volunteering in the years to come.

Discuss your experience as it relates to at lease four of the unit topics

In order to be an effective and efficient leader there are a number of qualities that are important to possess. According to a recent survey across six continents the most important qualities in an admired leader are; honesty, forward- looking, competent, inspiring (Kouzes & Barry , 2012). Throughout my volunteering at the Underwear Affair I had the privilege to work closely with Kate Jenkins, the Charity Event Coordinator, she was in charge of making sure the event ran smoothly. Kate was a great leader, I cannot vouch that she met all of top four qualities looked for in a leader, solely because I was only able to spend 10 hours with her but she defiantly was forward looking, competent and inspiring. There were over 1100 people at the event and she was in charge of insuring there were no issues by delegating the employees and volunteers. She was competent, she was able to take delegate tasks efficiently, and manage problems as they arose. Kate demonstrated that she had full control over what was going on; if a volunteer finished their task ahead of schedule she was quickly able to find another task. Kate was also inspiring; she was dressed up in the most outrageous attire, and over the top happy. She was extremely personably which I think is very important in leading. She was able to make everyone feel very welcome, and always was making you smile. Another quality that I admired in Kate was her ability to be supportive. When she saw you doing a good job she would praise you, with a high five, or a hug. This is something that I think is very effective in being a leader. Through personal experience I know how important recognizing an achievement or giving praise can be. In motivating someone to continue to do well it is important to assure then they are doing a great job, and to keep up the good work, this is something Kate excelled in. I learnt a lot of things from Kate, and how to inspire people to want to work. Her motto was “If you see someone without a smile, give them yours.” I really enjoyed this motto, it reinforced that being personable and supportive is effective, and efficient. Forward looking is also a very important characteristic in a leader; Kate is very forward-looking she has already started to plan the event for 2014 in Edmonton as well as Calgary and Vancouver. A leader who meets at least three of the four top qualities looked for in a leader are assumed to be creditable. Credibility is the foundation of being an exceptional leader, as stated in the book you cannot be credible if you are not inspiring and honest (Kouzes & Barry , 2012). Overall I would say that Kate is very credible, she was honest, forward- looking, inspiring and competent. This is the first time I ever got to work along side someone I considered an exceptional leader. It was a great learning experience and taught me what qualities are very important in a leader.
The Alberta Cancer Foundation created The Underwear Affair seven years ago, their vision was to create a interesting and exciting way to raise money for cancers below the waist. In order to make this vision so successful, the Alberta Cancer Foundation needed to have a clear and concrete understanding of what they want and where they wanted to take this vision. Once the vision is clear it is easier to get people to follow and get them involved. The overall vision of The Underwear Affair is to create a fun atmosphere and raise as much money as possible for cancers below the waist. When I arrived at the Butterdome where The Underwear Affair was taking place, it was full of cheerful and excited participants. Surrounding all of the participates were tents and tables full of sponsors, vendors and volunteers. The atmosphere was fun and inviting, with music blaring in the back round. When I arrived all the volunteers were taken into the volunteer area. Kate told us about The Underwear Affair, and explained the overall vision, and the plan for the day. She mentioned how without the volunteers and each and everyone of us, The Underwear Affair wouldn’t be able to take place, and therefore they wouldn’t be able to raise any money for the Alberta Cancer Society. I think that speech was necessary; she had people feeling good about themselves and what they were doing even before the event began. We were able to understand the vision, and feel a sense of worth volunteering to be there. Next Kate explained who would be preforming what tasks, and directions on how to do all the tasks. After the meeting was over volunteers split off and headed to their individual tasks. I was involved in the “booty hunt,” so we headed to the Sport Chek in City Center, were we set up our station with the supplies that were on site like promised, which made it quick and easy to set up. Kate was communicating with us via texts to make sure everything was ready to go, and that we were ready. She texted saying the booty hunters have been released, and on their way. When the first team arrived at our booty station the vision came to life, everyone was smiling, and laughing having a great time. It was quite a site to see people wearing underwear and outrageous attire running around city center. We were able to hand out lots of flyers, and promote the underwear affair for the next year. I feel like we helped create the vision for next year, and there will be lots of new participants for the booty hunt next year (Kouzes & Barry , 2012).
Goal setting and decision-making can be challenging, some people are uncomfortable with change. When setting goals and implementing change it is important to make little changes, large changes and responsibilities can often overwhelm and frighten people. The staff at The Underwear Affair was excellent at delegating what tasks people were supposed to be preforming, and if they finished their task early they were able to give another. The schedule was posted in the volunteer lounge; if you forgot what you were doing next you were able to check your schedule. This was a great idea, for the many of us volunteers it was the first time we have ever volunteered so it was new, and for me personally out my element, and I didn’t always remember what I was supposed to be doing next. Breaking down the tasks and setting short-term goals was very efficient (Kouzes & Barry , 2012). Kate and the staff made it very clear that if you make a mistake don’t worry about it, or if you get involved in a situation you don’t know that answer to, that’s okay. They provided us a number where we could call and ask questions if we weren’t sure about something or didn’t have an answer to a question, this was great; it made you feel comfortable and relieved the nerves. The objective of the event staff was to keep volunteers focused and on task, majority of my tasks were meaningful and helpful, this kept me on track without needing a lot of guidance. Overall I think the decision making and goal setting was done very well, I never felt overwhelmed or disappointed in myself if I didn’t no the answer to a question.
There is a lot of critical thinking involved when planning an event as big and quirky as the underwear affair. It is important to follow your vision, and stay on track. The Underwear Affair, is unlike any other fundraiser I have ever been to, people are over the top excited about life, and dressed up to the nines in goofy outfits. When Kate was organizing this event, she was drawn into the vision, and was responsible to make sure everything went well. It is important to clarify your thinking when giving instructions, weather that means to the employees or volunteers, this is something that Kate did very well. Kate made it very clear one task at a time what you were supposed to do. She also asked a lot of questions about how you felt about your task, and if that task would be okay with you. It is important to me that she did that, it made me feel like she really did care about if we were having a good time, and having fun. She was very reasonable with the tasks she gave out as well, the girls would generally do the non-labor involved work, and the boys did the general labor heavy lifting jobs. All of these qualities are very important when critically thinking, and organizing an event (Elder&Paul, 2004).

What did you learn about yourself that will enhance your own leadership potential from this experience, and why?
I learnt a handful of things while volunteering at The Underwear Affair. The thing that surprised me the most is how much I actually enjoyed volunteering. I was expecting to not have a lot of fun, and for the whole situation to be awkward just do to the fact you have to communicate and work with lots of people you do not know. When I first arrived I recognized a few girls from school, and that made it initially easier for me to loosen up. Overall I would say I am a pretty easy going person, but in large crowds I sometimes find myself being shy, which is strange because I’m extremely outgoing and loud when I am with people I feel comfortable with. This is something I’m trying to overcome.
As the day progressed I began talking to new people and making friends, I even meet some girls that were in our leadership class as well, I thought that was pretty interesting. I also learnt that I could take control of a situation. At one point in the night there was a line up of volunteers trying to check in, but nobody was sitting at the check in table. I took the initiative to help these people check in, even though I wasn’t sure of what I was supposed to be doing. That is something I don’t do often, maybe do to the fact I don’t like screwing up, or being blamed for something I didn’t know how to do. This experience made me realize, that I am helpful, and I am capable of taking on new responsibilities.
I also learned that I want to make time in my schedule for more community activities, being involved in the community and helping people was a great feeling, just knowing The Underwear Affair raised over $675000 in one day is amazing. My whole experience at The Underwear Affair was positive, I left feeling like I contributed to the community and left feeling good about myself.
I learnt the understanding and meaning of a team. I have played on many sports teams before; but not quite like the team that was created at The Underwear Affair. At The Underwear Affair Kate was our “coach” and she delegated tasks, everyone who was volunteering seemed to be there to help. There was know one slacking off and hiding in the corner, everyone was working hard to make sure the event was a success. Kate really made everyone feel important, she made you feel like a friend. I learnt a lot from Kate, she taught me that being personable and upbeat is a great method to get people involved and interested. I will take this quality and use it in my future leadership endeavors.
I feel like my leadership potential has increased from this experience. I completed and accomplished a lot of things I’ve never done before. Working with a group of strangers opened my skills to communicate effectively and how to express my feelings and my point. As the evening progressed I didn’t feel nervous having to approach new people. I will continue to work on these skills, public speaking is something I need to improve, and I feel The Underwear Affair was the first step in the right direction.

Reference Page

Scott, Lauren. 7th Annual Underwear Affair in Edmonton, (2013)

Kouzes, James M, Barry, Z Posner. The Leadership Challenge, (2012)

Elder, L. and Paul, R. Adapted from The Thinker’s Guide to the Art of Strategic Thinking: 25 Weeks to Better Thinking and Better Living, (2004)