{"id":595672,"date":"2022-12-17T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-17T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?post_type=podcast&#038;p=595672"},"modified":"2022-12-16T16:38:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T21:38:00","slug":"ep-171-true-confessions-of-a-nonprofit-volunteer-with-eileen-opatut","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/podcast\/ep-171-true-confessions-of-a-nonprofit-volunteer-with-eileen-opatut\/","title":{"rendered":"Ep 171: True Confessions of a Nonprofit Volunteer (with Eileen Opatut)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The volunteer story you are about to hear is 100% true. I know because I am married to the storyteller.<\/p>\n<p>In this episode, my wife, Eileen Opatut, tells us all about her quest to find meaning and purpose through volunteer opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>Like many people, Eileen had her own personal Great Resignation during the pandemic. After a brilliant career as a television programming executive, she went on to become a five-star realtor. We\u2019re talking about renovating and flipping houses and helping many folks land in a place they could call home.<\/p>\n<p>As exciting as this all sounds, real estate didn\u2019t fuel her soul. So what did she do?<\/p>\n<p>She embarked on a quest to find more meaning and purpose in her everyday life and found what she was looking for in volunteer opportunities that ignited her passion for helping others.<\/p>\n<p>Like many of you who listen to my podcast, Eileen is an overachiever \u2014 nothing she does is four-star. She&#8217;s had a remarkable television career, she&#8217;s passed her Medicare birthday, and she and I have been together for over 40 years. Today she joins us to share some sound advice that will help you find volunteer opportunities that truly fuel you.<\/p>\n<h2>Click play to learn:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>What was Eileen\u2019s approach to the volunteer hunt? What was her strategy for finding volunteer opportunities that were a good fit? (1:40)<\/li>\n<li>How did Eileen use lists to find volunteer opportunities? (2:41)<\/li>\n<li>How did Eileen go from being a burned out realtor to an ignited volunteer? (7:46)<\/li>\n<li>Is there any nonprofit organization that simply doesn&#8217;t lend itself to volunteerism? (8:58)<\/li>\n<li>How do volunteers recover from failure or bad fits? (14:58)<\/li>\n<li>What are some key takeaways from Eileen\u2019s volunteer journey? (38:13)<\/li>\n<li>Any advice for nonprofit executive directors who work with volunteers? (\u200b\u200b39:45)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><!--more--><\/h2>\n<h2>Resources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/podcast\/ep27-terrible-board-member-eileen-opatut\/\">Ep 27: Confessions of a Terrible Board Member (with Eileen Opatut)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nonprofitleadershiplab.com\/free\/fixmyboard\/?kfl_ln=nonprofits-are-messy-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FREE WORKSHOP: Let\u2019s Build the Nonprofit Board of Your Dreams!<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/y46jnuqs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joan Garry\u2019s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership \u2013 2nd Edition by Joan Garry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nonprofitleadershiplab.com\/free\/5practices\/?kfl_ln=nonprofits-are-messy-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FREE WORKSHOP: The 5 Practices of Outstanding Nonprofit Leaders<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/yournonprofitlife.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Your Nonprofit Life Podcast<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/joangarryconsulting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joan Garry\u2019s Instagram<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Explore the <a href=\"https:\/\/nonprofitleadershiplab.com\/?kfl_ln=nonprofits-are-messy-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nonprofit Leadership Lab<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Music by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jukeboxtheghost.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jukebox the Ghost<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Voiceover Work by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cindycapsolutions.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cindy Cap Solutions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are \u201caffiliate links.\u201d This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission\u2019s 16 CFR, Part 255: \u201cGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>About Eileen<\/h2>\n<p>Eileen Opatut spent 35 years working in the television industry. She headed up Production and Programming for the Food Network for many years, introducing new talent and concepts which changed the culture of food. She also launched Logo-TV, the first LGBTQ cable channel launched by MTV Networks. She also held Senior Level Executive positions at BBC Worldwide, National Geographic, and Nickelodeon. Ms. Opatut has Executive Produced numerous award-winning programs. She lives in Montclair, NJ with her wife, Joan Garry, with whom she has three grown children and a grandson on the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A very special guest joins me in this episode to share her journey from burned out realtor to ignited volunteer. Tune in to learn how to find volunteer opportunities that fuel you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":595673,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[54,53,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-595672","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-building-your-army-of-the-engaged","category-culture-self-care","category-podcast"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.9 (Yoast SEO v24.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ep 171: True Confessions of a Nonprofit Volunteer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A very special guest joins me in this episode to share her journey from burned out realtor to ignited volunteer. 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