3 Good Reasons Dental Practices Should Volunteer

Cara Hull, FAADOM with text, "Real-world insights from AADOM authors"

April is National Volunteer Month. A huge shout out to all the dental managers who give of their talents to assist others. Whether you’re coaching a sports team, leading a scout troop, or preparing bake goods for a fundraising sale; thank you for serving others.

There are so many benefits to being a volunteer. It feels good, increases your spirit, and gets you moving.

Volunteering is good for the dental business too!

By volunteering, your dental practice can:

  • Improve team-building skills
  • Take advantage of marketing possibilities
  • Retain great employees

Team building

As an office manager are you tired of coming up with the latest and greatest team-building exercise for your next staff meeting?

Wracking your brain trying to figure out how to get the team to interact with your doctors?

Try volunteering for an hour or two in your local community.

Completing a simple project together allows the team to interact with one another outside of the dental office and feel a sense of accomplishment as a group.

Conversations while working together on a volunteer project can be more personal in nature and allow you to get to know your team members better.

Several years ago, one of our local museums was creating a display of dental items that were donated by the family of a retired dentist who had served our county in the early 1930s. Our team spent a day at the museum going through the donated materials, organizing them, and creating a display for the community to view and learn about early dental practices. We were able to use our dental knowledge to assist the museum board in creating an area all residents could enjoy, plus we completed a great project as a team.

Your volunteer experience doesn’t have to be dental related.

In fact, your team may want to choose a project outside dentistry to experience something different or learn a new skill. Cooking or serving food at a local shelter, planting flowers or trees at a community park, or building a home for Habitat for Humanity are all great suggestions to get started.

Partnering with another local group or nonprofit takes a lot of guesswork out of how to start a project because they’re always in need and looking for people to help out.

Marketing

Many dentists will think nothing of spending thousands of dollars to upgrade their office’s website, improve SEO optimization, and promote with social media or other marketing strategies. But they cringe at the idea to pay their employees to volunteer for an hour or two outside office hours.

Encouraging your team members to volunteer and even paying them to do so is good for business.

When your team members are actively involved in organizations, they’re able to make connections with leaders and families in your community. This can lead to referrals and networking opportunities.

Plus, it generates ideas to post about on your social media accounts.

  • Take photos and post about how your team members are getting involved and making an impact in your area.
  • Create a live video or blog about your team volunteering.

You don’t have to be a corporate dental office to incorporate volunteerism into your marketing strategy.

Our hygienist and team members have spoken to local health classes, headstart programs, and after-school programs about hygiene instruction. We’ve partnered with our local Chamber of Commerce to sponsor and host community events.

I’m confident many team members are already doing things on their own, and it would be great for dental offices to partner with them to make a greater impact.

Employee retention

Jeff Butler… This text opens a new tab to the article… explains that 78% of millennials believe that companies have a responsibility to make the world a better place, and 84% of millennials say they would rather make a difference than receive professional recognition.

New employees entering our workforce want to be part of a business model that helps others and want to be part of something bigger than themselves.

Implementing a volunteer program could help retain employees.

Employees that have been in the same position for 10 -15 years may start asking themselves, “Is this it? Could my talents be used better in another position outside dentistry?”

Offering an employee volunteer program allows those employees to do both, continue employment in the dental practice while seeking new adventures through volunteering.

It feels good to help others and if you can do that while on the job or being paid by your employer, even better.

Attract and retain qualified professionals by offering a volunteer program for your employees.

While scrolling through my Facebook account I came across the following meme:

Volunesia (noun) that moment when you forget you’re volunteering to help change lives, because it’s changing yours…

Consider implementing or starting a program for your dental team.

Start small with a simple event or project that you would all enjoy.

Get excited and share your experiences on social media. Most of all have fun as a team!


Meet the Author

Cara Hull in pink top and pearl necklace

Cara and her husband, Dr. Joseph Hull, own a general dental practice in Gregory, SD.

Cara is a lifetime AADOM member, participates in the Dental Spouse Network… This text opens a new tab to the Dental Spouse Network website…, and earned her FAADOM in 2012.

When not at the dental office, Cara is active with her four children. She serves as a local school board member, Girl Scout troop leader, and Sunday school teacher.

In 2018, Cara received the “Go-Getter Award” from the Gregory/Dallas Chamber of Commerce for her dedication to supporting local businesses and volunteering throughout the community.

 

Become an AADOM author!

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*