Through Foundation for Shared Impact’s Community Connections Program, Nick Shao-Wilson, Marketing Director at Tatler Asia, started his social impact journey where he volunteers his expertise and time for Soap Cycling, Asia’s first and largest youth-led soap recycling charity.
“To be part of something like Soap Cycling where I can give my time and advice has been very rewarding for me,” said Nick. Read on to learn how this skills-based volunteering partnership is mutually beneficial to Nick and Soap Cycling, and the three questions to ask yourself when considering to volunteer your skills and expertise for impact.
The Problem
It was during the first wave of the recent brain drain in Hong Kong when Soap Cycling reached out to FSI’s Community Connections (CC) team for help: many of their advisors and stakeholders had left for good, and they desperately needed a marketing advisor to help them reach a broader audience and rebuild their network.
“Soap Cycling is a small-scale charity and social enterprise. We have only four staff members, including me,” said Michelle Li, former Marketing and Business Development Manager at Soap Cycling. “I was the only one responsible for marketing, business development, fundraising, strategy as well as implementation. I really needed advice from marketing professionals because often I felt overwhelmed by my day-to-day work, and sometimes I would forget about the overall strategic planning, which is very important to the organization’s development.”
After obtaining from Soap Cycling the responsibilities and level of commitment expected of the marketing advisor, we went ahead to create a job ad and an application form, and promoted the opportunity on our social media channels. Fortunately for Soap Cycling, they didn’t have to wait too long for the right candidate to come along.
“I just responded to the [application] form because I was already aware of Soap Cycling and felt that this would be a good new project to work on,” said Nick, who has over 10 years of experience in delivering marketing strategies for some of the world’s largest brands. “I’ve previously worked with FSI on a skills-based volunteering project earlier that year, and I had a very positive experience learning more about the challenges of NGOs and social enterprises. I really wanted to continue to give back, help the local community, and continue doing skills-based volunteering, which ultimately allows me to use my expertise while providing additional resources to organizations that need marketing support.”
The Partnership/Engagement
Twice a month, Nick and Michelle would meet to discuss the latest happenings at Soap Cycling and the challenges that Michelle was facing. “Nick always gives me direction and inspiration on solving problems,” said Michelle. “For example, when we were discussing the business and marketing plan for this year, we consolidated my thoughts and Nick let me know what my priorities should be, given the limited resources we have in order to maximize results in the most efficient way.”
“I really enjoy our biweekly catch-ups, where we would have productive conversations,” said Nick. “We can see the narratives and the progression within the marketing strategy but also just having that time to discuss pain points and where we should be focusing our time with limited resources. That has helped with motivation for both of us and it creates accountability for both parties to really try and push the needle, and add value to Soap Cycling to help reach our target audience ”
For Michelle, the learning goes beyond her work for Soap Cycling, but also to the skills and mindset that are required of her role. “This partnership is amazing, because before talking to Nick every time, I always make sure that I get organized with what’s happening with Soap Cycling’s marketing and business development. I’ve learnt to be very clear about what I’m doing and what my goals are, because Nick always asks me a lot of questions.”
Soap Cycling and Michelle are by no means the only beneficiaries of this partnership/engagement. As the Skilled Volunteer, Nick found the experience extremely rewarding too.
“To be part of something like Soap Cycling where I can give my time and advice has been very rewarding for me,” said Nick. “And I think it’s been beneficial to understand other challenges that are ultimately very similar to what we face at Tatler. There’s a tendency in the corporate world to try and keep doing more when actually, [we should be] taking the time to improve, existing products and processes, particualrly focusing on first-party data, and improved storytelling. That really has helped me be more focused in my role.”
Memorable Moments
Having committed to the engagement for close to a year, both Michelle and Nick find the experience invaluable. For the Community Partner, it is the high level of commitment from the Skilled Volunteer; for the Skilled Volunteer, it is finding a sense of purpose in this skills-based volunteering opportunity.
“Nick is extremely busy so we often confirm our meeting time at the last minute,” said Michelle. “There was once that I wanted to talk to him quite urgently, but he was too busy during the daytime. So I WhatsApped him at night, asking him to give me some thoughts on WhatsApp instead. And then he responded and said that he finally had time to meet online, and that he could start immediately. But it was nearly 10pm at that time! I really felt very touched. I was feeling very sleepy, and I know he must be feeling more tired than me. But he knew I was feeling helpless, so he was willing to help. I feel that he was very supportive and I found it very heartwarming.”
For Nick, his responsibility as Soap Cycling’s Marketing Advisor is something that he carries close to his heart, and he felt that he owes it to Michelle and himself to give her as much support as he can. It’s as simple as that.
“I just wish that we could do more and we had more time,” said Nick. “But for me, the real memories and what made me realize what I was part of, was the 10th-year birthday celebration that Michelle and the wider team organized. It was great to really see and hear what you’re part of, and it really showed me the journey that Soap Cycling has been on, and where I am contributing as a part of that journey. It was a lovely feeling to be part of something bigger, and being part of this collective group of individuals who have dedicated themselves to Soap Cycling and other social impact projects full-time, for many years, positively impacting hundreds of thousands of people.”
How to be a Great Skilled Volunteer
Many Skilled Volunteers at our Community Connections Program are professionals with incredibly demanding day jobs, and Nick is no exception. So how does one take time out of their busy schedule to volunteer for positive social impact?
Said Nick: “The advice I would give to anyone who’s looking to do some skills-based volunteering is to reach out to local NGOs you’re aware of, try to understand their challenges and if the organization aligns with your background and experience.
“If you’re motivated and have the time to do so, then go for it. Reach out and see how much you can help. I think it’s very important that both parties understand what your commitment level is, how much time you can commit, and also where they can leverage your expertise.
“What you enjoy doing is pretty important as well, because if you don’t enjoy talking about marketing and talking about data and storytelling, you’re not going to find the time to meet with the organization. It’s just another thing on top of your daily routine and it’s going to be difficult. But if you’re generally passionate about these areas and are knowledgeable about them, then it comes as a second nature to share that advice.”
The Beauty of Community Connections
At FSI, we work with a variety of stakeholders ranging from corporates and business leaders to students and educators, social impact organizations and entrepreneurs. Community Connections and our other core programs are the vehicles that leverage our network of diverse expertise and resources to facilitate broad collaboration across sectors, and subsequently, drive systems change.
“I probably wouldn’t have known about Soap Cycling if I hadn’t worked previously with FSI and had a positive experience working with TC,” said Nick. “It sort of snowballs like that. Meeting different people from different backgrounds who are dedicated to NGOs and social enterprises, it’s been a great experience. And it’s quite humbling but also very inspiring and motivating just to do my bit, which I have to say is pretty little. We catch up, I give Michelle some advice and support. But really, what the team is doing and everyone else who’s been involved over the years is fantastic. And ultimately, being part of that is extremely humbling. I’m very fortunate to be part of the team.”
“It’s definitely an honour to have Nick’s support, such dedicated support,” said Michelle. “Even now that Nick has relocated to Singapore, I still feel that he hasn’t left because he’s still as supportive as always. I’m also very thankful for FSI’s help in matching us with Skilled Volunteers like Nick, because this is really important for small organizations like Soap Cycling. Thank you so much.”
