Volunteering has expanded my skills and my network

By Natasha Renaud, IABC/Toronto VP Volunteers

Interview with IABC/Toronto director Sarah Twomey, member of IABC since February, 2002.

Where do you work? The Smart Commute Association.

For how long? I've been there since May 2005, so 7 months.

Title: Outreach and Communications Coordinator

Why volunteering with IABC? Volunteering has expanded my skills and my network. I have met great mentors who have been essential to my career over the last few years. Volunteering also gives me the opportunity to try new things in the PR world that I can later apply to my work. I also think more importantly, volunteering makes me more confident and self assured. I strongly recommend it for any PR professional, regardless of where they are in their career.

Your best communication project to date? In my job at SCA, I've had to organize and execute 3 news conferences. Media relations used to scare me, but now I can say that I generated over 50 million impressions. So, obviously I'm pretty stoked about media relations now!

What task makes you sweat? Wondering if I will ever get out of non-profit communications and land a job where my boss understands what I do and pays me according!

Emmy Award, Grammy Award or Gold Quid Award? I sing so getting a Grammy would be pretty cool. But since that's pretty far fetched, I hope to submit an application and actually win a Gold Quill.

Where are you from? Born and raised Torontonian.

Favourite IABC event? A munch and mingle in the Distillery District about 2 years ago - I ended up meeting a potential boss from whom I learned a great deal.