When you think about professional development, what comes to mind? A conference, an online course, a new certification or training offered through work? 

Sometimes, they’re built while leading a committee meeting after a full workday. They’re strengthened while coaching someone through a difficult conversation, managing a project with volunteers across several states or figuring out how to move a group forward when everyone has a different opinion. 

In other words, they’re built through volunteering. 

Kappa Delta is currently seeking alumnae interested in serving on the 2027–2029 National Leadership Team (NLT). National service is an opportunity to bring your experience and expertise to Kappa Delta while strengthening skills that can benefit you professionally, too.

Interest forms are open through Nov. 30. 

Here are a few of the professional skills you may be building every time you say “yes” to serving.

Leading without relying on a title

Volunteer leadership teaches you a valuable kind of leadership: how to influence people who don’t report to you. 

There may be no org chart saying someone has to follow your lead. Instead, you learn to build trust, communicate a shared goal, listen to different perspectives and motivate people to work toward something together.  

Whether you’re leading a cross-functional project, collaborating with another department or gaining support for a new idea, knowing how to lead through relationships rather than authority is a skill you’ll use again and again.

Communicating with all kinds of people

One of the quickest ways to strengthen your communication skills? Work with volunteers. 

Through Kappa Delta service, you may communicate with collegians, alumnae, staff members, campus professionals, parents and other volunteers, all with different experiences and expectations. 

You learn when an email will do and when you need to pick up the phone. You learn how to make expectations clear, give constructive feedback and navigate difficult conversations. 

Most importantly, you learn that good communication isn’t just about what you say. It’s about understanding who you’re talking to.

Managing projects — and people

If you’ve ever helped execute recruitment, planned an alumnae event, coordinated volunteers, supported a chapter initiative or managed a Kappa Delta program, congratulations: you’ve practiced project management. 

You’ve likely worked backward from a deadline, divided responsibilities, coordinated schedules, solved unexpected problems and kept people moving toward a common goal. 

Volunteer projects often come with an added challenge: everyone is fitting the work into already-full lives. 

Learning to set realistic expectations, keep people engaged and move projects forward with limited time and resources can make you a stronger project manager anywhere.

Coaching instead of simply fixing

Experienced volunteers often discover that the best answer isn’t always to step in and solve the problem themselves. Instead, you learn to ask questions. 

What do you think your options are? 

What outcome are you hoping for? 

What have you already tried? 

What support would help you move forward? 

That shift — from solving someone’s problem to helping her develop the confidence and skills to solve it herself — is coaching.  

Managers, mentors and team leaders who know how to coach help develop stronger, more independent leaders rather than becoming the person everyone depends on for answers.

Thinking strategically and navigating change

Volunteer leadership rarely comes with a perfectly written playbook. Plans change, priorities shift and something that worked beautifully last year may not work this year. 

Serving Kappa Delta gives volunteers opportunities to evaluate what’s happening, listen to different perspectives and determine the best path forward — often with limited time and imperfect information. That ability to stay flexible, think strategically and keep moving when circumstances change is valuable in any career. 

Your volunteer experience belongs on your résumé 

Here’s something we hope every Kappa Delta volunteer remembers: volunteer leadership is leadership experience. 

• If you manage a team of volunteers, you manage a team. 

• If you oversee a budget, you have financial management experience. 

• If you develop and facilitate training, you have training and development experience. 

• If you lead a major initiative from idea to execution, you have project management experience. 

• If you coach emerging leaders through difficult situations, you have mentoring and leadership development experience. 

Don’t minimize those experiences simply because you weren’t paid to do them. 

Consider including meaningful volunteer leadership on your résumé and LinkedIn profile. Focus less on your title and more on the scope of your work, the skills you used and the impact you made. 

So, what’s your next opportunity to grow? 

One of the best things about lifelong membership in Kappa Delta is that there is always another way to contribute — and another opportunity to learn. 

Maybe you’re ready to volunteer for the first time, take on a different role or bring years of professional and volunteer experience to national service. 

Kappa Delta’s National Leadership Team brings together alumnae with different experiences, perspectives and strengths to support our members, chapters and organization. 

You may already have more of the skills we’re looking for than you realize. 

Could NLT be what’s next for you? 

Learn more about National Leadership Team service and submit an interest form by Nov. 30.