When a nonprofit like Sakhi for South Asian Survivors (Sakhi) experiences rapid growth, the stakes are high. With expansion comes new challenges—how do you ensure long-term sustainability and adapt to unexpected disruptions? That’s where volunteers like Kayla Works, an Underwriter at Unum Group, come in.
Kayla is a problem solver with a passion for helping others. Growing up, she watched her mother support and give to her community. That spirit of generosity stuck with her, shaping how she approaches her career and community. That dedication to service made Common Impact and Unum’s Flash Consulting Day of Service—where teams of Unum employees used their skills to support five nonprofits—a perfect match.
Skills-based volunteering allows us to help organizations grow, strengthen their impact, and create lasting change.
Why is volunteering important to you? What motivated you to participate in Common Impact and Unum’s Flash Consulting event?
Growing up, I watched my mom offer people food, listen without judgment, and welcome neighbors onto our front porch for a chat. She would take people to church, offer guidance, and help however she could, no matter their background. Growing up in that environment, I wanted to carry that spirit forward. When I help one person, they may help someone else, and that generosity continues to spread.
Serving others also fills me with purpose and a greater sense of belonging, so opportunities to volunteer either through my company or on my own feel natural to me. It broadens my perspective, introduces me to different ways of thinking, and helps me form meaningful connections. When I learned about volunteering my skills to help a nonprofit through Unum, it felt like a great way to give back.
You lead a team of seven volunteers to solve Sakhi for South Asian Survivors’ business challenge. What key insights did your team uncover for the nonprofit, and what solutions did you propose?
This project was both fun and challenging in all the best ways. We were tasked with creating a resiliency plan for Sakhi, which is a formal plan to manage potential operational disruptions such as sudden budget cuts. No one on our volunteer team had ever seen a resilience plan before, and we had never worked together. We had five hours to develop and deliver our best ideas to Sakhi for South Asian Survivors. We got to know the organization and its people better before we started brainstorming solutions for them. As we began working, my team’s experience and skills kicked in, and we delivered recommendations we felt proud of.
Sakhi’s primary challenge stemmed from today’s shifting political and regulatory landscape, from grant funding revocations to policies that are creating uncertainty for the communities they serve. It’s exactly why they joined the Unum Challenge—to explore ways to adapt and stay resilient.
We uncovered several critical insights. For example, they needed a better system for documenting institutional knowledge and handing off critical work when a team member left the organization. While the nonprofit had a general strategy to handle operational challenges, it hadn’t been formally updated since 2020. Most importantly, they needed a systematized approach for sustaining operations, identifying alternative funding streams, and quickly adapting their financial model.
As our team dug in, we saw an opportunity to support Sakhi in navigating that uncertainty in the short term and long term. My volunteer group explored ways to leverage interns, engage volunteers, and develop a stronger outreach strategy—thinking strategically about funding, branding, and engagement.
By the end of our five-hour session, our team had created a full resilience plan. It was amazing to go from having no clue what a resiliency plan is to using our research, skills, and expertise to solve Sakhi’s challenge and quickly work toward a common goal with professionals I was meeting for the first time. It was eye-opening and empowering for all of us. We gave the nonprofit actionable resources and marketing best practices and helped them refine their elevator pitch. More than anything, I believe our final product gave them the confidence to say, “We’ve got this.” And that, to me, was the most rewarding outcome.
What new skills or capabilities did you discover about yourself through this volunteer opportunity?
Participating in this project and being the team lead helped tap into my project management and team leadership skills. This meant I was in charge of keeping pace, moderating, delegating tasks based on strengths, and ensuring we were working toward the goal. I manage projects daily and collaborate with team members at Unum, but this was an excellent opportunity to lead a team.
I felt some anxiety at the beginning, but I leaned into the discomfort and trusted the process. One of the things I take pride in is having created a space where diverse perspectives came together and flourished. Before we started, I did some research on resilience plans to get a sense of what we were stepping into, and I also encouraged my team to be curious, do their research, and ask questions.
As I coached and guided the discussion, my team members’ natural talents and strengths emerged. One teammate had been a teacher for 18 years, and she immediately focused on breaking everything down into an easy-to-follow structure. Another admitted they weren’t great at organizing information but were excellent at presenting. I also made sure the team members handling the technical work felt appreciated and recognized for their contributions to our success.
What insights did you gain, and what was your biggest takeaway from volunteering your skills with Sakhi for South Asian Survivors?
One key insight I gained was seeing how different departments, such as tech, development and operations, and security, brought a unique lens to the project. For instance, some team members were focused on safety and tech functionality, while I was concerned with how the organization was running its operations.
I enjoyed leading my volunteer team and helping them understand each other as we worked toward a common goal. Watching the “lightbulb moments” when people realized things like, “they don’t have the infrastructure for a cloud-based solution yet,” was incredibly rewarding. I gained a deeper appreciation for my colleagues and their different expertise and experiences. I was inspired to continue leading and creating spaces where different perspectives are valued and welcomed.
Why do you enjoy skills-based volunteering, and what keeps you coming back?
I love this type of volunteering. This is my second time participating in a skills-based volunteering event, and every session has taught me something new. Of course, we’re providing tremendous value to the nonprofits we support, but I gained just as much in return.
It also deepened my appreciation for the nonprofit sector. I’ve spent my entire career in the corporate world, and while I’ve always volunteered, my experiences were mostly with activities like kit-packing or blood drives. On the other hand, skills-based volunteering allows us to help organizations grow, strengthen their impact, and create lasting change at the operational and business levels. It’s a great way to give back!
People often view corporate and nonprofit work as two separate worlds, but in reality, we have a lot in common. Nonprofits face many of the same business challenges, from operations to strategy, and they can greatly benefit from corporate expertise. Anyone in the corporate sector has valuable skills to offer.
It’s also a huge benefit for remote employees. Remote work can feel isolating, but skills-based volunteering programs create opportunities to connect, collaborate, and make an impact from anywhere. I really appreciate that. Everyone should take advantage of an opportunity like this. It’s like trying a new dish at a potluck—you might not have considered it before, but once you do, you realize how much you love it!
Ready to learn more about skills-based volunteering? Reach out.
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