#VolunteeringRocks – Nick Hultink, Salesforce Australia

Thanks to our volunteer time off (VTO) program and Surf for Life, I have become a serial volunteer, and it now defines who I am! It even impacted my decision to move from Canada to Australia, with Salesforce.

I was initially lured to volunteering because of the chance to travel to beautiful surf destinations and the expectant feel-good factor of  “voluntourism”, however, after my first week volunteering abroad, I was inspired to commit much more time to giving back.

While every volunteer activity I have taken part in has been seriously therapeutic, my biggest realization has been the negative effects of tourism, and also the great opportunity we have to positively impact communities around the world.

Volunteering has brought me to places I never imagined going. With each new volunteer adventure comes new people, cultures, and communities… and diverse needs.

…Travel, Explore

Over the past 4 years volunteering with Surf for Life, Salesforce has supported me to fundraise, develop, and build for these projects:

2012 Costa Rica – Multi-purpose Community Centre for families displaced from nearby surf town

2013 Nicaragua – Secondary School for students discontinuing studies early due to distance and risk traveling to nearest city school

2014 Philippines – Daycare Centre for children of parents affected by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)

2015 Tonga – Coconut & Vanilla processing facility to employ at-risk youth and women and support local farmers via non-profit co-op model

Global travel is an amazing thing, and we’re blessed to have access to so much more of the world thanks to our employer. Why not apply our skills, our excess funds, and our free time to pay that forward?

Nick Hultink is an Account Executive at Salesforce in Melbourne

See what else Salesforce employee volunteers have been up to…