There is no question that volunteering to assist a cause or a individual in need, can be a worthwhile gesture that will repay itself in the benefit you provide and the pleasure you feel in doing it. There are, however, occasions when volunteering can be unrealistic and actually not beneficial to the recipient.

What I am referring to is the act of volunteering your voice.

When an individual volunteers a skill or an asset, it is generally assumed by the recipient that the volunteer will posses a skill and ability level consistent with that expected in the volunteers field. I know many professional voice actors and nearly all of them volunteer their voices for charitable organizations. But again, these are professionals. They are not volunteering something that will “need a lot of work” or that is “pretty good”, they are volunteering a professional service.

The idea of volunteering in an effort to develop initial job skill and knowledge is flawed in that the volunteer is assuming that the recipient will be delighted with a sub-professional product. This might be similar to me volunteering to fly jets on charitable flights…with no pilots license. An extreme example, but you get the idea.

Recognize that while volunteering can be an active part of your career as a voice actor, and can also act as a great way to forge new professional work relationships, those you are volunteering for will expect you to be a professional.

Research the field, Educate Yourself. Build a Winning Demo, and then volunteer whenever you have an opportunity.

Best Regards!