Symantec’s Volunteer of the Quarter initiative highlights and rewards those employees who dedicate their time and talents to those in need. We have a long and proud history of encouraging our employees to volunteer. While the driving force of our efforts is largely altruistic, there is even more to volunteering than giving back to our communities. Volunteering makes our company a better place to work, so employees are helping both Symantec and the organizations they volunteer for.
This quarter we recognize Matthew Q. Smith, Sr. Director, Global Indirect Sales & Programs and his work with Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization.
People often ask me why I volunteer? I volunteer because I want to make a dent in the universe. I want to give back to society in as many ways as possible. It’s also why I work at Symantec – we are making a positive difference in the world, and I get to be a part of that. As Volunteer of the Quarter I am honored to have the chance to share my story with those inside and outside the walls of Symantec, and hopefully encourage others to take their passions and desire to give back out to their communities to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.
Channeling my passion
In 2009, my wife and I received the news that our son Quinn had been diagnosed with Autism. At first, I hid it from everyone. I was embarrassed and I felt alone in my struggle. Then I decided to channel these feelings and do something about it. I wanted to fight for him, but honestly also for myself. It was then that I started volunteering for Autism Speaks.
At Autism Speaks, their goal is to change the future for all who struggle with an autism spectrum disorder. According to Autism Speaks, ‘ten years ago, autism’s estimated prevalence was 1 in 166. Today it’s 1 in 68 – an increase of more than 100% in one decade[1]. Additionally, autism receives less than 5% of the research funding as Leukemia, Pediatric AIDs, and Muscular Dystrophy[2]. From supporting scientific research to helping autism patients thrive to educating friends, families and communities affected by autism, there are numerous opportunities to make a difference and contribute to reversing this trend.
My history with Autism Speaks
I started volunteering with Autism Speaks five years ago, in 2010, at the national level to help companies develop autism coverage. In addition to recently joining the Autism Speaks Texas board as the chairman, my wife and I formed the Autism Speaks 8k Run and 1k Fun Run taking place each year in West Austin, Texas. A small group of us, including another Symantec employee, are now on track to raise over $225,000 through this little race we started 2.5 years ago. This year we expect to raise $125,000 from corporate donations and grow to over 2,500 participants as the race has expanded to three major cities.
On average, I spend about 20 hours per month in various volunteering capacities, as well as leveraging the Dollars for Doers and the Employee Matching Grant programs (1:1 matching) to contribute directly to research on autism or to family programs. And most currently, I envision applying the Volunteer of the Quarter grant to acquire hundreds of Autism Speaks 100-day kits for newly diagnosed families.
The personal and professional payback
If you want to grow as a person, if you want to meet new people, if you want to develop new skills, and, ultimately, if you want to make your own dent in the universe – volunteering, whether it is serving on a board or serving soup, is a wonderful experience. Personally for me, it has enriched my personal and professional lives in numerous ways:
- My service activities have made me a better person and a better leader. My involvement has helped me grow as a person – from learning to lead and motivate volunteers to communicating to a wide variety of people. Most importantly, they help keep me grounded in what’s important in life, understanding how fortunate I am compared to many, and ensuring I maintain the right set of values.
- I can directly apply my business skills to increase the impact of my volunteering. It’s one of the greatest benefits we bring to non-profits – our business acumen and leadership skills. For example, I brought our Journey Line methodology recently to our first Texas board meeting to help everyone connect on a deeper level and to accelerate our ability to communicate with each other. Other much needed skills I’ve seen are financial analysis (e.g. building a P&L), strategic marketing, sales, and general leadership.
- I’ve learned more in building these non-profit initiatives than I ever could by just being in the workforce. I’ve truly refined and honed my leadership skills – motivating and helping people. I’ve learned about completely new areas, like social media and social media marketing – from the platforms you use, to the best times to schedule posts, to the ROI for specific types of posts, etc. I likely would never touch those areas on my current career path.
- I’ve made diverse connections across industries. These connections are invaluable to my current Symantec work as they fuel new ideas, innovative ways of doing things, and dramatically expand my network.
Most importantly, I’ve had the opportunity to build something that truly makes a difference. I’ve helped so many people overcome a challenging diagnosis for their children and I’ve been able to raise a significant amount of money for research and family programs supporting this cause so important to me. I have been able to set an example for my children, teach them about giving back and show them how lucky we are as a family.
From our partners in HR to our community programs, Symantec is truly helping me fight for my son and fight for my cause … and for that I am truly grateful.
Matthew Q. Smith is Symantec's Sr. Director, Global Indirect Sales & Programs