Volunteer Spotlight: Nirmala Iyer

nirmala_Iyer By James Kwee

Every week, Nirmala Iyer dedicates 20 hours of her time to volunteer for Cheerful Givers. As the Volunteer Manager, her objectives include a variety of tasks. She exchanges about a “zillion” emails with Karen Kitchel (President of Cheerful Givers) as well as both regular and potential volunteers. She also gathers, maintains, and updates information on our volunteers. The information she collects makes its way into the monthly newsletter and annual report.

Nirmala also maintains the Cheerful Givers opportunities section of the Volunteer Match website and provides additional information to all inquiries . “We had nearly 200 volunteers who expressed an interest in Birthday Bag Blitzes in the months of January and February 2010,” says Nirmala.

Additionally, she has taken on the position of School Coordinator for Cheerful Givers. “I establish contacts with volunteer coordinators of various schools in Minnesota and inform them about what Cheerful Givers does and how the schools can help us bring a smile to a child’s face.” And she accomplishes all of this from her home in California. Since November 2007, Nirmala has been residing in Santa Clara City.

Nirmala first discovered Cheerful Givers four months ago on Volunteer Match. Almost instantly, she was drawn to the unique mission of Cheerful Givers. She jumped on the opportunity to “blend technology with altruism… to be able to touch the lives of thousands of people.” In her own words, “Helping people that I will never meet gives me the mental satisfaction of working from home…and yet making a difference in this world.”

When she’s not using her computer to make an impact on people all over the country, she enjoys reading (especially non-fiction), “experimenting with various cuisines and adapting them to the vegan taste bud,” watching movies, and meeting people. In addition to her instrumental volunteer work with Cheerful Givers, she also volunteers with local nonprofits in the Bay Area such as Heart of the Valley, Services for Seniors, Inc., South Asian Bar Association (where she works on pro-bono projects), and more recently, the Shirdi Sai Centre, a Hindu temple.

“Helping people, even if I may not get to meet them, gives me the mental satisfaction of knowing that I am making a difference in their life, even if in a small way, while working from my home” says a humble Nirmala.

7 Comments to Volunteer Spotlight: Nirmala Iyer

Krishnamachar Sreenivasan
April 13, 2010

Hi Nirmala:

You are a busy beaver. I feel lucky that you listened to my program and chose to call. I look forward to working with you for a long productive period.

cheers
sreeni