Many of you probably have met Susan Bhatia at one of our events. This outgoing, upbeat Impact San Antonio member has the important job of volunteer coordinator. Volunteers make our organization run, and she’s an expert at matching people to the needs of our various committees.
Here are her answers to a few questions about her time in Impact SA.
When did you hear about Impact San Antonio, and from whom?
I first heard about Impact San Antonio from Lora Watts in January 2015. Lora invited me to an informational meeting at her house. After listening to a few grant recipients speak on how Impact grants benefited them, I was immediately hooked and joined that evening.
What influenced you to join Impact San Antonio?
I joined because I knew my $1,000 membership pooled with other memberships would have a greater influence in the community than if I had given $1,000 on my own. It gets down to the multiplier effect where we can have bigger impact as a group than as individuals.
What positions have you held in the organization, and what did you enjoy most about those positions?
I have served on the Membership Engagement Committee as a volunteer and committee member since 2015. I have also been the Volunteer Coordinator since 2016. I have loved interacting with and getting to know other Impact SA members. We have such diversity of backgrounds, skill sets, experiences and interests that I marvel at the talent that makes our organization flourishing and fun.
What impresses you most about Impact SA?
Its members impress me the most. There are not enough words to describe this community of women who make Impact San Antonio so successful. I would also say Impact SA’s grant award process has developed over time so that it has become well known in the San Antonio area as an exemplary model for grant processing and vetting.
As volunteer coordinator, what are your duties?
When an Impact SA member wants to get involved with a volunteer position, I am usually the first person who contacts her after she fills out the volunteer inquiry form. Sometimes I might also be the very first person within Impact SA to engage with a new member. I clarify the member’s interests and answer any questions she might have. I then notify the appropriate committee co-chairs, who turn around and send a welcome letter to that new volunteer. As the volunteer coordinator, I also assist Impact SA’s committees in seeking volunteers for their specific committee needs for events or a dedicated volunteer role. I am a people person, and this position has allowed me to get to know a little about members who I might never have a chance to meet face to face. In turn, if I do come across members at events who I have spoken to over the phone, it is more meaningful to acknowledge that we have spoken and talk about our past conversation(s). One of my greatest joys is to find someone a committee needs and recall from prior conversations the right person to fill that need. Or to steer a member in a direction totally different than what they had noted on the volunteer inquiry form based on information I gleaned during our chat.
How do you feel about the way Impact SA is operating during the pandemic?
I believe the board has done an exceptional job of maintaining communications with members, practicing social distancing, reworking processes such as grant review and being flexible with our grant dollar outlays during this challenging time.
You list yourself as retired. What did you do when still working, and when did you retire?
I was forced into early retirement November 2001 due to downsizing within the telecommunications industry. I left after 30 years with varied Bell Telephone entities, now mainly AT&T. In my last position as Director — Customer Relationship Marketing, I oversaw an international contact center consulting practice that worked to bring state-of-the-art customer care services to emerging centers around the world.
Anything else you would like to add?
After four years as the Volunteer Coordinator, I would like to contribute to Impact in another capacity. If there are any “people persons” out there who are interested in taking over this worthwhile, enjoyable position, contact me to discuss the role in more detail at volunteercoordinator@impactsanantonio.org.
