Teaching For a Cause: How to Donate Your Skills

American Heart Month is the perfect time to use your Instructor skills to improve your immediate community. We encourage you to get out and make a difference this month by donating your time and abilities. Here’s a few simple ideas to get you started. 

Public demonstrations are a great way to reach a large audience in a short amount of time. Demo how to do compression-only CPR and show how easy it is to use an AED. This can help people to visually see how simple both skills are, making them less intimidated to act during an emergency. 

Sign-up to host a booth at a local community event or arrange to provide a demo to students at a nearby elementary school. Bring a couple of manikins so people can practice giving compressions. 

We know having access to a public AED saves lives. Help raise funds to provide an AED at a local recreation park or an area that gets heavy foot traffic.  

• Directly donate a portion of your profits. You can designate a portion of your profits from the year or just for the month. If you know this is your goal ahead of time, you can let students know that some of their certification cost will be used to make their community safer. 
• Start a crowdfunding campaign. Use a service like GoFundMe to set up a fundraising campaign. Friends and family can conveniently make their own donations and quickly share your campaign with others in their network, further expanding your reach. 
• Ask for donations from local businesses. Reach out to businesses in your area and ask for a small donation. It gives you the opportunity to educate them on the importance of having an AED and can help you make more business relationships that can turn into future clients. 

A few hours of time can make a HUGE impact on your community. Advertise for a free adult CPR class in your area or reach out to an underserved population in your community. 

If you’re not sure where to start, contact a local church or library to connect you with people who could benefit the most from your class. Consider arranging a class at a family shelter or coordinating with a nonprofit that has an existing relationship with members of the community. 

Record a quick tutorial demonstrating a basic skill, like compression-only CPR. Then, post it to your social media accounts. This will help quickly educate your friends and family on an important life-saving topic. It can also help foster a broader discussion on the importance of training and certification. 

As an expert in emergency care, we encourage you to make yourself available to answer questions about heart health this month. Share our Heart Health infographic at work and on your social media accounts. Include your phone number or email, so people can contact you with any questions. 

Keep in mind that all these options for donating your time and skills can often lead to future business. So, be sure to make your business card and marketing material readily available to anyone you come into contact with. You never know who you might inspire to get further training and certification!