48in48 May Volunteer Spotlight: Nishanth Kadiyala
Where does a desire to give back come from?
Our May 2020 Volunteer Spotlight is on Nishanth Kadiyala, Lead Product Manager at AT&T in Dallas, Texas. Nishanth is originally from India, where he volunteered/taught at a local school serving under-privileged children, building his desire to give back. Once he moved to the U.S., he had some difficulty finding causes that he felt connected to and that offered him a chance to help the “have-nots.”
Why did volunteering for 48in48 appeal to Nishanth?
He learned about the Fall 2019 Dallas 48in48 event from a colleague, and there were three things that drew Nishanth to participate.
1 – He loved the fact that 48in48 serves so many varied non-profits. He could see a variety of causes he believed it, and he was able to vocalize which ones most interested him and work on one of those websites.
2 – There is a tangible dollar amount for the impact the websites being built over one weekend. He and his fellow volunteers could walk away from 48 hours of effort, knowing that collectively they created about $1.5 Million worth of impact.
3 – He found a cause that uses his technology and marketing skills for good. Nishanth focused on strategy for the site his team built. He reviewed the existing website, bought the team together to discuss and brainstorm, spearheaded how to envision the future for the non-profit. He worked to make the Purpose crisp, finessed the messaging and positioning, and ensured they were telling the non-profit’s story in the most compelling way.
4 – Did I say three things? I meant four, because Nishanth says, “The food was really amazing!”
What does he want to tell others considering volunteering for 48in48?
Don’t be scared off by the idea of 48 full hours. You can give what you can give during that weekend, and it all works out because of the hard work of all the other volunteers there. The volunteers are wonderful people! You will meet new people and build your professional skillset at the same time.
Will Nishanth volunteer for 48in48 again?
“Oh yeah! Absolutely!”
Want to read more about Nishanth’s 48in48 experience?
Nishanth tells his 48in48 story in his own words here – give it a read to be inspired by an amazing volunteer. He blogs on Medium as “Under Pi (3.14) Minutes” talking about technology, productivity, business and philosophy with 3.14-minute reads.
