Volunteer to Build Networks
Community Volunteering Increases Business Visibility and Reputation
Aug 26, 2008
Volunteers are in short supply in the early 21st century, and this gives entrepreneurs another way to set themselves apart from the competition. When clients have the term "recession" on their minds, they will take longer to make a buying decision, and competing on price alone is extremely difficult for a small business. Community volunteering can get business owners positive exposure that leads to a warmer reception at the closing table.
Match Volunteerism to Passions
Building business through volunteerism is a double-edged sword. Committing time to volunteering is only successful if it’s sincere. The organization should be chosen because it fits the interests and passions of the volunteer. Without that passion, the commitment will quickly become tedious; a lack of enthusiasm is not only difficult to hide, it tends to spread.
Volunteers that enjoy the time they spend radiate this enthusiasm. Fellow volunteers see firsthand the passion they bring to the project. By inference, exposure to a committed volunteer encourages one to assume that he or she will bring the same work ethic to his or her own business.
Networking and Volunteerism
Volunteers are needed by non-profits, municipal governments, and schools the world over, so selecting an organization for its networking potential is not difficult. An additional criterion for selecting a volunteer commitment should be the scope of the organization:
- Is it local, national, or global?
- Are the other volunteers likely to know people in the networking volunteer’s target market?
- Will the time commitment dovetail with the entrepreneur’s business needs?
Some volunteer groups recognize their own networking potential and use it to draw members, such as Rotary International. However, all volunteer commitments have networking potential for the right person. Some general areas that may be of interest to business owners include:
- Service organizations such as Rotary, the Lions, and the Shriners
- Municipal bodies such as planning boards and community improvement teams.
- Children’s groups like Little League, Big Brothers, and the Girl Scouts
- Board membership on a local non-profit organization
Volunteer First, Network Second
Networking as a volunteer should be a passive activity. No one wants to be cornered with a sales pitch when they’re trying to coach a Little League team. Any member of the local Rotary will tell you that selling is not permitted at meetings, but that Rotary membership is an excellent way to build a network. Volunteering for a group without such specific rules doesn’t mean they aren’t a good idea – if the idea of volunteering is to build a reputation, it would be regrettable if that reputation was one of a pushy salesman.
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