Networking Through Volunteerism:

Individuals Can View Volunteering as a Marketing Activity

Each volunteering activity that you participate in may be viewed as an opportunity for your business. You have a chance to do something beneficial for your community, mingle with various community members and get the name of your business among the public.

Although you may already have a busy schedule, volunteering can benefit you personally, as well as your business professionally. Take advantage of these opportunities to network and meet new people that may benefit your business in the future. However, before you decide to volunteer, keep these tips in mind:

Evaluate and Organize Your Schedule

Are you doing things that you are “supposed” to do, but don’t have to do? Maybe some of these things can be delegated to free some of your time. What about your lunch hours during the week? Are there volunteer activities that could fit in during that time period? Be creative.

For those people who already have a hectic schedule, you can choose to mix volunteer time with family time. In fact, that can be a great way to get your family involved n volunteer efforts. Volunteering can then become a family event and part of the family’s leisure activities.

Choose Carefully

The more organizations you can work with, the better, right? Not necessarily. Choose one or two volunteer activities that you really feel strongly about and concentrate on those.

Consider organizations that may only need assistance a couple of times per year. Check with your local community chamber of commerce for a list of once-a-year volunteer activities in the area. For many of the people you will be helping during these events, this may be the one special day that they look forward to each year.

Remember that although an organization may only need your help once per year, it doesn’t make that assistance any less important. You may meet someone this year that you look forward to seeing the next time volunteers are needed. Connections can be made; it’s the quality of the connections that matters, not necessarily the quantity of contacts.

Networking and Contacts

When working with organizations, you never know who you are going to meet. Your fellow volunteer may be your business contact tomorrow for a new account. Volunteering with several organizations allows you to interact with like-minded people who have the same values as yourself. Women may find that volunteering allows them another outlet beyond their homes for camaraderie with other adults in the community.

An organization you are working with may need someone to organize an event, do financial analysis or conduct marketing efforts for the latest fundraiser. Each of these responsibilities can give you the opportunity to shine as a volunteer, allow you to utilize skills that you have already learned in your career. In addition, these tasks can be wonderful to list on an upcoming job application or resume.