Volunteering

Volunteering is something you do from the heart, but it has the potential to benefit your business too.

I'd never recommend that someone volunteer just to help their business, but for those who struggle between the lack of time to do everything, and the desire to help as often as possible, I'd encourage them to take the time when they can to give services or time for free, with the reassurance that it DOES come back to them.

I do several things as a volunteer. I moderate a group online, I own a few groups online, I donate web services to a few non-profit corporations, I am an assistant den leader for Cub Scouts, I have served as coordinator for a local event, and I frequently offer web assessment and improvement recommendation services to startup businesses. I donate used computers to local families that need a computer also. I have created printed items for good causes, and donated other web and graphical design services also.

Those are pretty small things. There are not a lot of formal opportunities out here, so I do what I can within the limitations of my life. But those things have helped me to establish my expertise, along with giving me the chance to give, which I enjoy.

Even a non-profit organization won't trust an idiot. They won't accept services from someone who is not professional. And donating my services got my URL on the bottom of every page of their site as the creator, which helped my page ranking and helped me build my reputation when I was trying to re-establish my business.

Giving away computer systems locally has helped to establish me as THE computer expert, and the person to go to for computer needs. Donating services got my name around even though I did not do it for that reason.

I am also a firm believer that in order to get, you must first give. Volunteering is not only an indication that you are kind, it also invokes the law of "what goes around comes around". I truly believe that the kinder you are, the more blessed you will be. It has proven true in my own life. I have seen amazing blessings come as a direct result of something I did just because I felt I ought to, even when I wasn't sure I had the time to.

You do have to balance your time, and you ARE in business to make money. But time taken to volunteer to do whatever you can that is reasonable really does benefit your business in surprising and unexpected ways. Go with your intuition - when something in you desires to do it, and there is a way that you can, then dive in and give it your best with no thought of return.

It isn't just the human thing to do, it is also wise and intelligent.