Recently I was asked to decorate for an annual event with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The event is to help raise money and awareness about the disease. At the same time I had the opportunity to help out a local non-profit organization raffle off a house to raise money and get their name out there. They renovate houses in the area for people who do not have the means to do so on their own.
I was extatic about these two opportunites because I have always wanted to venture out into the fundraising field and I am always looking for new ways to push my limits and see what I am capable of.
But I'd be lying if I didn't say that the lack of payment did not enter my mind. I think as planners, when approached by non-profit agencies, our initial thought is, "I don't have time to do an event for free." "The stress, the time commitment, and in this economy....doing it for free?" These are all normal feelings most people would have when trying to keep their own business afloat today.
The crazy thing is that there are hidden treasures in these places of sacrifice and hard work. And until you take that leap of faith, you'll never find them.
As soon as I volunteered and began attending the planning meetings, I ended up meeting more potential new clients than I could have done with 2 weeks of paid advertising. So many people, even in my own town, never knew I existed. My volunteering ended up being free advertising to hundreds of people.
I may have sacrificed a few weeks worth of work, but the people I met made it all worth it. Plus, knowing you are helping those organizations raise money and awarness just plain feels good.
If you find yourself coming up with excuses everytime volunteer work presents itself then you might want to make some changes.
Make a commitment to yourself that you will volunteer your services to an event in need at least 3 times a year, more if you can. You will not only help people, but you will see your business benifit as well.
Moral of the story: It is ironic how we don't take on things like volunteering becuase we don't want to "hinder" our business by sacrificing our time, but in turn we end up doing just that.
