Volunteering can be a good marketing tool

By Debra Morrill

There are many reasons to volunteer: Helping others, giving back to the community and making a difference, to name a few.

For professionals and business owners who volunteer their time to nonprofit organizations, there can be even more benefits with a direct impact on your career and the bottom line of your business.

Getting out and being seen in the community is a good marketing tool. "We buy from people we know and trust," said Joan Gillman, director of special industry programs-executive education at the UW School of Business. "If you meet people away from a business setting, they are likely to get to know and trust you."

But no one is advocating volunteering just to build your business or resum?, Gillman said. People see through that.

Instead, choose a project or a cause that is related to your business. "Match your professional skills and strengths with what you're volunteering for," she said.

A volunteer stint on the education committee for the Direct Selling Assoc-iation eventually led to consulting work and international travel for Gillman. "But the volunteer work came first," she said. "They had to get to know me and what I did."

Volunteering leads to networking opportunities. But keep your focus on the volunteer commitment and don't self-promote, said Jacqui Sakowski, owner of Sakowski Consulting LLC. "Hold yourself accountable for accomplishing your task and show off the fine human being you are," she said. "Others will recognize those qualities and be attracted to you. Let your work speak for itself."

She led a committee that organized an event for the Middleton Chamber of Commerce. The owner of the business where the event was held got to know her and later hired her. "The best networking comes from working shoulder-to-shoulder with people on projects," she said.

Kevin Mahaney, assistant vice president of commercial banking at Capitol Bank, has a long history of volunteering. He recognizes the benefits it has had on his professional growth and development. As chairman of the finance committee for the Mental Health Center of Dane County, he led a major initiative to adopt Sarbanes-Oxley regulations. "It deepened my understanding of Sarbanes-Oxley and about policies and procedures of nonprofits," he said.

But any benefits to his career arising from volunteer work have been secondary. "I haven't done any of the volunteering for career purposes," Mahaney says. "When I volunteer, I don't view it as how I can further my career, but rather how I can help an agency with my skills."

For young professionals just starting out, there may be even more reason to volunteer.

According to Moses Altsech, professor of business at Edgewood College, employers are increasingly looking for volunteer experience when hiring. "What it takes to be a great volunteer is what it takes to be a great employee," he said. "Respect for others, teamwork, taking initiative but still being able to work with others as an equal, those are all important skills."

Everyone benefits from volunteering, he says. "Volunteering is truly the proverbial win-win situation."

debramorrill@yahoo.com

Volunteering can be a good marketing tool

By Debra Morrill

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