Volunteering for Fun and Profit

You've heard about doing well by doing good? Well guess what: It works!

by Jason Zigmont HowToSell.net [May 24, 2000]

Anyone who knows me knows that I live by this quote:

"You can have everything in life you want if you can just help enough other people get what they want"—Zig Ziglar

Throughout my life, I've always volunteered to help others. I have been a volunteer firefighter for five years and an EMT for two years. I am very proud of my volunteering, but beyond the good feeling you get volunteering, volunteering can also be good for your business.

Making contact
My first customer at the ISP I once ran was a fellow firefighter. He later signed up his mother, and they still use the service to this day.

I volunteer as a board member of the ISP/C and probably spend way too much time doing stuff for the organization, but the benefits outweigh the price. I have met more customers, and friends, through volunteering then any other area.

When you volunteer, you cannot help but network with people. And as I've said elsewhere, all successful people and companies have a network of powerful relationships. Networking will bring you customers and may even introduce you to investors and others who can help your company.

Getting by giving
Donations also can help to get you and your company noticed. Donations of time and money mean a lot to the organization you are donating to, while giving you good press.

Tip: There is one thing to remember when making donations: The more people the donation is passed through, the more people who know about it.

Then again, it helps to be creative. For example: Many schools have drug- and alcohol-free graduation parties where they give away gifts. Why not give away signup CDs to all of them that include 30 days of free access and are customized towards the school. (For example, the cover might have the school mascot on it) You might also donate a larger giveaway of a year's free Internet access. A donation like this will undoubtedly end up bringing in more business than it will cost to do.

Yours in service,
Jason Zigmont

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