Getting Involved

Many sales professionals have helped their career by being involved in non-profits.?? The question is how do you pick a “good one,” and then what you do once you have picked one.???

There are so many great causes, and I would recommend choosing one where you are passionate about the mission.? You also want to make sure you believe in the leadership, and trust that they are going to keep the initiatives moving forward.? People hesitate to pick a group that could lead to personal gain because they feel like since they’re doing something for charity, they shouldn’t profit.? However, you have a limited amount of time and resources to make a difference, so it would make sense to get involved with a cause that you can help and can help you.?

Some suggestions when choosing causes where you want to get involved:?

• Don’t just plan to be “on the board,” or volunteer.? Dive in and commit to making a difference within the group and the community they are serving.? Just being able to rattle off what boards you’re on is not the goal and is an overall waste of time.????
• If you have an opportunity to be in leadership, it will be very time consuming. ?But if you’re able to do it for a cause that you care about, you will find personal satisfaction, AND you will also be growing your network.?

If you’re doing a good job of networking in the community and you are becoming a leader, you will likely be asked to be on more boards.? The majority of these will be good causes from good people that you want to help, but it might not fit in your life at this point.? Here are two additional suggestions to make sure you are not just someone “collecting boards,” since it’s not easy to just say no or quit a board without sounding like you don’t care about curing cancer, underprivileged kids, etc.???

• When asked to be on a board that I make the choice not to join, I have said, “I’m honored that you would ask me, and I love that you are curing cancer/helping kids etc. However, the two things I’m not able to give right now are time and money, but I’m happy to be a resource for you in any other way.”? That normally ends the conversation.?
• Know when to quit.? If it’s not the right time, place, or mission for you at that time, it’s a favor to the board, and you, to quit.??

Getting involved can and should have a dual benefit.? You should be helping a cause/mission you are passionate about AND it should help you build a beneficial network for yourself, personally and professionally.?

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