One of the best investments you can make in your business development efforts won’t cost you a dime — and the payback is four-fold.

Now more than ever, your skills, enthusiasm, management expertise, and passions are needed in the board rooms and the baseball fields, the galas and the golf outings of the nation’s nonprofit organizations.

Coming out of the long recession, corporations are ramping up social responsibility initiatives to improve their image in the places where they live and do business. Closer to home, you may want to consider a similar strategy for your practice. Why?

• Trust is essential to building high-quality relationships with your potential clients. The uncertainty of our current environment has made people more guarded and resistant to trusting. You stand out among your competitors when you’re doing good things in your community.
• Taking an active role on a nonprofit board or committee or through an event or program allows you to sit elbow-to-elbow with other influencers in your community. These peers become new friends, business associates, and even referral sources.
• Giving back to your community feels good.
• You can make a difference for someone who is disadvantaged, ill, homeless, or in trouble — or by bringing artistic expression, enhanced educational opportunities, and new life to
  your hometown.

Everyone benefits when the quality of life in our communities is uplifted, positive, and thriving.

“As insurance brokers, [our team] has benefited from the good will of directly helping families battling cancer,” said Paul G. Isenberg, account executive for Engle Hambright & Davies Inc., and volunteer CEO of the nonprofit Great Guys, a group that helps people diagnosed with cancer. “It has also helped us become closer in our professional relationships by involving customers and carriers in charitable activities and events.”

There is no shortage of nonprofit organizations and causes that will benefit from your active participation. Here, then, are a handful of “dos and don’ts” to guide your success and help you avoid the task of undoing costly mistakes.

Do:

• Follow your passion. Hundreds of nonprofit organizations may benefit from your involvement, but you must select the one whose mission is most aligned with your passions. This is not selfish. If you feel a connection with the organization’s mission, you’ll convey positive energy to the people with whom you’re working, and your expertise will shine through. (See sidebar, “Follow Your Passion and Draw Business to You,” for more information.)
• Show up and contribute in meaningful ways. If you’re truly guided by an intention to serve and participate in your community, you’ll jump right in and find ways to contribute. Remember that the nonprofit organization and your board or committee members are counting on you to fulfill your obligations. Take the assignment as seriously as if you were being paid.
• Take a leadership role. By all means, take on roles that allow you to spread your wings, expand your leadership capabilities, and develop new skills that may be slightly beyond your comfort zone, such as chairing a committee or public speaking. Take on a challenging role that others may avoid, such as fundraising, solving a problem, or leading a new strategic direction. There is nothing like success to help you stand out.
• Build your network. While you’re involved in the organization, you’re working alongside other industry leaders and members of your community or neighborhood. Get to know them. Make new friends. Expand your network in genuine, thoughtful ways. Also, be sure to publicize your charitable activities.

Don’t:

• Lead with your sales pitch. If you are only getting involved with an organization to schmooze and hard sell, you will repel the people around you. It’s like a bait-and-switch, and nothing turns people off faster. “Above all, it is important to do nonprofit work only if it is sincerely meaningful to you,” said Isenberg.  “The dedication cannot be faked. It must be something very personal and close to your heart, and when it is, you’ll give and receive the most to both yourself and the charity.”
• Be half-hearted. Some people join boards, it seems, just to have a line on their resumes. They don’t show up at meetings, participate in committees, or attend the fundraisers or functions where their support is most valued. Don’t just take up a board seat without really filling it. Get off the board, making way for someone who will contribute, and just send a donation.
• Take on more than you can actually contribute. If you take on an assignment, the staff and board count on you to deliver, so be sure you can deliver. It’s OK to decline an opportunity if you’re not able to follow through.

Community service can be extremely gratifying. Whether you have a skill or an asset to contribute or are eager to learn something new, consider getting actively involved in a nonprofit organization today. Now more than ever, the sector needs your involvement.

Gail S. Bower is the president of Bower & Co. Consulting LLC, which helps nonprofit organizations increase their visibility, revenue, and impact. She can be reached at 215-922-6937. Article taken from Agent’s Sales Journal.