Volunteer to Raise Your Visibility
Oh, the Places You Can Go
By Giving Back to Your Local Community
I’ll never forget it. It was the spring semester of my sophomore year in college. I was sitting in an Elements of Advertising class when the professor said something that truly resonated with me:
“If you want to be successful, get involved. Join organizations, become active, volunteer on committees, and serve on boards. That is how so many find success.”
From that day forward, I took his advice to heart. I immediately jumped on the college Ad Club board and began serving on the Student Union Activities (SUA) committee.
Soon after graduation, I began volunteering for the local Ad Club, got elected to the board of AD2 (a group specifically for young ad professionals) and, before I knew it, was serving as president.
Those AD2 days were at the very beginning of my now 20+ year freelance career. And boy, have they paid off!
In 2000, I was awarded AD2 Person of the Year at the Ad Club’s Omni Awards (AAF ADDYs). What a rush it was to be recognized for all my hard work volunteering for the organization! I got to get up on stage and give an acceptance speech, and I walked away with this wonderful plaque.
A Turning Point
Little did I know at the time that that night would be a turning point for me. It sent me down a lifelong path of volunteering for the local advertising industry. I spent three years on the AD2 board and then set out on my own, creating The Freelance Exchange of KC, and serving on its board for the past 17+ years. I’ve also dabbled in other ventures, such as Creative Club and KC Clubs United, along the way.
Volunteering had, in a way, become my life's purpose. I’d discovered so much joy in giving back to the community. And by doing so, I managed to create a name for myself, establish a reputation, and get rewarded tremendously in business.
Volunteering Works Wonders
Not only do you get that feeling of doing good when you volunteer, but you can truly build your professional reputation with it.
People will refer you when:
They know who you are.
They know you do good work.
They know you are reliable.
Let’s touch upon that last point for a moment. Because I see this all the time … It’s one thing to volunteer for something; it’s another to actually follow through on it. When you don’t, that’s going to affect your reputation as well … and, by default, hurt your likelihood of getting referrals.
Of course, like anything, there are exceptions to the rule, such as personal or professional crises. In that case, just be sure to communicate with others about your situation so they can make arrangements, if necessary.
Otherwise, find the time to follow through on your commitment. Make it a priority and put it on your schedule, even if this means blocking time out on your workday. It is a means of self-promotion, after all. So no guilt in that!
Make Volunteering a Part of Your Marketing Strategy
You post on social media. Maybe you send out emails, write blog posts, and engage on LinkedIn. What else are you doing to improve your brand’s image, your company’s reputation?
There are a ton of opportunities for promotion, both paid and free. If you’re a freelancer, you may opt for more of the free and/or inexpensive options. Volunteering fits into that category.
I’ve done it my whole career … and even picked up more awards for my volunteerism along the way. Each and every one of these awards has helped put me on the map.
It’s essentially free PR! You get the award, and you tell people about it. Easy peasy. You put it on your website, announce it on social media and/or via emails, send press releases to the media and related organizations.
Who knows where it will take you?!
Go ahead. Try it out. Put your best foot forward. And become someone who is known … Known for their good work. Their accountability. And their reliability.
And get rewarded with more referrals and more business in the end.
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Want to bounce a promotional idea off me? Go ahead!
