As you develop networking skills and look for ways to give back to the community, a great way to marry the two concepts involves sitting on a non-profit board. When you serve as a board member, there are so many ways you can directly impact your community with the beliefs and passions you have. There are also lots of other ways to a seat at the non-profit table can really shape and develop your vocational experience in excellent ways.
- It Increases Your Number of Connections.
Sitting on the board of a non-profit will allow you to meet a number of people including CEOs and presidents of other companies. One of the most powerful moves a business owner can make involves collaboration. As you meet different company heads, you’ll naturally develop relationships. When relationships are fostered, there’s a strong chance that you’ll find ways to collaborate with one another outside of the non-profit efforts. Not only can this increase your bottom line, it’ll also strengthen companies within the communities where you both exist. Partnerships can easily last decades and are normally built in collaborative efforts and level-playing fields like a non-profit boardroom.
- It Expands Your Capacity to Care.
Non-profit companies normally serve those in need and exist to make an impact on those who are underserved. It’s almost impossible to serve on a non-profit board and not have a heart for the people you’re serving. As the desire for employees with soft skills increases, it starts from the top. When an employer, CEO or president develops the ability to care about the world around them, it also overlaps into the way their own company gets managed. When a president leads a company with the understanding that people come first, this changes and directly affects the company’s culture in the best of ways.
- It Keeps You Levelheaded and Aware.
When you’re in the trenches of your world and have a lot on your plate to manage, it’s easy to only see what’s in front of you. As a result, you become a little near-sighted and only focus on what’s going on in your immediate world. You’ll miss the needs and concerns of those in the neighborhoods around you. Why? Because it doesn’t directly impact you. Sitting around the table of a non-profit board meeting will force any member to wake up and see what the needs are. It’s also a direct invitation to make an impact without expecting anything in return. This is one of the best ways to genuinely make a difference.
- It Forces You to Learn How to Manage Projects.
As a member of a non-profit board, there are times when you’ll have to step into a hands-on role, get on the ground and get your hands dirty. As you manage the day-to-day operations of your company, you’ll also be able to learn how to manage different projects for the non-profit well. As you run different events and major projects, there will be a learning curve and plenty of opportunities to learn how to improve and be more effective for the most long-term impact.
- It Show Clients That You’re Involved.
In 2017, many customers and clients LOVE knowing that their purchases will go to good causes. If a portion of the proceeds goes toward benefitting the non-profit you’re a part of, this can be a greater incentive for customers and clients to spend more. As they purchase the company’s goods and services, they simultaneously partner with the company to make a difference in the community in a very palpable and tangible way. This is a very strong selling point to utilize and it benefits all parties involved.
At DeSantis Trusted Advisors, we offer guidance to our clients to help them think strategically about the role they would like to play in philanthropic work. We help to forge relationships to help clients realize their long-term goals.
