Creative Networking Through Volunteering
How to Meet People and Make Sales While Doing Good

By Susan Payton

If you’re like me, you’ve just about exhausted the usual channels for networking. While networking groups are good for making contacts, those contacts don’t always translate into sales. Attending too many meetings with different groups can sometimes do nothing more than drain your pocketbook. So how can you meet people in your community that will be interested in your product, and bring you steady sales?

Volunteer!

Think about it. You’re working with a diverse group of go-getters for a cause. While you will all be like-minded in the sense that you want to help a particular organization or non-profit, you all work in different parts of the city and do different things. Without having a specific agenda to sell, you will build relationships with these people, who will then think of you when a need arises that you can fill.

What Can I Do?

Not only will you build relationships that can translate into customers, you will build your portfolio of good-doing. If you have a strong set of business development skills, volunteer your time for fund raising. If you’re a strong writer and PR person, help out with press releases and media management. You are essentially putting your good skills to work, resulting in experience to build on.

Maybe you don’t have a lot of time to donate. You can still get involved with local volunteer groups by donating products or financial assistance. Usually a contribution will result in some sort of advertising for you (a thank you in a newsletter, your logo on a shirt for an event). Let your customers know that a portion of your sales for the month will be donated to a local nonprofit.

How Will Volunteering Bring Sales?

Think about the people you have met at church, at your children’s school, in the community. You probably know where they work, and if anyone mentions needing services or products, you immediately think of the people you know can provide them.

It works the same with volunteering. People get to know you, and they know what you do for your day job. When the time comes for them to purchase the kind of item or service you sell, you are the person at the top of their list!

Where Can I Volunteer?

There are literally hundreds of nonprofit and volunteer organizations that need help across the country. You can look in your local paper for organizations that sponsor fund raisers, or go online to sites like idealist.org or volunteermatch.org. Pick an organization that you’re interested in working with.

Once you’ve gotten involved, you can feel good about not only making a contribution to the world, but you’ll know that in giving something, you get something back.