"It will only take a couple hours ... "
If you are a business owner or manager
and active in your community, I am sure
you've heard those seven little words
before. This column will evaluate volunteer
time and serving on
boards when to
say yes and when
to turn down a
request.
So what's the ROI
of making time for
a non-profit commitment?
And, why should you get
involved in your community? Company
morale might be one. Your employees
will respect the example you set.
Secondly, you and your employees may
make contacts with leaders in your community,
which may make it easier to do
business. Third, why not give back to the
community and economy that is creating
a living for you and your employees?
The preceding are intangibles, because
that's exactly what you will receive. If
you bill for your services, that volunteer
time will be taken out of your inventory.
If you are looking at your monthly calendar
now, and there's not much give, then
you may want to stick to business until
you or your employees have the time.
There are lots of good causes in the
Truckee Meadows. Pick an appropriate
cause based on your own or customers'
interest. Align yourself with worthy causes
by identifying core needs, problems, or
opportunities. Then pick a cause that is
appropriate for you to be associated with.
If your business caters to families, consider
supporting youth sports, child welfare
projects, or literacy. If your product
appeals to women, consider supporting
spousal abuse programs, shelters, or
breast cancer awareness campaigns. And,
if you are considering the whole landscape
of causes in the community, then
spread the responsibility among your
employees.
I wish I could say yes to every request
for a few hours of my time. I wish I
could say yes to every organization that
needs help. Then, again, I would probably
go bankrupt! Here are a few questions
for you to answer before you say
yes:
* What type of people will you be
interfacing with? Are they decision makers
and could knowing them help further
your business?
* How "deep" is the request? For
example, will there be others within your
company who will be doing the work
on company time?
* What type of work are they asking
you to do? For example, if you are a
CPA, will you be doing tax returns
gratis? You may consider doing something
completely different than what you
do all day. One of the side benefits may
be putting your personal problems in
perspective. Go serve dinner at a soup
kitchen and all of a sudden the timing on
your Porsche becomes irrelevant.
Can you recoup your expenses, if there
are any?
There are no right answers to the
questions above, but it is good to go into
a commitment with your eyes open.
After you've decided which charities and
organizations to support, do your due
diligence before you say yes. The checklist
follows:
* Conduct research to determine if the
organization is successful in its mission
and how it allocates its funds.
* Ascertain if the organization is partnered
with reputable organizations and
has a positive standing in the community.
* Determine how the organization can
align your company's goals to assist with
your marketing and visibility.
* Check to see if the charity is registered,
has a tax-exempt status with the
IRS, is audited by a public accounting
firm and is politically active.
Finally, let me say, that you can't do
everything. Start out slow and make sure
that you can keep the commitments you
are making. You will be working against
the very thing you are trying to accomplish
by never showing and never completing
projects. Volunteering, sitting on
boards, helping with events, getting out
into the community is a good thing.
Make sure you are ready for the commitment.
Marlene Olsen, marlene@o-apr.com, is
president of Olsen & Associates Public
Relations, serving the Truckee Meadows
for 20 years.
