Virtual Volunteering -- Enlightened Networking Online

I volunteer a lot—sometimes I think too much. But every time I think I'm spending too much time at it, losing focus on my "real work", an amazing thing happens... someone calls me for business as a result of some of that volunteer work. I did some tracking, and it turns out that contacts made through my volunteer work have been one of my top lead generators for the past year in terms of total revenue!

It's not hard to figure out why... First of all, people get to actually see you in action, as opposed to just hearing your marketing pitch or someone else's referral. Secondly, there's a natural bonding that occurs when people believe in the same cause. You have a leg up on everyone else in the mind of the people that you volunteer with. So besides making the world a better place, volunteerism is also a great way to grow your business.

As more and more nonprofit organizations take their causes online, "virtual volunteering" is becoming increasingly popular. Many people find that by eliminating the travel time, they actually have more time to give. Top networking expert Donna Fisher offers up some ideas for virtual volunteering that will showcase your business skills, as well.

Read the full article