9 Great, Good and OK Places to Meet Wealthy Prospects

You might think high-net-worth individuals live in gated communities, dine at their country clubs and only socialize among themselves. It's far more likely your local senior executives, business owners and professionals are actively involved in the local community. Why? As you climb the social ladder, there comes a point when many people choose to give back. This provides your opportunity to drink, mingle and volunteer alongside them. There are many ways you can give back, but if you want to also be in a position to cultivate future business, you want certain types of organizations. The ideal ones attract high-net-worth individuals, provide opportunities to meet many of them at once, have high visibility in the community and leave a positive impression — you don't want to get involved in a divisive issue that could alienate potential clients.

Is passion important?

Your first thought is: "Yes, otherwise, they will think I'm a phony." You are wrong. If that were the case, only art history majors would join art museums and people with low handicaps would join golf clubs. You know that's not the case! As long as you have a sincere interest or an open mind and a desire to learn, you should find the atmosphere welcoming. In the gallery above are four examples of organizations that closely fit the four criteria described above, two where the positives outweigh the negatives, and three that attract wealthy prospects but have major drawbacks. You don't need to do them all! Find a few that are a good match for you. --- Related on ThinkAdvisor:

• 7 Things Your Friends Should Know About Your Business
• 12 Surprising Traits of the Wealthy
• How to Blow Yourself Up at a Nonprofit