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A volunteer packages food at a food bank.

Life Health > Running Your Business > Prospecting

3 Do's, and 4 Don'ts, for Making a Difference in Your Community

By Bryce Sanders

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What You Need to Know

  • You know you should market yourself by getting involved in your community.
  • Sure. But... how?
  • One strategy to avoid: Showing up only for the free buffet dinners.

Many financial professionals get involved in the community.

The chamber of commerce has plenty of them, just look in the member directory.

How does an agent size above the crowd and make a positive impact?

How do they make a name for themselves and build a positive reputation?

How to Blow Yourself Up

Let’s start with what not to do.

The first step towards building a positive reputation is avoiding becoming a pariah.

Bear in mind you are not the first insurance professional who has joined the group.

Someone else has done it badly.

People have good memories.

What Not to Do

1. Do not join, claim involvement and never show up. People will think you only joined to make your resume or LinkedIn profile look better.

2. Do not overpromise. Do not join a committee and never show up. Do not join a committee and do nothing. Do not claim you can get your firm to give money and not follow through.

3. Do not have alligator arms. Some people only show up for the free events. They don’t make contributions or attend paid events. You come across as really cheap.

4. Do not try to run the organization. You feel the Old Guard is asleep at the switch. You volunteer your opinions about what they can do better. You ignore local politics and alliances.

You try to take over. You get frozen out.

How to Make a Positive Impact that Gets People Saying Good Things

Community organizations have many roles for volunteers. This is usually done through committees.

Here are three that are a great match for agents or advisors.

One is always in crisis.

1. Membership.

This is the annuitized revenue stream of the organization.

If they have dues coming in on a steady basis, they are less dependent on holding gala events.

Many organizations have only a sketchy idea of how you attract new members.

Opportunity: You are great at prospecting. You know how to find prospect names and organize a mailing.

You know how to do it cheaply and use your own hands and other volunteer labor in the organization. You invite a group of friends to your house.

You stand up and tell the group’s story, with some staff support.

You tell your friends you are a member and ask them to join, too.

The organization gains new members that night.

2. Fundraising.

Most people cannot look someone in the eyes and ask them for money.

This is your superpower. You join the committee raising money for sponsorship of an event like the golf outing or garden party.

It is easier to get in front of business owners talking about a charity instead of talking about business.

Opportunity: You become a sponsor. You ask business owners to “join me as a sponsor.” They agree.

You make sure they attend the event, even if you do the driving. You walk them around, introducing them to the organization’s high-profile leadership.

You sit with them at a lively table and see they have a good time. You learn enough about them to reconnect afterwards.

3. Event planning.

Organizations have plenty of people capable of spending money, fewer who know how to raise it.

Your fundraising superpower can come into play here, however here is another idea.

They should have a live and silent auction at the gala event.

They need great items to auction off to raise money. These need to be solicited.

Opportunity: Who donates a week at their beach house or a flight in their private plane?

Not people with no assets. It’s people who own businesses or live on large estates. Working with someone else from the organization, you solicit these auction items.

You make sure the donor attends the event. You sit with them as they watch their item fetch a high price. You have a good time together.

Just as you do in the fundraising scenario, you learn enough to reconnect afterwards.

You’re building your reputation as a worker bee who gets results.

Everyone knows what you do for a living. They want to keep you happy and involved.

Who knows where this might lead?

Pictured: A volunteer packages food at a food bank. Credit: Halfpoint/Adobe Stock

Bryce Sanders

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