Wikipedia’s definition of pro bono is: “…professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment, as a public service…” or, basically, for the public good.
I have always been a fan of helping out where I can, so I read an article in Nett magazine recently about this subject with great interest. It was about business volunteering matchmaking organisation, Good Company.
I liked what I read so I signed up to volunteer my writing and public relations services.There was one project that interested me most out of those ‘wishes’ listed by non-profit organisations. It was from GO Research Fund asking for help with its ongoing campaign to raise $1 million in two years to help fund research into a diagnostic blood test to detect ovarian cancer.
This project (or wish) appealed to me for personal and professional reasons. My current clients are mainly small businesses and being involved in the GO campaign will open up a host of new contacts for me. This will benefit my business, but also my clients, as the experience will no doubt give me new ideas to help get their story out there.
Ultimately though, I see my involvement in the GO Research project as a good thing to do. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and if I can help just a little bit towards the fund’s aim to develop a diagnostic blood test then I will be satisfied.Volunteer work is a great for all levels of business. For someone looking for work in a particular industry volunteering is the ideal way to build experience, for small business people, like me, it is a way to build contacts and learn new skills, and for big businesses it’s the perfect vehicle to give something back to the community. It’s win-win all round.
What are your volunteering experiences?
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