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CONSULTANT’S CORNER: Consultants Giving Back
by Susan Onaitis, President, Global Learning Link
Successful entrepreneurs often find themselves at mid-career with the desire to “give back” to those who have not had the opportunities they feel they have had in their lives. However, if you are a consultant who wants to share your wealth with those not so fortunate, you might find the front-page stories of the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation’s multimillion-dollar donations a bit intimidating. Yes, it would be nice to be able to give an immense amount of money to your favorite charity. But not all entrepreneurs strike it rich enough to do that. The reality, though, is that you often possess the time and talents that are worth far more than money to many nonprofit organizations. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes “giving back” going on in the world of consulting and it takes many forms.
Setting up a foundation is one way. For example, Linda G. in Chicago inherited a large amount of money when her father died and decided to start her own foundation to mentor young underprivileged women, teaching them how to start a business. A colleague, Shawn Slevin, who runs a Human Resources consulting firm, has had a life-long passion for teaching children how to swim. A year ago she set up a foundation called The Swim Strong Foundation (http://www.theswimstrongfoundation.org) to help make more swim programs available to low income children. “It is amazing the life lessons that these kids learn from swimming. They take the lessons back to other parts of their lives – school, family, their relationships. That’s what this is all about for me.” Even though her foundation is in its infancy, she has been doing this work with kids for over 30 years. She sees it as her way of making a difference in the world and the foundation a way of having an even bigger impact.
Many of us don’t have the time and resources to set up a foundation. But there are still ways to give back. For the past 10 years, I have been a volunteer at Dress for Success (http://www.dressforsuccess.org), an organization that provides interview clothing and job retention programs for needy women. Because of my training background, I helped them set up an orientation and training for volunteers, a mentoring program, and a Professional Women’s Group so the clients can network and support each other. My fellow volunteers are from all over corporate America and the consulting world. Some help update the data- base, others make phone calls, some even do clerical work to support the overworked staff. Many of us have direct client contact helping them build a career they never thought they could have. It has been a tremendously rewarding experience to know that my expertise is helping those who didn’t have the good fortune I have had in my life.
Mentoring at all levels is another great way to share yourself and your expertise. It isn’t just kids who need mentoring. Marla Metzner, a generous entrepreneur and the owner of Fashion Licensing of America, was having dinner many years ago with two friends when they came up with the idea of a volunteer organization that matched experienced female executives with young women in need of support with their career goals. She founded Women As Mentors, a small New York-based organization that is over 10 years old and has racked up many success stories. Mentors sign up for a 12-month stint and choose the time and place to meet with their mentees. Once a partnership has completed a cycle they can opt to continue for one more year. Very often, the mentees become the next group of mentors. The organization is totally volunteer-run and has even spawned a couple of peer-mentoring relationships where women of equal experience mentor each other for a specific goal.
If you are a retired consultant who wants to offer your business savvy with someone in need, The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) offers a way to share your expertise (http://score.org). Volunteer executives are matched with small business owners in an effort to support their success. SCORE volunteers report feeling useful and valued, while their recipients tell of success stories they didn’t feel they could have accomplished without the help from their SCORE partner.
Some people can’t commit to a specific amount of time on a regular basis. However, many charities maintain a list of “floating” volunteers who are called upon on an “as needed” basis. The time commitment is flexible and you can respond or not depending on your availability during the time they need you.
And sometimes the time commitment is nothing more than a phone call once or twice a week. Several social service agencies that serve the homebound elderly have programs where volunteers call a senior to make sure he/she is okay and to chat for a few minutes. In some instances, corporations support that effort and allow the volunteers to call on company time. It’s a win-win for all involved.
One of the most obvious ways to give back is to support your favorite charity by buying a table or two at their fundraising events. By inviting friends or clients to be a guest at your table, you are not only donating money and introducing other possible donors to your favorite charity, but you are also demonstrating your commitment to the community as a whole. Typically charities put together printed programs for these fundraisers and solicit ads as another way to raise money. Advertising in the program is an inexpensive marketing tool, especially if those attending the event are your target clients.
I hear many people say that they would love to give back in some way, but they don’t know what to do or what’s available in their communities. A convenient way to survey your potential opportunities is to visit a website called VolunteerMatch.org. It can help you sift through your preferences and give you more information or links to nonprofits that might be in need of your services.
The bottom line is that if you really want to give back, there are lots of places that are eager for your help and support.
Susan Onaitis is President of Global Learning Link, a New York-based sales training consulting firm helping corporations worldwide improve the performance of their sales professionals. She has been a member of SMT since 1988 and currently serves on the Board of Directors.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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September 2007
Give Your Sales Training a Second Life!
There Is No Place Like Work: Seven Leadership Insights For Creating a Workplace to Call Home
Authors: Dr. Sheila L. Margolis and Dr. Ava S. Wilensky
By Book Reviewer: Robert Klein
Stop Acting like a Seller and Start Thinking Like a Buyer
Authors: Jerry Acuff, with Wally Wood
By Book Reviewer: Renie McClay
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