The true power of Giver’s Gain

Many years  ago, a fellow member of BNI asked me to help out with a organization she was on a board for.  It would be a total volunteer job.  I remember thinking to myself, “I’m so busy.  I should say no.”

But,  I didn’t.  I said yes.

Over the course of my time interacting with this neighborhood group, I’ve gotten to know many of the people working hard for this non-profit.  I have trained rooms full of interns on how to update WordPress.  I have even met family members that needed help with WordPress!  A bonus has been that I’ve been able to work with other colleagues that also volunteer for them. Most of all, I’ve learned so much about what a non-profit needs in a website and how to design effectively for them.

The last project for them was a massive one for me.  Combining three organizational websites into one.  It was over 500 pages.  New branding was done by my friend Lindsay and thank goodness they have a rock star employee named Nelson that I trained with Beaver Builder. He ran with it!  Tackling all the content was easier with a helping hand.

Today, the Director asked for a short meeting and I was there ready with my notepad.  After the last redesign, I told them I couldn’t quite donate the amount of time I had in the past, but I would always be there for them.  To my surprise,  he appeared with a big thank you gift and card signed by the whole group.

David Bestock and the staff and volunteers at DNDA are all my friends now.  They gave me a beautiful fall swag basket that included a one hour massage!  Best of all,  I got many kind messages in the card they gave me.  David said the organization is growing like crazy and I love hearing that I had a small part in helping them reach their goals.  I thanked him back and let him know I was going to be redesigning a huge community group website over the next year and his project really gave me the experience I needed to take on that job.

The lesson here is as a business owner, it’s good to GIVE to others.  In my eight years in BNI,  I have learned that their motto, Giver’s Gain, really works.   Karma is real and what you put out in the world comes back to you.  My experience volunteering for DNDA has given me so much by making me a better designer.

Truly a win-win for both of us.

RESOURCES:  Quickbooks – Volunteering Is Good for Your Small Business