Don’t Be The (metaphorical) Relative That Only Shows Up When He Needs Money

I’ve spent years working with nonprofits (most notably, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sudbury). One realization that I came to early on in our time working together was how important it is to be active in the community, and to not always be asking for something.

An organization like Big Brothers Big Sisters is usually trying to raise:

• Money
• Awareness
• Volunteerism

Nothing wrong with any of that, but imagine if the only time they’re ever seen out in the community is when they’re saying “Can you give us money? Can you give us time?”. I know I personally would have tuned them out after not too long, and I imagine the community at large would too.

Kind of like the relative who only drops by or calls when he needs to borrow a couple bucks. Never to see how the kids are doing, certainly not to help you move… but when he needs your car for an afternoon, he’s your best friend.

(this isn’t a relative of mine in reality, by the way… it’s just the example I like to use)

It’s kind of like Twitter, really. They say that you shouldn’t make every post of yours a sales job. That you should intersperse the sales pitches and keep them in a minority, and instead earn a ton of Twitter community goodwill and credibility by giving back to the community with interesting and educational links that may be of use to the people on your followers list. I know me personally, I ignore almost every Twitter direct message I get because they’re all “Thanks for following, now visit my website and read my blog or buy my product”. They’re being the relative that only makes contact when they’re trying to get something.

So, yeah. Big Brothers Big Sisters. A long time ago I advised them to get active in the community without asking for anything in return, be it money, volunteers or even attention. Just give. Take some Bigs and Littles and help out another nonprofit (like the CHS, or CNIB) at one of their local fundraisers. Sure, make sure they’re wearing BBBS shirts so that it’s clear they’re representing the agency, but just show up and visibly help out someone else.

This could have a number of benefits, certainly one of which would be a newfound relationship with the other nonprofit you just helped, and access to their network of supporters for your events and efforts.

And the other is, and I could be wrong, but I don’t think I am, that those efforts would have a subtle and gradual effect of building up goodwill in the community. And then, when the time comes to go out in the community and ask for sponsors for events like the Bowl For Kids Sake, people may actually end up feeling a little more generous. Because you’ve built up associations in their mind of doing good work, without asking for anything from them for it.

Nobody can afford to give away all their time. I can’t. Businesses can’t, and certainly there is only so much volunteer goodwill an organization like Big Brothers Big Sisters has to tap into. But, I think done selectively, there could be returns on the time and energy investment that could outweigh what went into it.

Yes, in sense, it’s self-serving. In an ideal world you’d invisibly help and not ask for the slightest bit of recognition for it… but it’s not an ideal world and if there are ways you can benefit from your own charitable acts, especially if you’re benefiting by helping others in the first place, then I say “take them”.

Worth thinking about, anyways.