Doing Pro Bono work is good for business, but that’s not why I do it.
Lots of businesses do charity and pro bono work to get their brand in front of large groups of people. It’s apparently good for business.
I do pro bono work as well, but for other reasons. Here are just five:
Helping others is something I grew up with.
Mum and Dad had a pharmacy in Smith Street, Collingwood, from 1955 until they retired in 1991.
I watched them serve customers and make real connections with them – Dad would often drop past an elderly customer’s house if they hadn’t seen them for a few days to check up on them.
Mum would phone new mothers to see how they were getting on with medication they may have needed for their little one.
And they both delivered medicines and other items to their customers when they couldn’t come into the shop themselves.
They also made donations of cosmetics and giftware for school fetes, collected bottles for recycling drives and served cup after cup of tea at school ‘parents and friends’ nights.
After they retired, Mum used to knit cushion covers, teddy beanies and scarves in football colours and sell them for charity.
She’d buy the bears, the cushion inserts and the wool, then knit like fury for hours each night and deliver them to the various charities who sold them to their communities.
She did this until her arthritis got so bad she couldn’t knit any more.
Skills Development comes with the territory.
I learn so much from working with different people and organisations. Last year, I did some work for Team Jake. Jake is a young man living with disabilities. He has a number of passions – saving wildlife being one of them. So, he collects old fabric to take to wildlife shelters and sells rags that tradies use to clean up spills, paints, grease etc.
Working with Team Jake meant I not only had to reframe the way I think about copywriting, but I also had to sharpen my skills around expectations. Most of my clients want as many customers as they can get. Jake can only manage a few deliveries a month, so I had to be creative in how I framed my calls to action.
It gave me a new insight into how people with disabilities navigate the workplace, knowledge I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Volunteering builds Community Connections
As I said, my parents volunteered for most of their lives. And they did it because it was ‘the right thing to do’ but also because it fostered real connections with their communities.
Running a workshop for a Neighbourhood House gave me the opportunity to meet a completely different group of people in my area. It also gave me a real insight into the amazing work that organisation does.
Being able to give back to this community reminded me that I’m in a very privileged position.
And that was a benefit in itself.
Doing the do gives me peace
Doing something that aligns my business with my values makes me feel like I’m doing good.
Some might say that it’s showing integrity and authenticity.
My clients might appreciate that my business stands for something larger than profit.
But the reason I do pro bono work is rooted in my own values and passion for helping people.
Pro bono work gives me energy and inspires me
Doing work that is purely for the sake of helping others reminds me why I started in the first place.
It reignites my passion for my work and brings energy and new ideas into my client work.
Pro bono work is good for business
Sure, pro bono work is good for business, the deeper reason I do it is for personal fulfillment and giving back. Just like my parents did for decades.
Do you do pro bono work? Why/not?
Look at you having read all the way to the end! I’m flattered!
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