Recently I wrote an article on
benefits of joining your local Chamber of Commerce as a way of getting exposure for your business. See "Marketing on Cheap: Join The What?" at this source or at http://sbmag.org. The Chamber of Commerce is or should be number one organization in your area promoting business. Your involvement will help them indirectly help your business while giving you direct exposure to a large and viable market.Now let’s look at other organizations you, your business and, of course, your community can benefit from by your involvement, but not in that order.
Service Clubs: There are three major service clubs that come to mind, and I’m sure you are familiar with them to some degree already: Rotary International, Kiwanis International and Lions International.
However, don’t just run off and join largest club in your area just because it’s one that gets most media coverage. As a matter of fact, you shouldn’t be joining a service club at all for sole purposes of promoting your business. You should be joining because it is right thing to do. The benefits, and there will be benefits, will come indirectly.
Each of above mentioned organizations have a main charity or area of interest as a national or worldwide project. Lions International for example is recognized worldwide for their service to blind and visually impaired. Kiwanis’ motto is "Serving Children of World", and Rotary has had as a long-term goal of worldwide eradication of polio. Of course, all these organizations are many years old and have branched out into a number of other humanitarian efforts as well. Beyond national organization’s each local club usually has their own projects and objectives.
Fraternal Organizations: Now that you have joined Chamber of Commerce and are looking at service clubs, you may also want to consider Fraternal Organizations. The first three that come to mind are: The Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks, Moose International and Fraternal Order of Eagles. Like service clubs, all three of these organizations are national or international with local clubs. However, also like service clubs, there may me others or an independent fraternal organization in your area that is more suited for you and your interests.
Years ago I joined a new Rotary club that just started up in our community. They were, and still are, a great group of people. Their main efforts on local front was dealing with youth orientated projects, helping to build ball parks, sponsoring scholarships and a few other very worthwhile causes, but no causes I was passionate about. A friend of mine was involved with a group of people that were trying to start a local organization to deal directly with funding anti-drug programs in local schools. My wife being a teacher in local district, made that seem like a much better place for me to put my efforts. We went on and founded a new Lions Club in which I became a founding officer, a Past President, Lion of Year and recipient of a national award form Lions International in recognition of my efforts in fight against drugs. This only happened because I chose right organization with which to get involved.
