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In this issue...
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Community Involvement
with Networking
By Rita Williams
As a director of a center, opening the mail is always interesting. It is amazing to see the many businesses that cater to pregnancy centers. But this day, one request was different. This letter was asking me to join a businessmen's referral group. I read the letter to my assistant director and asked, "Why in the world would I do this?" Her answer was interesting. She saw who sent it and said, "Don't take this lightly. He is a major donor, and if he wants you to join this, it's for the center's benefit."
I checked my calendar and marked the morning of the next meeting. I looked at the time, "7 a.m. Boy, is that early!" The day arrived, and I attended this meeting along with people from about 100 other businesses. After the meeting, I approached the gentleman that mailed the letter to me, and he explained to me that this gathering of business professionals meets once a week at 7 a.m. for about an hour and a half, promoting each other's businesses. He said only one person per profession can join, and he certainly didn't want to see our "competition" join. The fees were about $300, and I just couldn't see how it could benefit us since we were not selling anything. I was unable to refuse him when he offered to pay our fees for one year.
I knew this would be quite a commitment, every Friday at 7 a.m. However, I was willing to give it a shot. So every Friday morning, we started the meeting by saying why we gather once a week. Someone always stood up and said, "Our motto is 'Givers Gain.' I'll help you and you help me create some business."
"Create business," I pondered. "How does this help us? Our clients are women with unplanned pregnancies that need free help." I stood up during my assigned one minute and started sharing the center's mission, "find that young lady—pregnant, alone, and scared and help her." No pro-life agenda, no sharing the gospel, I just stated our mission. Every week I shared a story, a fact, and a statistic. Soon I was taking my form for our fund-raising walk to the meetings and then recruiting table hosts for our center's banquet from this group.
As a result of this networking, a Christian real estate agent was interviewed for our board, and then a Christian accountant was accepted on our board. Two Christian, professional businesswomen volunteered to be on our banquet committee. A golf tournament was announced in the group and all the proceeds were donated to our center. When the center moved, half of the group donated their services to our move. The center received carpet at cost, paint, free heating and cooling inspection, reduced phone service, real estate services and more. After the first year with the group, our center received $20,000.
Soon two more business referral groups were forming and their leaders were visiting my office trying to recruit someone to join (both offering to pay our fees). During the second year the BNI (Business Network International) Regional Director waived our fees as a "givers gain" gesture, and I was asked to share at new group meetings how a non-profit benefits from BNI and how BNI benefits from having a non-profit. The BNI Regional Director shared that he had no idea how a non-profit such as the Pregnancy Resource Center could be so valuable, but it was good to invest in something that had a higher purpose beyond the group. By March of the second year $13,000 had been donated, and it looked like it would be $40,000 total that year, donated by BNI.
Not expecting it, my husband received transfer papers. He had one week to report to his new job in Sparks, Nevada. I gave my six-week notice and was sad to announce to my new group, friends, volunteers, and donors from BNI that I was leaving. After a touching good-bye, I was off to Sparks, Nevada.
Soon after I arrived, I was hired by the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Reno as a marketing consultant. The first thing I did was look up BNI in Reno. I wrote to the Regional Director and asked if the fees could be donated, and to my pleasant surprise, the answer was yes. I found a group of about 40 just around the corner, and at 7 a.m. every Wednesday there I am. After being a member for about two months, I was invited to speak at the Kiwanis, the Lions, the Rotary, and the Soroptomist clubs. BNI members gave me some information on foundations that are available to the center, and we have already been approved for funding from one. I was asked to attend a vendor event by the restaurant owner in the group. He is trying to get his vendors to choose the center for a donation from the Hispanic Heritage Celebration fundraiser. The travel agent has offered help for our banquet auction and the BNI members are excited to have me aboard.
I have volunteered to be the Education Coordinator for next term, and I know the relationships I develop with this group are going to be invaluable. Please check to see if there is a BNI group in your city at www.bni.com.
| Rita Williams is a banquet speaker and the Marketing Consultant of the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Reno, Nevada. She can be contacted at williams320@sbcglobal.net. |
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