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Networking is a very valuable endeavor for non-profits to actively be involved. Participating in an assortment of network opportunities boosts visibility, introduces partnership possibilities and is a great way to engage in community outreach.

There are many potential avenues you can explore to find networking opportunities for your non-profit organization. One of the first things to do is to find other organizations to link up with, look to join local groups such as your area's Chamber of Commerce. When I worked for a non-profit college, we attended many valuable and terrific networking events sponsored by the Chamber. Through the myriad of events given, we met many other organizations and individuals to partner with. As a direct result of these events, we embarked on many joint ventures and projects which were beneficial to the community and helped build our organization branch out and discover new ways to meet community needs.

It's also a good idea to try and partner with other organizations to come up with ideas and events which would be mutually beneficial. Sponsoring events with each another is a great way to share expenses and boost visibility for your organization. These strategic alliances are not only valuable in terms of generating community and organizational support, they are often very cost-effective too, which is vital when you're working on limited budgets as most non-profits do not have the luxury of robust funding.

Another good outlet for networking is to consult with your local community's calendar and get involved with the scheduled events. Many communities have annual, monthly or one time only events where you can arrange to have a table at and it's a great way to mingle. Community festivals, parades, professional fairs (i.e. health fairs and career fairs) are wonderful ways to meet and greet people and as a bonus, it's another avenue to be involved with the community.

Being involved in community outreach is essential to your non-profit; you want to get to know members in your area and for people to recognize who you are and what you do. Often when getting involved in community efforts, there are inexpensive ways to host events and other partnering agencies would help deflect some of the costs. Hosting events that are open to the public further develops other networking opportunities as well.

Networking and partnering with other organizations are a fantastic way to increase visibility and augment revenues. Communication and social marketing are at the crux of a non-profit's strategic plan and networking is a valuable way to get the word out on your organization.

Learn more about this author, Leigh Goessl.
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