The Perks of Pro Bono: What You Get When You Give
// By Ross K. Goldberg //
Pro bono work “feeds the soul,” says Susan Dubuque, principal at NDP. In this article, we hear from Susan and four other senior marketing and PR leaders about why they volunteer. Stepping outside your normal routine and using your skills to help a worthy cause may be just the creative spark you need.
Physicians travel around the globe to donate their time to help others less fortunate, sharing their knowledge and skills while expecting nothing in return except the self-satisfaction that comes from their acts of unselfishness. Similarly, few if any respected law firms in America don’t encourage — and in many cases require — their attorneys to commit to pro bono work in the community, assisting nonprofits or individuals who would not otherwise have access to the expertise that these attorneys can provide.
But what about those of us in the public relations and marketing fields? We too have unique skills to share in helping organizations frame their messages, confront crisis, set strategy, and tell their stories in compelling and memorable ways. There aren’t any nonprofits in the country that wouldn’t benefit from some free wisdom from those who have been in the trenches.
And there aren’t any PR or marketing professionals who wouldn’t benefit both professionally and personally from helping others. It is a way to keep the candles of inspiration and creativity burning, to revalidate that your skills are valued and, in many cases, to remind you of the reason you entered the field in the first place, despite all that may have happened in the interim.