Partner Article

Not for profit networking caught on camera.

~~Shot at Willow Wednesday Networking, more information at http://ow.ly/tNKoP The ground breaking video production company Now Film very kindly shot a video about charitable networking at the NorthEastBiz flagship event Willow Wednesday. CLICK VIDEO LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5aEGaf4I-k Despite the rise of not-for-profit networking there are continues to be a few networking junkies out there who are still networking but forgotten why. Unless you are organised and focused it is very easy to attend networking events, fail to engage with anyone in particular, fail to communicate what you are about and come out with a fist full of cards and fail to follow through. It is fair to say that for some small business owners networking can be life affirming because they can get out and talk to people with whom they share common business issues and opportunities. But the rigmarole of turning up every week and delivering a 30 second pitch (that has been heard countless times before by the same assembled group) is losing its appeal for busy business folk who are seeking to exploit the maximum benefit from every moment in their day. The time taken for a weekly meeting, including the travelling, can quickly escalate to the equivalent of a working day a month. This is an enormous time commitment and when networking through a networking business such as BNI, Network North and 4 Networking the cost of the monthly subscription, monthly meeting fees and time can make it expensive. So there is an ROI decision to be made, which will inevitably pivot on the amount of effort you put into your networking activitybecause the successful networking goes way beyond just turning up. The cost and time associated with weekly networking may be significant factors in the increase in the number of free and low cost, pay on the door monthly networking events. For example in the North East there is First Friday (Science City), Informal Friday (Arch Group), PHAT Friday (Mussel Club & Venues), FAB Friday ( Sixth Sense) Rise and Design Friday (Design Network North), NetPark Breakfast Networking (NetPark), Stand Up And Be Counted (NECC & Venues) Suppliers Networking (G Casino). These are just some examples of totally free monthly events sponsored by venues or organisations. Not all events can be sponsored because somebody needs to pay for the food and drink! Charging on the door to cover cost is without doubt fair and appropriate. However, the deal with the venue is not always an easy amount to collect from attendees when it is not a round number. So the ticket price gets rounded up and once basic administration costs are paid there can be a surplus. So NorthEastBiz a Northumberland networking organisation has come up with the solution. Make the operating surplus a donation to charity at the end of the year. At the end of 2013 NorthEastBiz made its first annual charity donation a modest £640 to St Oswald’s Hospice. In 2014 NorthEastBiz has committed to raising £2,000 + for a local charity with the support of the Barclays Business team. Could this not-for-profit networking model with a spin toward local charities be a trend for the future? Surely a shift in this direction would be a direct reflection of the core values of networking. NorthEastBiz flagship networking event is Willow Wednesday details at: http://ow.ly/tNKoP Other North East networking events can be found at: http://ow.ly/tOpYy

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Dan Bond Presentation and Business Development .