VOLUNTEERING
VOLUNTEERING
Securing interested clients and keeping them is a priority in any business and the focus and determination you bring to this aspect is one of the major factors as to whether or not you are successful. It really is up to you. You can have all the knowledge, training, help, etc., but the bottom line is how much effort you are willing and able to expend on finding and keeping clients.
Starting out, the usual suggestions include
• volunteering,
• samples of your ability, and.
• working with other professionals.
As a business owner, I get many requests per year for donations and/or volunteering my time. I have three definitions for volunteering.
• The first is what I do when an outside agency requests me to help accomplish some task (i.e., helping distribute food,
or clothing, serving at an association booth, etc.).
• The second definition of volunteering is any thing I do to promote my business that I do not expect to get paid now but am
looking for benefits at a later time. Both of these definitions impact my business since they both use my time, my most
valuable commodity.
• The third definition is what I do with my personal time (i.e., serve at church, visit sick, etc.). What follows is based on the
first two definitions.
My first definition "What I do when an outside agency requests me to help accomplish some task (i.e., helping distribute food, clothing or toys, serving at an association booth, etc.)". I really try to limit this type of volunteering unless it helps one of the national and/or state associations I am a member of or in some way helps promote bodywork. The exception is an emergency situation like when we had a severe flood problem in Houston. In 1990 when I started in bodywork, I did none of this type. All my focus was on increasing my client base and maintaining them. As my business increased, so did my inclination to serve at this type of volunteering. Even now, however, my first focus is always my clientele and making sure I have the energy and stamina to maintain a busy practice so I always consider my schedule before making any commitment.
My second definition. "Any thing I do to promote my business that I do not expect to get paid for right now". During my first few years I did this type of volunteering on a regular basis, while working 7 days a week. What follows is some of the ways I found were successful for me.
• Volunteering is a great way to practice your communication skills and techniques. Meeting and working on and with many
different people allows you to have the necessary flexibility and ease of manner that will aid you in working with a diverse
clientele. It is also a very worthwhile and rewarding aspect of your business.
• Finding ways to allow the public to sample your abilities and techniques is only limited by your imagination. Remember Mrs.
Field’s cookies got started by her standing on the street with fresh baked cookies for samples. Your samples are a bit
different but they are just as powerful.
A few suggestions for any type of volunteering:
• Select your volunteering carefully. How does volunteering here aid you in your target market? For example, most
sporting events generate a very small return unless you are specializing in sports therapy. If you were targeting
working mothers, perhaps an upscale daycare would be the right place.
• Always insist on a sign-in list with addresses and phone numbers. Not only does this give you a mailing list, it allows you
speak the person’s name which helps them feel more comfortable. It helps them relax and helps you remember they are
a “new client” and deserve your best efforts. When you have already done 20 people, it helps to have reminders. You
want this client to remember you and want to schedule an appointment. A sign-in sheet also helps keep confusion down.
The general public is familiar with sign-in and feels better when their position in line is secured.
• Have a separate sign-in sheet for each event. This allows you to see exactly how your efforts were spent for each hour
and you can begin to see which of the businesses give you the most response, translating into customers who make an
appointment. I found that a women’s boutique gave me a very high response and those women encouraged their
husbands to schedule while health fairs response was very small. This was a very big surprise for me but it encouraged
me to try a number of different businesses.
• Have a framed description sheet that explains what you will be doing; the length of time you are offering and that it is
complimentary. People often do not see a sheet of paper lying on the table but will almost always look at a framed sheet.
• Have a timer that signals time finished. Bodywork time passes differently than real time. Clients often feel the time passed
entirely to quickly to have actually been the allotted time. Allowing a few seconds, maintaining hand contact, while they
return to real time can directly effect your tipping and the number of your cards taken home to be used at a later time.
• Have a clear “tip” container next to your business cards. A medium sided, lovely vase (in plastic because of the size of the
table) works better than a jar or glass. Be sure you keep a daily record of tips received for tax purposes and to make you
smile happily.
• Keep a mileage log especially for volunteer work. You will need to include the date, beginning mileage, ending mileage,
total mileage, destination and purpose. Check with a knowledgeable tax person to see exactly what mileage is tax
deductible. By keeping a separate log, you are prepared.
• Assign a dollar amounts to the service provided. For example if you were doing 15-minute shoulder/neck massages at a
sports event, the general dollar worth would be $1.00 per minute or $15.00. This helps you remember that you are worth
a dollar amount and that you have chosen to offer this complimentary service. I always made a note on my sign-in sheet
what I had “earned” that day. It encouraged me and also helped me better understand the physical impact of being on
my feet for six to eight hours doing chair massages on customer after customer.
• Talk with a bodywork knowledgeable tax person to see what and how much can be deducted from your taxes and exactly
what records you should keep. Your tax person should become part of your team.
• Always have your scheduler with you. It is never out of place to suggest the customer would benefit from addition
bodywork, and to let them know you would be delighted to be of assistance. Being able to offer a specific time and
place is often a done deal. My description flyers usually state that I allow 5 minutes between chair sessions for questions,
comments or scheduling.
• Set up in a visible area but out of the traffic flow. Businesses do not want people clustering around or waiting in one area,
so have your sign-in sheet a little distance from where you are performing the service but where you can easily see who is
next. If you are available, look available. Reading a book or talking to friends can communicate you are busy and potential
customers may not interrupt and you may miss a great opportunity.
• Unless for a special cause, do only chair massages. Chair massages are wonderful for instant relief and for only a short
time so you can access more potential clients than with a table. The chair fits almost anywhere and is very recognizable
to the general public.
• Dress ultra professional. Dressing appropriately is always important and it should, of course, be comfortable for you and
appropriate to the type of event for which you are volunteering. Since ideas of what is appropriate differ, I try always to
error on the side of conservative dress, usually wearing a white jacket and a nametag. White seems to say professional
to the general public.
• Have your literature and cards available. Do not overwhelm the table with information. A good brochure that explains your
modalities, prices, etc. is good and always, even in the bathtub, have your business cards available. (Joking about the
bathtub). Never go anywhere without the business cards and have them easily accessible.
• If practical, bring your music. Music can change your little space into a restful place and draw customers over. It
should always be with the approval of the business owner and not in any way detract from their business.
• Target your energy to the person you are working on. After the 20th person sits down on your chair, you may be a bit
tired. That is why you need to take breaks if you are working longer that a few hours. It doesn’t matter whether it is
person number one or person number twenty, they all deserve your very best. Keep your energy focused on the
person in the chair. By not looking around or talking to other people in the line to indicate that this person is very special
and the rest of the customers can expect the same special attention.
Getting the chance to volunteer:
Take the local neighborhood newspapers. There are often reviews of new businesses that are opening or expanding, giving the owner’s name, address and telephone number.
• Stop in and introduce yourself and if their business appeals to you, give them your brochure and a special “volunteer” sheet
(sample follows) letting them know that you do complementary chair bodywork for events that benefit the community.
• Most businesses have limited space so the offer of complementary chair bodywork works better than a table and the
clientele is more likely to utilize a chair massage.
The special “volunteer” form is my own creation and after several unhappy incidents, I developed it. It should be simple but very specific.
See example of Volunteering Information Sheet at the back of this report.
1. It should offer a bit of information about you. That you are licensed, etc.
2. It should detail exactly what you will do during the period of time you are there based on the appropriateness of where
you will be doing the volunteer work. For example, shoulder and neck massages work very well almost anywhere and
requires little privacy.
3. The form should list any usual requirements you have regarding space, electrical sockets, sign-in table, etc. I usually take
music, a small fountain, a small table for sign-in and displaying brochures and cards. This is a very important time for the
business owner and the less they have to provide or worry about, the nicer your offer.
4. Include the information that you will be offering a free drawing of a 15, 30, 60 minute bodyworking session at your location
or whatever service you choose to provide for the drawing.
If offering a drawing, you also have to provide pens; strips of paper that request name, address, and phone number as well as a container to put them in. Have a printer print 1000 cheap business cards or print them yourself on blank business cards.
Have the store manager do the drawing and let them know that you will include their business name in your cover letter when you notify the winner.
5. You may want to provide signs for display to ensure the information is as you wish. I printed signs on heavy cardstock
that left space for the business owner’s name. For example:
10- MINUTE SHOULDER AND NECK MASSAGES
COMPLIMENTS OF _________________________(your name)
IN SUPPORT OF ___________________________(business name)
If you are requested to provide this service, you will want the business owner to initial a copy for your files to help keep miscommunication to a minimum.
6. You will want to sign and date any Volunteering Information Sheet you leave and keep a log of where you have left them,
who you spoke with and the date. I was still receiving callbacks from businesses five years later.
7. If you are just starting out, this form may sound too aggressive for you. However, you are representing your business
while you will be enhancing their business and you are a professional businessperson. By using something along the lines
of the information sheet you limit the opportunity for feeling like you are being taken advantage of and also limits
misunderstandings. Free massages can translate quickly into “no value” if proper care is not taken.
8. Most businesses will be happy to meet you and will keep your information on hand if the circumstances do not work right
now. I kept a file on anyone I called on with a checklist of what I had left, the date, who I spoke with and then I called back
in a few months to see how they were doing and if a promotion of some type might be of interest.
Check the Yellow Pages for other interesting newspapers and pick up a copy of those that look interesting to see how they fit in with your interests and goals. You may find one area newspaper has a column you particularly find informative and another one will have better area coverage.
Establish contacts with neighborhood business columnists. It is a good idea to go to each neighborhood newspapers and introduce yourself. Ask to speak with the person who is responsible for new businesses and leave your introductory information packet including the fact that you do volunteer work for worthy causes. It helps if you can personally speak to the person, however that is not always possible.
It helps if your packet includes a picture of yourself and/or your place of business. If unable to see the appropriate person, write an invitation for Mr./Mrs./Ms. to come by your location and get acquainted and paperclip to the information. You may or may not get a response, but you may get a phone call from your name being passed on to another columnist and perhaps even a story about you and your business.
Join selective community clubs such as a professional business breakfast club or Chamber of Commerce. This is my least favorite of the above for doing volunteer work since it can be time consuming and expensive. In most breakfast clubs you can only join if you do not duplicate a business already there. You are expected to attend weekly and most professional clubs charge an entry fee plus a monthly charge. The major benefit is that it does get you acquainted with other small business owners in your chosen area of business and you get to practice speaking every week. Most breakfast clubs encourage the members to use each others services and you usually receive one or two referrals each week, but since the referral may have been only handing out your business card, many of the “referrals” do not translate into immediate money. An added benefit of joining a breakfast club for me has been having peers to discuss my business with and I have made lasting friendships.
Join a local chapter of massage/bodywork association. Local chapters often receive the call asking for volunteers for city sponsored activities. Belonging to a group means participating in what the group has decided to volunteer for. Group volunteering builds great teamwork and great friends.
Call the schools in your target area to see if they have any health awareness days or health fairs planned or any other activity that your services would be a benefit for.
Call the malls in your target area to see if they have any health awareness days or health fairs planned or any other activity that your services would be a benefit for.
Check the Yellow Pages or Internet for addresses for
• Chiropractic Clinics
• Dentists
• Health Care Facilities
• Health Clubs
• Health & Diet Food Businesses
• Health & Fitness Consultants and Trainers
• Hospitals
• OB/GYN Clinics
• Photographers
• Physical Therapists
• Podiatrist
• Tanning Salons
• Veterinarians
• Anyone you would enjoy working with.
Send your brochure, business card and a cover letter introducing yourself and indicating that you are willing to provide complementary chair massages for their customers. Then call in a few weeks to see if they got your information and if they have any questions. If only one out of twenty responds, you are still ahead.
Working with other health professionals allows them to offer their clients something fresh and beneficial while it gives you the benefit of the professional’s approval (a perceived importance to their clientele) and an opportunity to access their client base. This works very well however, there are a few rules I would suggest.
• Negotiate clearly with the other professional regarding what is expected from both of you.
• Be very clear on what times you can be available.
• Decide up front how often you are available, one time or several.
• Decide on compensation, if any. Do you charge? If so, are you expected to split the charge, what is the split percentage?
Do you accept only tips?
• See all the rules above for volunteering.
In summary, volunteering samples of your ability is limited only by your imagination. Volunteering should promote your business, put you before potential clients, enhance your ease of manner in meeting and conducting yourself professionally before a diverse and often skeptical public, introduce you to other professionals and business owners in your chosen area and ultimately translate into dollars in your pocket.
Good planning and have fun.
M. Johanna Powell NCTMB, LMT, CCP, MTI
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Sample Volunteering Information Sheet
Your Name:
Your Telephone Number:
Your Mailing Address
1. I am a Massage Therapist licensed by the State of Texas and I am Nationally Certified. My license number is MT###.
I specialize in chair massage to encourage and maintain wellness.
2. During your next special event, I would appreciate the opportunity to do complementary chair massages for your customers.
I will be happy to provide chair massages for 10 minutes per person for __ hours per day with a 5-minute period between
clients for their questions and sign-in. I will take a 15-minute break per hour. OR change any of the information to describe
what you are comfortable doing.
3. I usually require only an electrical socket for my music and small fountain. I provide a small table for sign-in and to display
my cards and brochures. Chair massage requires very little space and can be conducted almost anywhere since the
customer does not remove any clothing.
4. I do require people to sign in to avoid confusion, asking for names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
5. I will also be offering drawing for a ___ minute bodyworking session at my primary location and your business name will
be mentioned in my notification letter to the winner.
I look forward to being able to provide this service for your customers.
Signed_________________________ Date___________________
BUSINESS OWER SIGNATURE ________________________________________
