4:1 BD Payout? Try Board Service.

Leaders and board members of the Miners Alley Performing Arts Center. From left: Amy Arpan, Heather Beasley, Rory Pierce, Lisa DeCaro, Pat Madison, Len Matheo, Matt Plavnick, Farhana Morales, Jason Slowinski, and Suzanne Linder. Photo taken at the Rotary Club of Golden 2025 Ethics in Business Awards. Miners Alley won in the nonprofit category.

What if I said you could supercharge your community involvement, increase your visibility, generate new business, and find personal and professional reward all at once?

Align board service with career and personal priorities and watch what happens.

For the past 18 months I've served on the Miners Alley Performing Arts Center board of directors. It's a dream volunteer job.

Professional + Personal Alignment: Miners Alley recruited me for marketing input, an area I already love to work in. As a result, my time volunteering is fun, creative, and challenging. Practicing my craft in another industry helps me hone skills that benefit me every day professionally. Miners Alley is also a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the performing arts, inclusion and belonging, and creating a community where all are welcome. That matters to me.

Networking + Business Development: Professional and volunteer leaders at Miners Alley include trial presentation consultants and attorneys. Turns out, lawyers and legal industry consultants gain a lot from the performing arts!

This means my board service connects me with people who help me network and grow my reach in my target industry. That's time well spent. And yes, board involvement has at least in part helped me land new work. My board relationships reinforced my other BD efforts with at least one law firm, which is now a client.

Personal Investment: For several years, my kids have attended Miners Alley summer arts camps. Do I have a vested interest in what happens at Miners Alley? You bet. Is that also good for my business, my family, and my community? You bet. Do my personal and professional investments in board service mean I will keep showing up even when I'm busy? You bet!

As a board member, I also continually meet people in professional services, higher education, ESG, community relations, technology, engineering, small business, city government, and more. You know what they all have in common? They are smart, driven, and appreciate collaborating for a good cause. That's a rewarding group of professionals to learn from outside of my day job.

4:1 Payout: It's hard to beat the 4:1 return on time and effort that a thoughtful, genuine, and strategic volunteer position creates. Community service, profile building, networking and BD, and a healthy dose of personal growth, all in one package.

Want help evaluating your next board opportunity? I'm happy to chat, ask questions, test assumptions, and help you make the most of your time, effort, and energy. Send me a note at matt@axismarketingstrategies.com, and let's brainstorm together.