Volunteer for Virtual Success

by Denise Willms

Think you might enjoy being a virtual assistant, but can't afford to leave your current job to find out? Maybe you want to know if you have the right skills to be a successful VA. Or, perhaps you're a new VA wondering where to find those all-important references and testimonials. If you want to test the virtual waters and lay the groundwork for your VA business with minimal risk, volunteering may be your answer.

As a professional, a virtual assistant shouldn't offer free services to anyone to let them "try you out." But volunteering for an organization or cause that is meaningful to you is a different matter altogether. Many virtual assistants who volunteer early in their careers find it so rewarding that they continue volunteering long after their VA practices are established. After Hurricane Katrina, at least one VA volunteered her time to help hurricane victims contact their family members. Many successful VAs regularly donate time to their favorite charities, churches, and other organizations.

You won’t be mailing out invoices, but the rewards you’ll receive as a volunteer may be more valuable and longer lasting than a cheque for your services. Besides the satisfaction you’ll get from helping others, here are some of the rewards you can expect when you volunteer as a virtual assistant:

1. Perfect your presentation Being able to sell yourself and your abilities is an essential quality of a successful VA. Many entrepreneurs fail to get their new businesses off the ground due to a lack of confidence and preparation when presenting their ideas. Volunteering as a virtual assistant can give you an opportunity to practice your presentation in a business setting with minimal risk: if the presentation doesn’t go well, you haven’t lost a potential contract. Once you’ve chosen the organization you want to help, schedule a meeting (in person or on the phone) with the appropriate person to present your abilities and ideas. Feedback from this meeting can help you refine your presentation, and you'll be more confident and prepared the next time you present to a potential client.

2. Network with potential clients Everyone knows someone else. Many successful VAs have gained their best clients from connections they made early in their careers - people they once worked with who later referred a colleague or a friend. While you're volunteering, you're meeting people who know people, who know more people, who know…. you get the picture.

3. Learn new skills Completing real projects for a real organization can help show you if you have the right skills to succeed as a VA. Many nonprofit organizations have the same business needs as your future clients and this is your chance to take an up-close look at what those needs are. Want to learn something new? Most nonprofit organizations are open to letting their volunteers try something they haven't done before, or that they're still learning. Just let your organization know about your lack of experience beforehand so they're not disappointed if you experience a setback.

4. References and testimonials These can serve you well in establishing your credibility with potential clients. If you've done a consistently good job as a volunteer, you'll have ready-made references and testimonials when you open your VA business.

5. Confidence Confidence is a defining characteristic of an entrepreneur. How do you get it? By remembering your past successes. Knowing that you have worked successfully as a volunteer VA will give you added confidence when you meet with your future clients and when you experience setbacks and failures – as all entrepreneurs do.

Ready to experience all the rewards of being a volunteer VA? Just call your favorite nonprofit organization and get started! If you need ideas for places you can volunteer, type “virtual volunteer” into your favorite search engine to find links to virtual volunteer opportunities.



Denise Willms,a homeschooling mother of two, helps work-at-home-moms get targeted traffic to their websites through copywriting, article writing, and press releases. Subscribe to her newsletter, WAHM-Articles Ezine, and receive 105 Power Tips to Get Your Online Business Noticed and Profiting.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com